Dive into sparkling waters, idle on sun-baked beaches or walk through history in Zanzibar

Zanzibar is a name most of us recognise — though may be hard pressed to pinpoint on a map — as it conjures up the sights and sounds of an African island on the old Spice Route. So when I got an opportunity to work and live there, I got my yellow fever shots and booked the first flight out. Zanzibar is off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa and is a fully autonomous country for all practical purposes. (But if you’re travelling there, you need to get a visa for Tanzania.) For those of us brought up on National Geographic, the very word Africa conjures up images of wild animals and grasslands. Not so with Zanzibar — it’s more a sandy-beaches-and-sparkling-sea sort of destination. For those who still want their safaris, it's a great destination to club with a wildlife holiday with Serengeti and Ngorongoro reserves barely an hour-long plane ride away. The two main islands of Zanzibar are Unguja and Pemba, but there are about 51 other surrounding small islets. Zanzibar has a very long and diverse cultural history — Assyrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Chinese, Persians, Omani Arabs, the Dutch and British have all settled here some point. And let’s not forget the Indians, who have lent their own flavour to the island. It’s a sparsely populated, largely Muslim state, but churches, Hindu temples and mosques all cluster together in that small space. People usually see Zanzibar by dividing it into ‘town’ and the ‘outskirts’. Stone Town, on the western coast of Unguja, is what they call ‘town’ and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Much to my delight, it’s also where I found myself living, surrounded by really old and stunningly beautiful buildings with minarets and labyrinths. Its narrow lanes took me right back to Chandni Chowk in Delhi, but minus the crowds and chaotic mental wiring. The name Stone Town comes from the use of coral stone as the main construction material; this gives the town a reddishwarm colour — and gives the visitor great pictures! Traditional buildings have a baraza, a long stone bench along the outside walls; these are used as elevated sidewalks or benches to sit down on. The most well-known feature of Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, sometimes with big brass studs in Indian tradition. You also see high-ceilinged houses painted pristine white, with dark wooden beams, making the whole effect very dramatic. Perhaps more than anywhere else in Zanzibar, the country’s past is reflected in almost every corner of Stone Town. A lot of the buildings date back to the 19th century, many of them not restored. In my first few days in, I took a walking tour and peered into houses where people like David Livingstone — the doctor, missionary and anti-slavery crusader — lived. Stone Town was a big hub of the slave trade and we could see the places which were holding houses for the slaves before they were sold or sent on further. Despite their grim history, people still live in them — not something that I would go for! What I did go for was a Tinga Tinga painting: Tanzanian art characterised by bright colours depicting mainly animals and birds. No woman shopper worth her salt would leave without visiting Kanga Street and buying a Kanga, a brightly patterned piece of cloth with a slightly obscure line of general advice woven in as part of the fabric. (You could, for example, find your kanga carrying the words ‘Wache Waseme’ or ‘Let Them Talk’). The kanga doubles as a sarong, baby carrier, or pretty much any other use you can put it to. (Here’s a tip, especially relevant when shopping in the alleys of Stone Town: tell people you’re a resident and not a tourist. Almost all prices are negotiable and you often do better as a ‘resident’. Also try and pay in Tanzanian shillings and not dollars.) By the end of the walk, I was pretty full of historical fact and my backpack was full of my shopping. But my stomach wanted sustenance of a different kind and I headed off to Lazuli, which rapidly became my favourite restaurant in Stone Town. Satiated on a meal of smoothies, bunny chows (a South African specialty) and an amazing lemon spaghetti with prawns, I was ready to head out again. If you’re staying a night in Stone Town, it is definitely worth visiting Tatu for an after-dinner drink. This pub is the lone (but great) place to party, and also has one of the best collections of whiskeys in the world — an observation confirmed by many samplers! Other Zanzibari street food kept reminding me of home and the Indian traveller who misses ghar ka khana would find little to complain about here. At various times I found myself munching on a sambusa (samosa), a chapatti (more like a parantha made of flour) and a kachori (which is more like an Indian pakoda). The kuku (chicken) curry and biryani also tasted like the Indian versions, except that you would be more likely to find beef in the biryani here. If you come in the month of Ramadan, you may find half the eating places shut in the daytime. However, some hotels operate during the days of fasting as well. Being on the old Spice Route, spice farms dot the islands of Zanzibar. One weekend saw me heading off on a Spice Tour, where I spent happy hours sniffing vanilla beans, picking pepper and rubbing cinnamon sticks. The tour ended with a local meal in the farm owner's house — delicious! The cloves, called karafu, from Pemba are pretty famous and it’s worth pocketing a few on your visit to the spice farms. Despite its many other attractions, ultimately Zanzibar is all about the sea. It’s beautiful coral reefs — Morogo Reef, Boribo Reef & Turtles Den, the reefs accessible from Nungwi and Matemwe — are especially good for diving. Paje, a village on the southeast coast, has the most beautiful beaches, with sand as fine as flour! But my personal favourite was Robinsons Place on Bweju, located on the east coast. This small eco-lodge is one of the few places for the budget traveller (Zanzibar is definitely a niche destination on most counts) has no electricity and serves home-cooked meals. (Try and book The Robinson House, a romantic tree house with a gorgeous view of the ocean.) There are many diving centres in Zanzibar, for those who want to plumb the depths. The closest I’ve come to diving is off a board into a pool, but I still had the poor-man’s option — snorkelling! So I set off for the submarine experience of a lifetime, as the reefs came to life and colourful schools of fish sailed around. The more intrepid divers can also come face-to-face with manta rays and magnificent whale sharks, if conditions are right. My perambulations around Zanzibar were rounded off by the Safari Blue, a guided tour that has been operating for more than 20 years. I headed out for a sensational day trip full of snorkelling, dolphin-spotting and a fantastic seafood buffet as I sailed around in a boat for the whole day. (I must confess to becoming a bit of a fan of the trip, especially since I’ve been thrice and seen dolphins all three times.) They also took us out to the middle of the ocean and stopped the boat at a little sandbank, where we ended the day lolling in the water, a barbecue there going in the background and glasses of drinks in our hands. So if living life pole pole (Kiswahili for ‘at a leisurely pace’) and beautiful tropical surroundings is your idea of a vacation, then Zanzibar should definitely figure in your travel plans.