Zanzibar: A Journey Through History and Culture
6th June 2025
On the 25th of May, our young Y8 scholars set off on a historical journey to the coastal land of Zanzibar. The three day adventure was filled with fun activities and educational visits to monuments around the island.
On arrival to Stonetown, the students were given a tour of the famous Forodhani gardens and had dinner from the stalls with authentic Zanzibarian street food- shawarmas, Zanzibar pizzas and sugar cane drinks were tried and tested.
On the first day of adventures, we set out to the spice gardens, an hour out of Stonetown. Here we were given a thorough tour of the rich gardens, tasting various spices and herbs along the way, including cinnamon, cloves, star fruit, nutmeg, vanilla and many more. At the end of the tour, we had lunch in the gardens and some fresh coconuts all round. We hopped on a bus and headed straight to catch a boat to Prison island. After a choppy ride, we arrived at the island and had a quick tour to look at the turtles and peacocks. To end the day, the students had a swim on the beach and we headed back to the hotel.
On the second day, we woke up early, packed up all the bags ready to move to the second hotel. Before heading out to Jambiani, we were given a tour of Stonetown starting at ‘The Old Fort’. We then headed to the ‘Palace of Wonders’, the first building in East Africa with running water and electricity! The Freddy Mercury museum followed, then over to the music academy where students were given a brief history lesson on ‘Taarab’, the music of Zanzibar. The musicians performed a few songs using the local musical instruments, students were taught some dance moves, and had the opportunity to have a close look at the instruments. After this, we headed to the slave trade market. Here students were given a tour of the church and the grounds. We hopped on the bus and headed to the butterfly sanctuary on our way to Jambiani. They also got to pet some chameleons.
On the last day we headed to Kuza Caves, enjoyed a beach day, and took in the beauty of Zanzibar.
Article by Chief Bandora
