Anyone been to Zanzibar

[Crazylittlethingcalledlove]

I would love to visit Zanzibar, in particular to be based in Stone Town rather than beach resorts. Any tips, advice, recommendations, safety issues for female travelling alone?

I went there with DD several years ago but didn’t base ourselves in stone town. It was largely fine but despite being modestly dressed did have a few uncomfortable moments in Stone Town. More staring than anything threatening tbh. DD was 16 and is very blonde so tends to attract attention. She got mobbed by school kids in Goa the same year who were fascinated by her hair! The Rock restaurant in Pingwe was fun.

Taxis were cheap and drivers waited no problem. We organised through our hotel.

I went for a few days as part of a trip to Tanzania. What’s your reason for wanting to go? We didn’t enjoy it and I wouldn’t go back, although to be fair I preferred Stonetown to the resort areas. It was a number of years ago but poverty was high and the contrast between locals and tourist wealth was very uncomfortable.

We went as part of our honeymoon to Tanzania (admittedly 17 years ago!!). I remember Stonetown felt quite magical, although that was in part due to the amazing hotel we stayed at (Emerson Spice) which has a rooftop restaurant. We bought spices and wondered narrow streets. I don’t remember feeling unsafe though maybe a bit hassled in the spice market. I do remember feeling quite horrified by the wealthy and totally lacking in cultural awareness tourists in the beach resorts. There’s some interesting (and sad) history about the slave trade in Stonetown. We also spent a few days on a nearby tiny island called Chumbe which I would highly recommend for relaxation and nature.

Thank you. It's on my bucket list as it's Freddie Mercury's birth place and markets and ethnic type places are my sort of thing. I've been to Marrakesh and we were hassled by men there and it was a bit scary and I was wondering whether Zanzibar was similar. I'll keep thinking about it!

Zanzibar is absolutely beautiful but Stone Town was a deeply uncomfortable experience with lots of staring from men, despite being modestly dressed in a full length skirt and arms covered. Someone got quite angry/aggressive with me for politely declining to buy their counterfeit products. I felt threatened and harassed - not a great experience at all. There was a news story years ago about a British girl who had acid thrown in her face in Stone Town. When I brought the story up with our tour guides, there was laughter in response. An uncomfortable moment.

The locals were generally not friendly. I said hello to a group of women on the beach in the local language. They just stared back at me. There is a lot of poverty on the island and the stark contrast with tourists has made the island less friendly than it used to be, according to staff at our hotel. There was a deep sense in Stone Town of people desperate to make money off tourists.

I wouldn't rule Zanzibar out as it really is beautiful but if I went again, I would stick with a resort far away from Stone Town and would stay at the resort my entire holiday. I would also make sure to arrange airport transfers or any excursions directly with the hotel for safety purposes. As a rule, I'd find the nicest possible resort as 5-star in Zanzibar feels more like 3-star elsewhere - but that's just me. Prison Island was nice. But I would not visit Stone Town again.

Zanzibar is perhaps less visited than other beach destinations as it felt quite empty when I was there. Often had the entire beach to ourselves which was lovely but that also made it feel eerie/unsafe when approached by hawkers. Luckily I was with my husband throughout. I've done lots of solo travel (including in other African countries) but wouldn't go to Zanzibar alone. Would be even better if you can find a male companion.

Have there been any studies done into why blonde hair/ blue eyes/ white skin is so desired and the opposite is despised? There must be more to it than scarcity.

Hitler

I've been twice and absolutely love Zanzibar. I stayed in a 3 or 4 star resort as I was on a budget both times. The beaches are stunning and I was not harassed at any point. I did day trips to Stone Town to learn about the history of the island. It's very sad and a real eye opener. Both times I did a spice tour. I have been to nearly 40 countries and this is my favourite excursion of all the places I have ever visited.
Thinking back, I'm not sure if there's enough to do and see in Stone Town beyond a few days. I love beaches in general so may be biased but then they are often viewed as some of the best in the world. Random tip, use Google satellite images to focus in on the hotel you want to stay in to see how secluded it is. Somewhere in between would be my recommendation. Not too busy not too quiet.

I saw a lot of this in Kenya too. Mostly Italian women. Sad it has spread to Zanzibar too.

I've traveled all over the world as a solo female traveller, and Zanzibar is one of the few places I had trouble (Marrakesh being another).
Despite dressing very conservatively I was followed around continuously by a pack of harassing men, some being too physical, really intimidating. They basically want you to hire one of them as a guide/chaperone, and despite my protests that I didn't want a guide because I enjoy exploring alone, they just ramped up the harassment until eventually I paid one to be my guide and the others instantly disappeared. It really pissed me off having to have this guy walk around with me when other female tourists there in a couple didn't have this problem at all.
It pissed me off so much it ruined the trip. But that said, Stonetown is really interesting and beautiful and definitely worth a visit if you are able to either not travel alone or are happy to pay for a guide.
I did also explore other parts of the island. The spice farms are really interesting and nice to see but they will ask you for cash tips every 10 minutes. The coastal resorts are beautiful but very couple/honeymoon focused so I just felt a bit awkward being there alone surrounded by honeymooners.
Overall impression - glad I went but wouldn't return.

It is just rare and they probably watch too much pornography too. Sadly this happens to East Asians as well

Oh dear I think my concerns have been addressed and confirmed sadly! I have travelled long haul solo previously but this may be a step too far for me. Thanks everyone for your input

I'm a solo older female backpacker, and I loved Zanzibar. Stonetown is fascinating, and I split my stay between there and Jambiani, where the colour of the sea was just stunning, and it was super quiet and relaxing.

I did get approached by a beach boy, which I just thought was funny! But there was no hassle involved in it at all.

I wouldn't say the opposite is despised. I am black with brown eyes and dark hair. I received a lot of unwanted attention in Stone Town (more than I've received anywhere else) despite my best attempts to dress modestly (floor-length skirt, arms covered, hat). I suspect anyone that looks like a tourist is a target.