Historic Lanes to Turquoise Seas: 8 Days Zanzibar Isle of Wonders Tour

Eight days is the right length to do Zanzibar properly rather than as an add-on. This itinerary is written to give you the two things the island is famous for - the UNESCO-listed old quarter of Stone Town and the long white beaches of the east and north-east coasts - plus the smaller experiences that most week-long visitors miss: a working spice plantation, the last remaining stand of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay forest, and a proper sunset dhow out of Kendwa.

The first two nights are in a heritage hotel inside Stone Town. A guided morning walking tour with a local historian covers the Old Fort, the House of Wonders, the Anglican Cathedral built on the site of the East African slave market, and the spice market that has traded the same cloves, cardamom and nutmeg for two centuries. Afternoons are yours for the doors, the carved balconies, the rooftop tea houses and Forodhani Gardens at sunset.

Day three transfers you north via a working spice plantation for a two-hour walking tour and a Swahili village lunch. Days four to seven are on the north-east coast at a boutique property with direct beach access. Included excursions are a half-day snorkel at Mnemba Atoll (Tanzania's best reef, usually with turtles), a Jozani red-colobus morning, and a sunset dhow cruise. Everything else is optional.

This is our most-booked Zanzibar-only itinerary. It works for couples, families with older children, and small groups of friends. The pace is deliberate: heritage first, beach second, nothing rushed.