A few years ago, my husband and I spent two lovely weeks on safari in Kenya and Tanzania.  The experience was truly surreal and I felt like I was starring in my own wildlife documentary! David Attenborough eat your heart out! We were literally immersed into nature and got an amazing up close first hand look at wildlife.  The whole trip was incredible and I still consider it one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.  To top it off, we decided to spend the last four days of the trip on the island of Zanzibar, a small semi-autonomous area off the east coast of Tanzania.

As a child, hearing people talk of Zanzibar conjured up images of white sandy beaches, palm trees, old-world charm and lots of spice markets. Once we landed, I was happy to note that the images from my childhood were pretty accurate. We stayed at the historic Zanzibar Serena Inn which was the epitome of tranquility…something that was much needed after spending two weeks in a jeep.  Zanzibar had many settlers in the past that included communities from the Middle East and India and remains pretty diverse even today. When we got there the influences were evident, especially in Stone Town which is the historic old quarter of the capital Zanzibar City.  Houses had carved indian doors (similar to those found in Rajasthan) lining the narrow streets. The architecture of the old palaces and forts was stunning and I’m thankful that Stone Town has been declared a World Heritage Site to help preserve these magnificent structures.

Here are a few pictures of our trip that I dug up.  Hope you enjoy them!