Unguja Zanzibar / Zanzibar Attractions / Zanzibar Safari Tours
Unguja Zanzibar is an ultimate tourist attraction in Zanzibar. It acts as the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago in Tanzania. However, it was once nicknamed Zanzibar Island because of its biggest size and being a famous island.
More so, Unguja is also renowned as Zanzibar because it is the main, most visited island by tourists in the Tanzanian archipelago of Zanzibar. Also, Stone Town is known to be part of Zanzibar City, which is a trade center with lots of Muslim people—mosques and winding lanes.
However, the 1883 House of Wonders is a former sultan’s palace with a clock tower and the old fort around the turn into houses of a cultural center and a stone amphitheater.
In general, Unguja is located in the Republic of Tanzania, a remarkable island found in the Indian Ocean sitting around 22 miles off the coast of east-central Africa. In the year 1964, Zanzibar joined with Pemba Island and some other smaller islands together with Tanganyika on the mainland to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
Geographically, Unguja is a stunning hill island that measures about 85 kilometers (53 miles) long north-south and 30 kilometers (19 miles) wide east-west at its widest, with an overall area of about 1,666 square kilometers.
This beautiful island lies in the northern half of the Zanzibar Archipelago along the Indian Ocean, measuring about 59 kilometers south of the second largest popular island of the archipelago, Pemba. On the other side, the Zanzibar Channel separates Unguja from mainland Tanzania. More evenly, Unguja Island is surrounded by lots of fabulous smaller islands and islets, with only two of them, which are Tumbatu and Uzi, being inhabited.
Other minor islands around Ungula that you can visit on a safari adventure here include Popo, Kizingo, Chumbe, Kwale, Latham, Mautani, Miwi, Nianembe, Pungume, Mwana wa Mwana, Miwi, Mnemba, and Ukanga.
Politically, Unguja and the surrounding islands were divided into three regions: Zanzibar Central-South, Zanzibar North, and Zanzibar Urban-West. Meanwhile, Unguja belongs to Zanzibar, which is defined by the Tanzania Constitution but at the same time part of Tanzania with a high degree of autonomy and the local Zanzibar government is found in Stone Town along the west coast of Unguja.
Moreover, Unguja is renowned as a landmark island of the Zanzibar Archipelago that offers the most developed tourism industry, thus accounting for a substantial part of Unguja’s economy.
While on a visit to this fantastic island, you will love the life of adventures on the African continent, and around the island, there are notable mammal species to explore, including the Zanzibar servaline genet and African palm civet, as well as the Zanzibar red colobus, among others.
Activities – things to do at Unguja, Zanzibar
Visit Stone Town
The stone town is known as the ancient part of Zanzibar City, which is a capital of Unguja Island. While on a visit, you will enjoy the perfect picture of how the old Swahili trading towns of East Africa look, sound, feel, smell and taste. The Islamic prayer call in the place makes it the heart and soul of the island.
Jozani Forest
On a visit to Unguja Island, you can have a combined tour to this amazing forest, which is just a few meters away from the island, where you will be able to enjoy a vast spread of green and various hotspots that are part of the Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park visit with an expectation of viewing the rare red colobus monkey. You will also enjoy nature walks on stunning trails, where shafts of sunlight filter through and butterflies flicker, as well as a boardwalk that descends into mangrove swamps. If you’re lucky, you may also have a great chance of seeing a leopard, among other wildlife.
Visit Nungwi
Visiting Unguja Island will automatically lead you to several stunning islands since it is located along the Indian Ocean, where you will take a marvelous walk into beautiful coral sands as a pure tourist destination. Absolutely, you will love the place, which features a DoubleTree Resort by Hilton and a few other lodges immersed in tropical gardens, beach cottages, and a sea-view restaurant. However, it might not be well known by international tourists, but more by casual visitors; nevertheless, it is awesome. Along here, you can enjoy water sports since there are plenty here, sundown cruises as well as organizing deep-sea fishing excursions in search of leaping sailfish.
The Market – Forodhani
You can visit the Forodhani market, where you will get Zanzibar’s spectacular nighttime food market, and meet good chefs who know how to juggle and spit in the pan. You can choose to taste the aroma of a range of dishes, though you might be familiar with some of the offerings. The main served dishes around the area are the fish plates served with fried potato balls, naan, samosas, and UnguJa Zanzibar.
Visit Freddie Mercury Museum
This is amazing: Mercury House, though small in size, contains the family’s former home and pays homage to the island’s most popular son. It’s a good place to discover stunning historical features on display. Like yellowing family photographs, the first piano he ever played was at the museum in Stone Town, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000.
You can choose to visit some of the outstanding national parks and be able to engage in unforgettable activities. Take a visit to Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater Lake, other marvelous islands, and many more.
Activities like game drives, birding, the wildebeest migration event that usually happens yearly from July to October, nature walks, and hiking, among others. Nothing great about you choosing to experience a combined trip, which can be helped by the trustworthy tour operator and if you don’t mind, you can book with us at Achieve Global Safaris, as we do care for our clients.
