As you wander around the narrow streets of Stone Town, watch out for young boys, being boys, as they careen through the neighbourhoods on bicycles. If they startle you coming from head on, they mean no harm, but try to remember to jump to the left so that they will pass you to the right.

Wandering aimlessly through the historic streets of Stone Town will give you hours of shopping pleasure. Curio shops and beautiful handicrafts can be found along every street. If you see something you like, it’s a good idea to buy it. Otherwise, finding your way back through the winding streets to your favourite shop for that one unique piece might be a lost cause.

Known for its variety of architectural styles, Stone Town has a beautiful array of hand-carved doors, windows, and shutters everywhere you look. Skilled craftsmen also use re-purposed materials for intricately carved window frames, mirrors, and artwork that they sell to locals and tourists alike.

Football (American soccer) is taken very seriously in Zanzibar. If you hear the sounds of excited cheering, follow it! You’re likely to find a small gathering place in a corner amongst the winding streets. Crowded around the television will be a group of die-hard fans waiting for their team to score.

Spice farms aren’t just about spices, even on the Spice Island of Zanzibar! Most of them grow a variety of fruits as well, like this unripe passion fruit. Fruits are used for local consumption on the farm when in season, or sometimes in the community, but are not exported.

Contrary to popular belief, pineapples do not grow on trees; they grow from the ground up. The one pictured here has a lot of growing to do before it reaches maturity. Once mature, it will begin to change colour, starting from the bottom up. Most spice farms in Zanzibar have fruits on their farms for personal consumption, but they are not money-making crops like the spices.

If you are hiking through the woods in Zanzibar and cut yourself on a stray rock or branch, the locals can show you how to sterilise and seal your wound with the sap (or resin) from a local tree. When you rub the liquid on your skin it turns white and sticky, but keeps the wound clean. Hospitals are not always easily accessible, so natural medicine is still widely practiced, at least for minor medical issues.

Although not native to Zanzibar, nutmeg was likely introduced from Indian or Indonesian traders. Inside the nutmeg seed, you’ll find a beautiful red aril covering the nut. The covering is called mace and has a leathery texture. It has a similar flavour to nutmeg, but yields a higher price for its delicate nature and strong color.

There are many varieties of traditional Swahili meals. Here is a plate filled with the yummy goodness of spiced rice, green banana, potato, and chicken. Although it has a strong resemblance to Indian food, it has a twist all its own with the mixture of fresh spices grown on the local farms in Kidichi, Zanzibar.

In the small villages that are part of the Kidichi area, which is just outside of Stone Town, you can see the women tending to the fields, taking care of children and cooking meals. Often an extended family will each have a small home for their immediate family, but come together for shared meals cooked in a separate building set up as a kitchen, with extra air flow for the fire.

With sailboats passing by in the distance and fishing and tourist boats moored for the night, the day slowly winds down as the sky changes colours and the sun sinks below the horizon. On the north coast of Zanzibar, enjoy the shades of yellow and orange from the long stretch of powdery white sand in Kendwa.

The village of Kendwa doesn’t offer much in the way of shopping, but at the southwest end of the beach you can find a market full of handicrafts and curios. ‘You are welcome,’ they will tell you as each one invites you into their shop to see the their own work or that of their family members. If you are lucky, you’ll even get to see some of the artists at work doing paintings or carvings.