When visiting Zanzibar, the first thing that pops into mind is its tropical beaches or ancient history - the interior of the island is often neglected. The little-populated area between Stone Town and the east coast of the island, however, offers an afternoon excursion that will transport you to another world.
Zanzibar’s only national park, Jozani Chwaka Bay, is a 50 square kilometre park of natural forest known for its endemic monkey population and abundant bird life, Jozani is the perfect break from the beach or from Stone Town. My friend and I hopped on a rented motorcycle for the afternoon, one of my favourite ways to get around the island. Less than an hour’s ride away, villages and buildings gave way to lush forest hemming in the road. A flash of black and white ran across the road – our first monkey sighting!
A dirt path and boardwalk above the mangrove swamp lets you feel
lost in the forest, surrounded by the sound of thousands of birds.
After days in Stone Town or on the beach, it’s a completely different
sensory experience. When you meet the park’s most famous residents, the
endemic red colobus monkey, you realize you’re in their territory. The
monkeys are completely unafraid of humans; unabashedly chewing on leaves
and roots within arm’s length. A mother with a tiny white baby clinging
to her breast hung back a metre or two, but that was the extent of
their shyness.
The red colobus monkey is only found in Zanzibar, but pales in comparison to the island’s most famous species, the now extinct Zanzibar leopard. While the leopard was reportedly hunted to extinction, it remains a part of local legend and tales of sightings still exist. I wish I could report catching a glimpse, but sadly our visit was leopard-free.
Across the road, a locally run turtle sanctuary is another
wildlife experience. Local sea turtles, habitats threatened by
increasing beach development and commercial fishing, have been placed in
a small pool to grow safely to adulthood. The turtles range from a
hand’s breadth to several feet in length, and are easy to get close to –
you’re encouraged to grab handfuls of leafy weeds, which they grab and
chomp away at with enthusiasm. The only negative is that the guides will
take the turtles out of the water to allow guests to pose for photos –
this isn’t good for the turtles, and shouldn’t be encouraged. Otherwise,
the sanctuary is a nice addition to the forest trip.
Playful monkeys and hungry turtles are fun, but the highlight of our afternoon was without a doubt the third stop on our itinerary. The Zanzibar Butterfly Centre is a development initiative that combined microloans and income generation, conservation, and ecotourism. The centre helps farmers from the local village, Pete, build a small-netted enclosure. Farmers catch different species of local butterfly and release them in their cage, then sell the pupae to populate the butterfly garden.
First, we took a brief tour, visiting the cocoons and learning
about the different types of butterflies they have at the Centre. The
garden itself is a small but lovely enclosure with a walking path. Trees
and leafy branches surround you, with colourful tropical flowers
attracting the butterflies with their nectar. Even without the
butterflies, the garden would be beautiful – the thousands of them,
flitting around riotously, make it otherworldly. Our guide showed us the
different species of butterflies, allowing us to have a closer look at
the feeding stations set up around the garden. With plans to expand in
the next year, including building a café, the Zanzibar Butterfly Centre
is well on its way to becoming the perfect place to while away an
afternoon in serenity.
Zanzibar’s only national park, Jozani Chwaka Bay, is a 50 square kilometre park of natural forest known for its endemic monkey population and abundant bird life, Jozani is the perfect break from the beach or from Stone Town. My friend and I hopped on a rented motorcycle for the afternoon, one of my favourite ways to get around the island. Less than an hour’s ride away, villages and buildings gave way to lush forest hemming in the road. A flash of black and white ran across the road – our first monkey sighting!
A dirt path and boardwalk above the mangrove swamp lets you feel
lost in the forest, surrounded by the sound of thousands of birds.
After days in Stone Town or on the beach, it’s a completely different
sensory experience. When you meet the park’s most famous residents, the
endemic red colobus monkey, you realize you’re in their territory. The
monkeys are completely unafraid of humans; unabashedly chewing on leaves
and roots within arm’s length. A mother with a tiny white baby clinging
to her breast hung back a metre or two, but that was the extent of
their shyness.The red colobus monkey is only found in Zanzibar, but pales in comparison to the island’s most famous species, the now extinct Zanzibar leopard. While the leopard was reportedly hunted to extinction, it remains a part of local legend and tales of sightings still exist. I wish I could report catching a glimpse, but sadly our visit was leopard-free.
Across the road, a locally run turtle sanctuary is another
wildlife experience. Local sea turtles, habitats threatened by
increasing beach development and commercial fishing, have been placed in
a small pool to grow safely to adulthood. The turtles range from a
hand’s breadth to several feet in length, and are easy to get close to –
you’re encouraged to grab handfuls of leafy weeds, which they grab and
chomp away at with enthusiasm. The only negative is that the guides will
take the turtles out of the water to allow guests to pose for photos –
this isn’t good for the turtles, and shouldn’t be encouraged. Otherwise,
the sanctuary is a nice addition to the forest trip.Playful monkeys and hungry turtles are fun, but the highlight of our afternoon was without a doubt the third stop on our itinerary. The Zanzibar Butterfly Centre is a development initiative that combined microloans and income generation, conservation, and ecotourism. The centre helps farmers from the local village, Pete, build a small-netted enclosure. Farmers catch different species of local butterfly and release them in their cage, then sell the pupae to populate the butterfly garden.
First, we took a brief tour, visiting the cocoons and learning
about the different types of butterflies they have at the Centre. The
garden itself is a small but lovely enclosure with a walking path. Trees
and leafy branches surround you, with colourful tropical flowers
attracting the butterflies with their nectar. Even without the
butterflies, the garden would be beautiful – the thousands of them,
flitting around riotously, make it otherworldly. Our guide showed us the
different species of butterflies, allowing us to have a closer look at
the feeding stations set up around the garden. With plans to expand in
the next year, including building a café, the Zanzibar Butterfly Centre
is well on its way to becoming the perfect place to while away an
afternoon in serenity.
Afterwards, returning to the hustle and bustle of Stone Town on the
back of the motorcycle, I felt more at peace. Being enclosed in lush,
verdant forest, surrounded by wildlife, has a way of making your worries
fall away. It seems impossible that such a haven is just a short ride
away from the narrow streets, aromatic stalls, and market chatter of
Stone Town, but there it is – a green retreat in the middle of the Spice
Island.
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