What are the opening hours?

Monday 08:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 17:00 Thursday 08:00 - 17:00 Friday 08:00 - 17:00 Saturday 08:30 - 14:00 Sunday 08:30 - 14:00

ZanTours

Home
Tanzania
Zanzibar
ZanTours

Welcome to the Official page of Zanzibar's leading DMC - ZanTours! To be Different means History

ZanTours began in 1997 as a transfer company.

ZanTours is a Zanzibar based tour operator providing luxury to budget travel for both Independent Travellers and Group Trips of all sizes. ZanTours has been the premiere tour operator of Zanzibar since 1997. Why Choose ZanTours

ZanTours will show you the best of Zanzibar. With over 15 years in operation, we will exceed your expectations and deliver the travel experience of a lifetime. In short, you may only visit Zanzibar once in your lifetime – travel with ZanTours to make sure you do it right. We offer uncommon tours providing you a fresh perspective and the chance to learn about the history and culture of the islands. The ZanTour team is creative and will customize your options to best suit you. Our connections to the local community ensure you get the best possible experience from those who know the island best. You may only visit Zanzibar once in your lifetime – travel with ZanTours to make sure you do it right. Expertise

At ZanTours, we prioritize hiring locally and offer regular training opportunities to our staff. Our Zanzibar Travel Specialists know the region better than any outsider ever could and are passionate about sharing Zanzibar with our visitors. In the past 16 years, we have learned and grown into the largest tour operator on the island. Reputation and Quality

We are known for our local expertise, smooth service, and personalized attention. We are proud to say that over 75% of our business is repeat or referral, demonstrating our credibility and quality service. Partners

We are supported by a strong network of partners throughout the region. Our sister company, ZanAir, connects Zanzibar to several special destinations in East Africa. Support and Security

ZanTours offers 24-hour roadside assistance and a dedicated Travel Specialist to ensure you have everything you need throughout your stay. You always have phone and email access to us. Have peace of mind knowing that if something goes wrong with your arrangements, well-being or health, we’re on it immediately.

- See more at: www.zantours.com

12/02/2026

Nairobi Was Once a Swamp 🚂

Before it became Kenya’s capital, Nairobi was a vast wetland — a cool, marshy plain used as a resting place by Maasai pastoralists. Its name comes from the Maasai phrase “Enkare Nairobi,” meaning “place of cool waters.”

The area’s natural springs, swamps, and mild highland climate made it an ideal stopover. When the British built the Uganda Railway in the late 19th century, Nairobi was chosen not for grandeur, but for water access and altitude — practical reasons that shaped its future.

As the railway camp grew, the swamp was drained, infrastructure followed, and a city slowly emerged. What was once grazing land and marsh became a strategic hub, then a colonial center, and eventually one of Africa’s most dynamic capitals.

Beneath Nairobi’s modern skyline lies a forgotten landscape of water, grass, and open land — a reminder that cities often rise from the most unexpected places.

From wetlands to metropolis.

HiddenAfrica CityOrigins

10/02/2026

The Running Tribe — Kalenjin 🏃🏿‍♂️

The Kalenjin people of Kenya are globally renowned for producing an extraordinary number of elite long-distance runners. From Olympic champions to world-record holders, athletes from this community have dominated middle- and long-distance running for decades.

Their success is often attributed to a unique combination of factors: life at high altitude in the Rift Valley, a tradition of running long distances from a young age, strong community support, and a lean, efficient running physiology. Running is not just sport here — it is part of daily life, culture, and identity.

The Kalenjin story is not about genetics alone, but about environment, discipline, and cultural continuity — a powerful example of how place and people shape excellence.

Where endurance becomes heritage.

HumanPotential

09/02/2026

Doors That Speak 🚪

In Zanzibar’s Stone Town, doors are not merely entrances — they are declarations. Carved from heavy hardwood and framed with intricate designs, these doors once announced a family’s status, origin, and influence long before a word was spoken.

Indian-style doors, often rounded at the top with delicate floral carvings, reflected merchant wealth and trade connections. Arab doors, heavier and more restrained, signaled authority and lineage. Brass studs — both decorative and symbolic — hinted at protection, prosperity, and power.

Each motif tells a story: chains for security, lotus flowers for purity, dates for abundance. Even the placement of the door within a building spoke volumes about social hierarchy and privacy.

Today, many of these doors remain, weathered but proud — a silent language carved in wood.

In Stone Town, history doesn’t whisper. It waits at the threshold.

SwahiliHeritage CulturalDetails HiddenAfrica TravelWithPurpose

05/02/2026

Spice Legacy

Long before Zanzibar became a tropical idyll, it was the beating heart of the global spice trade. Cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, black pepper, and vanilla shaped the island’s economy — and its destiny.

Introduced and cultivated under Omani rule in the 19th century, cloves in particular transformed Zanzibar into the world’s leading producer, drawing merchants from Arabia, India, and Europe. These spices were more than flavour; they were currency, power, and global connection.

Spice farms still dot the island today, quiet reminders of a time when Zanzibar was known as the “Spice Islands.” The scents linger in the air, in local cuisine, and in Swahili culture itself — layered, complex, and deeply rooted.

Zanzibar’s history can be read not just in stone and coral rag, but in aroma.

🌿 A legacy written in spice.

03/02/2026

Red Colobus — Zanzibar’s Own

Found only on Zanzibar, the Zanzibar red colobus is one of Africa’s most distinctive — and most endangered — primates. Isolated on the island for thousands of years, it evolved into a species found nowhere else on Earth.

With their expressive faces, pale crowns, and russet backs, red colobus monkeys are instantly recognisable. They live in social groups and feed mainly on leaves, seeds, and unripe fruit — a diet that requires a specialised, slow digestive system.

Unlike many primates, red colobus lack opposable thumbs, giving their hands a hook-like shape adapted for life in the trees. They are also remarkably tolerant of human presence, often seen moving calmly through forest canopies and even along the edges of villages.

Yet their future remains fragile. Habitat loss, road accidents, and historical persecution have sharply reduced their numbers. Today, places like Jozani Forest play a critical role in protecting what remains of this unique species.

They are not just wildlife — they are part of Zanzibar’s identity.

🐒 Endemic. Vulnerable. Irreplaceable.

02/02/2026

Where Gorillas Still Roam Free

In the dense rainforests of Central and East Africa, a few remaining strongholds still shelter one of our closest relatives. Here, gorillas continue to roam free — not in captivity, not behind barriers, but within protected ecosystems shaped by centuries of balance.

Beyond their presence, it is their extraordinary characteristics that make gorillas so remarkable:

Gorillas share over 98% of their DNA with humans, expressing complex emotions such as grief, joy, and empathy. Family bonds are strong; infants stay with their mothers for years, and groups are led by a dominant silverback whose role is protector, mediator, and decision-maker.

Each gorilla has a unique nose print, as individual as a human fingerprint, allowing researchers to identify them without tags or collars. They communicate using more than 25 distinct vocalisations, from soft hums during feeding to chest beats that travel through dense forest as low-frequency sound.

Despite their strength, gorillas are largely gentle vegetarians, spending up to half their day feeding on leaves, shoots, and fruit — shaping forest regeneration as they move. Their slow reproduction rate — one infant every four to six years — is precisely why every birth matters.

That these highly intelligent, deeply social beings still survive in the wild is no coincidence. It is the result of deliberate protection — and a reminder of what can be preserved when choice meets responsibility.

🦍 Extraordinary lives, quietly protected.

29/01/2026

The Air Feels Fresher — Smoking Ban

In Rwanda, public health is treated as a shared responsibility. A nationwide smoking ban in public spaces — including restaurants, bars, offices, and public transport — has quietly reshaped daily life.

The result is subtle but unmistakable: cleaner air, healthier public spaces, and a stronger culture of respect for others. The policy goes beyond prohibition; it reflects a broader national approach where prevention matters more than reaction.

Clear regulations, consistent enforcement, and public awareness have made the ban widely accepted — not as a restriction, but as a standard. Visitors notice it quickly. Residents take it for granted.

Sometimes progress isn’t loud or dramatic. Sometimes, it simply lets everyone breathe a little easier.

🌿 Clean air as public policy.

27/01/2026

Kwita Izina — Naming Gorillas

Each year in Rwanda, conservation is celebrated not in silence, but with ceremony. Kwita Izina, the traditional naming of mountain gorilla babies, is both a cultural event and a conservation milestone.

Inspired by the Rwandan custom of naming newborn children, the ceremony welcomes each young gorilla into the world — acknowledging its place within a carefully protected population. Scientists, rangers, community leaders, and international conservation partners gather to mark new births and honour those who safeguard them.

But Kwita Izina is more than symbolism. Naming reinforces accountability, strengthens monitoring, and highlights the shared responsibility between people and wildlife. Every name carries a story — of survival, protection, and hope.

In Rwanda, conservation is personal. Every life is counted. Every name matters.

🦍 A name that protects a future.

26/01/2026

Tree-Climbing Lions — Ishasha

In the remote Ishasha sector of Queen Elizabeth National Park, lions defy expectation. Instead of resting in tall grass, they climb — stretching across the branches of ancient fig trees, suspended above the savannah.

This rare behaviour, seen in only a few places in Africa, is thought to help the lions escape ground heat, avoid insects, and gain a better vantage point over the plains below. In Ishasha, it has become a defining sight — lions lounging like leopards, unbothered and unmistakably at ease.

These are not trained habits or learned tricks. They are adaptations — quiet reminders that wildlife does not follow our rules or assumptions.

In Ishasha, even the king of beasts finds new ways to rise above the ordinary.

🦁 Lions that climb — because nature allows it.

22/01/2026

World’s Smallest Church — Biku Hill

Perched quietly on Biku Hill near Asmara, Eritrea, stands one of the world’s smallest churches — a structure so modest it can be missed with a single step, yet rich in meaning.

Carved directly into the rock, this tiny place of worship reflects a long tradition of rock-hewn churches found across the Horn of Africa. Built not for grandeur but for devotion, it was created as a space for solitary prayer, humility, and reflection — where faith required no walls, no ornament, no scale.

Only a handful of people can fit inside at once. There is no spectacle, no drama. And that is precisely the point.

In a world that often equates importance with size, Biku Hill reminds us that significance is measured differently — by intention, not dimension.

⛪ Small in scale. Vast in spirit.

20/01/2026

Half the Mountain Gorillas

High in the mist-covered forests of the Virunga Mountains lives one of conservation’s quiet success stories. Today, more than half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas are found in Rwanda and Uganda — with a small population extending into the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Once pushed to the edge of extinction by habitat loss, poaching, and conflict, mountain gorillas have become a rare example of a species slowly recovering. This turnaround is the result of decades of protection, scientific research, and community-led conservation — proving that human presence does not always mean destruction.

Strictly managed gorilla trekking allows visitors limited, respectful access while funding national parks and supporting local livelihoods. The result is a powerful balance: wildlife protected, communities empowered, and ecosystems preserved.

In these forests, conservation is not an abstract idea — it is a daily commitment, shared between people and one of our closest relatives.

🦍 A fragile population — protected by purpose.

19/01/2026

Lake Natron — Alkaline Beauty

At first glance, Lake Natron looks otherworldly — its waters shifting between crimson and silver, its shores edged with salt and mineral crusts. Set beneath the shadow of Ol Doinyo Lengai in northern Tanzania, this lake is one of Africa’s most extreme — and most misunderstood — landscapes.

Lake Natron is highly alkaline, rich in sodium carbonate and other minerals that make its waters inhospitable to most life. Yet for one species, it is a sanctuary. Each year, thousands of lesser flamingos gather here to breed, protected by conditions too harsh for predators to survive.

The same minerals that create Natron’s striking colours can preserve animals in stone-like forms, giving rise to myths of a “petrifying lake.” In reality, it is not death that defines Natron — but resilience.

In a place where survival demands perfect adaptation, life doesn’t just endure — it thrives.

🦩 A lake too harsh for most, essential for some.

NaturalWonder HiddenAfrica Flamingos ExtremeEnvironments TravelWithPurpose

Address

Airport Road
Zanzibar
2560

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 17:00
Thursday	08:00 - 17:00
Friday	08:00 - 17:00
Saturday	08:30 - 14:00
Sunday	08:30 - 14:00

Website

http://www.zantours.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when ZanTours posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in Zanzibar?