There's one view of Zanzibar's Stone Town, with shining white minaret peaks, palm trees and carved lintels in front of a turquoise ocean dotted with sailing dhows. But there's a wider angle, with broken shutters, rusty rooftops, mosque loud speakers, satellite dishes, scrawny cats, and washing lines. We like this view, because it's real - a sign that that Stone Town is a genuine African town - and developers have not yet strangled the life out of it. Sadly, most people crop it out of their photographs.

Unlike many historic town centres, Zanzibar Stone Town is not (yet) over-restored to the point where it's too smart for ordinary people to live in.

Although there has always been Ngambo - literally “the other side” beyond Creek Road - a typical African shanty town where much of the town population lives - Zanzibar Stone Town is also FULL of people just doing their daily thing. Houses, often derelict, with or without beautiful carved Zanzibari wooden doorways, are still inhabited by the locals, who are crammed cheek by jowl into less than half a square km.

In African towns, you are often less the observer, than the observed, but Zanzibar Stone Town's different.

There's no better place from which to spy on urban life than through the shuttered window of your Stone Town hotel room, looking down on comings and goings in the alleys. But, be warned, you hear everything too: old ladies reprimanding screaming barefoot urchins, the muezzin's call to prayer fighting with the president's speech blaring from the TV across the street, tom-cats fighting for dominance of their patch; dope dealers fighting for theirs. No tourist confection here.

So if you want to get the feel of old, and new Zanzibar,

make sure you stay in the heart of the Stone Town. If you're looking for sanctuary and a more rarified air, go for something on the edges of town - Shangani or beyond, and just dip your feet into the darkened alleys during the day - it's not quite the same experience, but you still get a broad sense of it.

Do you need some help with this?

Call +44(0)1747 898104

At Natural High, we've all lived and worked in Africa, so our knowledge is born of hands-on experience rather than simply visiting on holiday. We can't over-stress how worthwhile it is to take a few minutes to call us. We're not in the business of churning out thousands of packages so if you'd like to discuss things in detail, take a few minutes and call Catherine, Fiona, Vanessa & Alex on +44(0)1747 898104.

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Zanzibar Stone Town, Tanzania

Unlike many historic town centres, Zanzibar Stone Town is not (yet) over-restored to the point where it's too smart for ordinary people to live in.

In African towns, you are often less the observer, than the observed, but Zanzibar Stone Town's different.

So if you want to get the feel of old, and new Zanzibar,