False msafiri 66 TANZANIA is for… Zanzibar The uncontested jewel of the Swahili Coast, the magical ‘ Spice Island’ of Zanzibar is every bit as sumptuous as the popular image evoked by its name. Here, you’ll find some of the world’s best beaches, long ribbons of white sand fringed by swaying coconut palms and lapped by warm turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar is a sun seeker’s paradise, and yet there is so much more to the island than its beaches. Nature lovers can explore dazzling coral reefs, walk within metres of the flamboyantly fringed Kirk’s red colobus monkey ( a Zanzibar endemic), goggle at the giant coconut crabs that march around Chole Island, visit the overgrown clove plantations on which the island built its economy, or take a dhow trip into the open water to swim with dolphins. A centre of maritime trade for more than a thousand years, Zanzibar is dotted with overgrown ruins – from 10th- century mosques to 19th- century Turkish baths and harems. At the heart of it all, like a living extract from the Arabian Nights, there is Zanzibar Stone Town, whose shady alleys – lined with timeworn mansions and palaces built by lusty Omani sultans and their sultry princesses – form a unique enclave of traditional Swahili culture set at the physical and spiritual heart of one of the region’s most populous modern cities. Q Philip Briggs is the author of Tanzania and Northern Tanzania ( both by Bradt Guides). is for… xylophones Known locally as a marimba or mbira, a xylophone provides the melodic substance to most traditional Tanzanian music, and might consist of anything from half- a- dozen to more than 50 metallic or wooden keys amplified by a hollow resonating box. Marimba orchestras, consisting of several interweaving instruments, distinguish the richly melodic music of the Gogo, who live around Dodoma. Other traditional instruments that might provide an earthy soundtrack to a Tanzania safari are the fiddle- like zeze, played by rubbing a bow across the strings whilst manipulating the tone with the fingers of the other hand, and of course the ubiquitous drum. is for… Your move For more information on visiting Tanzania, check out the official websites of the Tanzania Tourist Board ( www. tanzania touristboard. com) and Tanzania National Parks ( www. tanapa. org). Kenya Airways operates flights from Nairobi to Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro International Airport and Zanzibar SEVERAL times a week. is for… World Heritage Sites Among African countries, Tanzania’s tally of seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites is exceeded only by Ethiopia and South Africa. Five of these – Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Selous, Serengeti and Zanzibar Stone Town – are household names, but two lesser- known sites on this prestigious global roll call deserve greater recognition. Kilwa Kisiwani, an offshore island south of Dar es Salaam, supports the haunting ruins of the most important of the Swahili city- states that flourished as a result of the medieval gold trade between Africa and Arabia – indeed, the 14th century globetrotter Ibn Buttata called Kilwa ‘ one of the most beautiful and well- constructed towns in the world’. The Kondoa Rock Art Site, inscribed as recently as 2006, consists of 150- plus painted rock shelters in the vicinity of Kolo in the central Rift Valley. Some of these exquisitely crafted panels are thousands of years old, and several can be visited as a day or overnight extension to a standard safari through northern Tanzania. XYLOPHONE: SHUTTERSTOCK

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