Zanzibar Slave Routes Tour: The Original Walking Tour

Once upon a time, Stone Town was the hub to one of the world’s last open slave markets, and one of the biggest slave markets in the world; the Swahili Coast presided over by Arab traders was active until it was shut down by the British in 1873. The slaves were shipped here in dhows from the mainland, crammed so tightly that many fell ill and died or were thrown overboard.

Uncover the ancient slavery past on this tour as this excursion begins at the Dhow Harbour in Malindi, where slave ships brought their human cargo from Bagamoyo to Zanzibar. Then discover Livingstone’s House and House of Tippu Tip, explore the home of the notorious Arab slave trader and then on to the Anglican Church built at the old slave market.

A short drive to Mbweni will bring you to Mbweni ruins, formerly a school for freed slave girls. Explore Mangapwani slave caves. Walk through the caves, which stored hundreds of slaves kept waiting for the monsoons and the arrival of the dhows to be exiled away from home.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Zanzibar Harbour, R5WV+52Q, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Visit Dhow Harbour in Malindi, where slave ships brought their human cargo from Bagamoyo to Zanzibar. The scent of cloves hangs heavy in the air as stevedores load and unload sacks of the region's most valuable crops. Every day you'll spot dhows arriving from the mainland with deliveries of flour and other goods not available on the islands. Fishermen deposit their catch here early in the morning.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Livingstone Beach Restaurant, House 48 Shanghani Stone Town, Zanzibar 3661, Tanzania

Explore Dr. Livingstone House!!! David Livingstone is probably the best-known of all the 19th century European explorers in Africa. Many of his journeys began and ended in Zanzibar, and he lived in this house before departing on his final journey to identify the source of the Nile. The house was built around 1860 by Sultan Majid and is located on the northeast side of Stone Town. It was used by Livingstone and other missionaries and explorers such as Burton, Speke, Cameron and Stanley as a starting point for expeditions into eastern and central Africa during the second half of the 19th century. In the early 20th century, the house was used by members of the island's Indian community for a variety of purposes. In 1947, it was bought by the colonial government and became a scientific laboratory for research into clove diseases. After independence and the revolution it became the Zanzibar headquarters of the Tanzania Friendship Tourist Bureau.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Tippu Tip's House, R5PP+9VQ, Zanzibar, Tanzania

Tippu Tip's House is a historical building in Stone Town, Zanzibar, located in Suicide Alley in the Shangani ward near the Africa House Hotel and Serena Inn, about 3–5 minute walking time from the Old Fort and Forodhani Gardens. It is the house where the powerful merchant and slave trader Tippu Tip (1837–1905) lived. The building was a private residence until the Zanzibar Revolution and was later converted into a block of flats. The large decorated carved wooden door, as well as the black and white marble steps, still testify the great wealth of the historical owner of the house.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Old Slave Market/Anglican Cathedral, Mkunazini Road, Stone Town, Zanzibar City Tanzania

Visit Zanzibar Former Slave Market! Zanzibar was home to one of the largest slave markets in the world. Although the slave trade took place all over the island, three major markets saw the bulk of these inhumane transactions. The market in Stone Town was infamous for being the most brutal. The pit and the Slave Market Memorial is in the same location where enslaved people were gathered to be brought and sold. This memorial was created in 1998 by Clara Sornas of Scandinavia. On one side of the memorial is a mansion housing the slave cellar, one of fifteen low-ceiling chambers. Dim, suffocating, and with no toilets, these chambers were crammed with enslaved people, where they awaited the auction block. Captives were summoned to the yard and marched to the pit. There, they would be inspected by potential buyers.

Duration: 1 hour

Stop At: Mangapwani Slave Chamber, About 20 Kilometers North of Stone Town Tanzania

The Slave Chamber in Mangapwani is about 20 km north of Stone Town and 2 km north at the coast from the Mangapwani Coral Cavern. The chamber was originally built by Mohammed bin Nassor Al-Alwi, a prosperous slave trader, to store his slaves. The Chamber is a underground cell that was cut out of the coralline rock, with a roof on top. Boats from Tanzania would unload their human cargo on a secluded beach, separated from the main Mangapwani Beach by coral-rock outcrops.

The slaves were kept here until it was time to take them into Zanzibar Town for sale at the Slave Market. Many historians believe that even after the slave trade was abolished in 1873 by a signed treaty, the coral cavern was still used as a place to hide slaves and the slave trade continued illegally for many years.

Duration: 1 hour

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For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.