Trip: April 2017
Below is our Top 5 Things To Do in Stone Town in the Rain, part of the Just Carrying On – Top 5 Things To Do series. These lists are favorite activities, eats, and drinks from our travels around the world.
*Our Top 5 Things To Do in Stone Town (when it isn’t raining) is our official Top 5 for this lovely town. But weather doesn’t always cooperate, as we found out recently on another trip to Stone Town. Here is how we spent our time.
1. Find a coffee shop and read for a bit
Coffee is a first-thing non-negotiable for us each morning, regardless the weather. So instead of getting a quick fix before exploring we took it slow, flipped on our Kindles, and spent a couple hours relaxing at the Stone Town Cafe. Zanzibar Coffee House is also a good choice for a tasty cup of coffee and a nice place to chill.
2. Zanzibar House of Wonders (Beit-el-Ajaib)
Our first few trips to Zanzibar we avoided museums and pretty much anything indoors, preferring the beautiful outdoor activities the island has to offer. So when the rains came this time it forced us to try some new things. The House of Wonders was a nice surprise, a fairly dilapidated museum but we learned some new things about Swahili culture we hadn’t learned in our first 9 months in Tanzania. The Anglican Cathedral and Slave Museum as also come recommended by friends but we didn’t make it this trip.
3. Wait it out
The rain in Stone Town can be relentless and torrential. Within minutes the streets fill with fast-moving streams and the sound of rain on the metal roofs becomes deafening. It makes for a beautiful moment to sit, smile, and appreciate the power of nature.
4. Go for a rainy ocean swim
We visited Zanzibar on this trip with our friend Liz who loves the ocean. She inspired us to go for an ocean swim, despite the rain. We found a beach on the shores of Stone Town (Google Maps location below) which is something we’d never done before, preferring to take a boat to Nakupenda Beach instead. Swimming is a lovely way to enjoy the rain, rather than be annoyed by it. Photo above is from the next (sunny) day when we had our phones and hit up the same beach again.
5. Explore anyway
When the rain hits everyone starts selling umbrellas. And while many of the shops close, not all of them do. We changed into our water proof Birkenstocks (Olivia) and Chacos (Jason), our friend Liz bought some rubber flip-flops, and we hit the streets. Our favorite curio shop is here. Olivia bought a swimsuit here. The main drag for tourist trinkets is here. And Jaw’s Corner, which quickly filled with domino players and futbol fans as soon as the clouds parted, is here.
Getting to a tropical destination only to find a weekend of rain can be a bummer. But it doesn’t have to be. Keep a pair of rain proof sandals in your bag and remember that you can still go swimming.
Top 5 Things To Do in Stone Town in the Rain is part of Just Carrying On – Top 5 Things To Do series, which offers our best travel recommendations from around the world.