Zanzibar

A short flight from the Serengeti drops you into another world entirely: dhows leaning across turquoise channels, the scent of cloves, and the coral-stone maze of one of the great trading towns of the Indian Ocean.

Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, rewards slow exploration — carved doors, spice markets, rooftop restaurants and a history that runs from Omani sultans to Freddie Mercury. An afternoon’s guided walk here adds depth no beach resort can offer.

The beaches deserve their fame, and they differ: Nungwi and Kendwa in the north swim at all tides and stage the island’s best sunsets; Paje and the east coast bring barefoot bohemian energy and world-class kitesurfing; quieter stretches like Matemwe face the Mnemba atoll, Zanzibar’s finest snorkelling and diving.

Add a spice farm tour, a sail on a sunset dhow, or a seafood dinner on a sandbank, and you understand why we build Zanzibar into honeymoons, family trips and almost every safari of ten days or more. Bush first, beach second — it is the right order, and the right ending.