"Mangapwani Beach and Slave Cave" Top 5 Page for this destination Zanzibar Island Things to Do Tip by toonsarah

On the afternoon of our Spice Tour our guide Mohammed brought us to one of Zanzibar’s best-known beaches, Mangapwani, by way of the nearby so-called “Slave Cave”. This is in fact no naturally-carved cave but a cube-shaped cell cut out of the soft coral rock. It was used as a place in which to store slaves, who would be brought here by boat from the mainland and kept in the cave while awaiting sale in the markets of Zanzibar Town. Even after the slave trade was officially abolished on the island in 1873 it is thought that the practice continued illicitly, and this cave would have been an important factor in allowing the traders to hide their slaves from official eyes.

From here we walked between the trees to a small secluded beach – not the main Mangapwani Beach (which is now the site of one of the luxurious Serena Hotels) but a smaller one separated from it by an outcrop of coral rocks. Here we could swim in the sea (having been warned in advance to bring or wear swim-wear) and relax on the sands.

Directions: Included on many tours, or you could negotiate a taxi ride from Stone Town or if staying at the Serena in town use their shuttle to the Mangapwani Serena