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Spices and Fruits: The great variety of spices and plants grown in Zanzibar are used in food flavoring and preparation, cosmetics, dyes and medicines around the world. Delicious fruits including orange, lime, grapefruit, coconut and banana are grown too, along with the lesser known breadfruit, jackfruit and custard apple. Fragrant and aromatic spices, such as cloves, nutmeg, ginger, chilies, black pepper and cinnamon can all be seen growing, and are for sale on roadside stalls. It is possible, depending upon the season, to sample some of the edible fruits and to watch or join in with planting and harvesting activities.
Coconut Palm Trees: Palm trees of one type or another are found in nearly all the tropical areas of the world. Zanzibar is blessed with an abundant variety of them, and probably the most familiar and evocative of all is the African Tall Coconut Palm.
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The sight of these slender trees bordering a long, white beach and swaying in the gentle breeze of the Indian Ocean is one that many tourists associate with a "Tropical Paradise." But there is much more to these palm trees than their "post-card" image and a convenient place to sling your hammock.
These tall, slender palms are an integral part of everyday life for many thousands of residents. The obvious and latent uses and products derived from this tree, also known as "The Tree of Life", are many and diverse. The most immediately evident is the food and drink obtained from the nut itself, both of which are known to guests. However, the inflorescence (sap) can be tapped from the tree to obtain fresh coconut juice. This in turn can be fermented to make a beer that is rich in minerals and vitamins. This beer (known as Tembo or Pombe, in Kiswahili) can be further distilled to produce a strong spirit - pure alcohol - similar to gin. It can be processed further to make spirit vinegar and a form of brown sugar. The internationally known aromatic liqueur, "Malibu", is made from coconut.
The growing shoots (pith) provide the international consumer with the delicacy known as "Palm Hearts" (or "King's Cabbage", as it is sometimes named). The coconut husk is used as fuel material, and the fiber - which can be of varying lengths, thickness and elasticity - is used in mats, ropes, furniture and mattress stuffing, sacks and brushes. The tough fiber is also used as a binding medium to assist slope stabilization in soil erosion projects. The trunks or stems can be laid across rivers as footbridges, and the wood is suitable for wonderful ornamental carvings, and for items such as ashtrays, soap dishes and desk furnishings. Beautiful furniture is also produced from the wood of coconut trees.
Mangrove Forests: There are more than 20,000 hectares of mangrove forest along Zanzibar's coastline. While it might seem to the visitor that these trees are occupying what could otherwise be a beautiful beach, the mangrove plays a very important part in the ecology and conservation of the environment. Apart from preventing beach and mud flat erosion, the mangrove's incredible root system provides a breeding ground for many crustaceans (including prawns), which forms part of the inter-tidal food chain. Because of its adaptability to saline water, the wood is resistant to insects and wood boring parasites. Mangrove wood has been harvested and used in house and boat-building materials for hundreds of years, and can be readily seen in the ceilings and other structures in the houses of Zanzibar. It was a valued bartering item in the old days of Arabian trade but recently because of over-utilization and illegal cutting, it has become endangered and protected.
The Coral Reefs and Underwater Marine Life: There are many interesting reefs around the islands of Zanzibar featuring shallow rocky areas that suddenly drop off into vertiginous crevasses 40 meters deep. With steep walls covered in colorful sponges and Gorgonia, one may find such diverse life as Brittlestars, Langoustines, and Moray Eels. Some reefs are like undersea mountains, wreathed with seaweeds and corals, and teeming with colorful fish. Angel Fish and Clown fish glide like shadows through the sun dappled abyss, and schools of Barracuda flick their tails and slide off into the deep. Groupers can often be sighted here, as can Pipe Fish and Crocodile fish. Moray eels writhe in dark canyons between the Purple Gorgonia and Precious Red Corals, and Sea Horses hover on shimmering light above tall pinnacles. One may also be lucky enough to have close encounters with large schools of Hammerhead Sharks, Manta Rays and curious Dolphins.
Dolphin Watching: The rich waters of Kizimkazi provide a natural breeding habitat for dolphins and an ideal place for dolphin watching. Spinner dolphins, common dolphins and the False
Killer Whales are the three main dolphin species found here.
Spinner dolphins are six feet long and have a slender body, long, thin beak and large flippers. They always appear in large pods or schools on the surface of the water but sometimes they may become shy of motorboats and plunge deeper and out of sight. Spinner dolphins feed on small fish and squid, often several hundred feet down.
The common dolphins are seven feet in length and are sleek, streamlined and spindle-shaped with a long beak, a moderately pointed dorsal fin and pointed flippers. Common dolphins are usually found in large active schools.
False Killer Whales are the biggest species found at Kizimkazi. Their slender bodies, with narrow, pointed flippers, are up to 17 feet long, with a rounded head and a swollen snout. These dolphins feed on the big fish species including tuna and mahi-mahi. Kizimkazi is the leading dolphin viewing area in East Africa.
Terrestrial Wildlife: Jozani Forest Reserve is located about 35 kilometers southeast of Zanzibar Town on the North side of the road to Paje, which bisects the forest. It is not permitted to stop your vehicle within the marked boundaries of the reserve or to walk off the road unaccompanied by an official guide. Jozani is the largest area of mature forest left on Zanzibar. The forest hosts a sizeable population of the very rare Red Colobus Monkey, as well as Sykes Monkeys, Bushbabies, Ader's Duikers, Tree Hyraxes, over 50 species of butterflies, about 40 species of birds and several other animals.
The Jozani Forest Red Colobus Monkeys, unlike their more widespread and adaptable cousins, the Black and White Colobus, are a rain forest species that are now confined to very small areas of equatorial forest in tropical Africa. It is therefore a rare treat to be able to see them in Zanzibar and a sighting of them must be welcomed as a real privilege. Colobus Monkeys are a leaf-eating arboreal species and spend most of their time in trees. It is somewhat surprising to find, therefore, that the opposable thumb deemed most essential for arboreal primates, is reduced to a mere stump in the Colobus family (hence the name Colobus - from the Latin for "deformed).
ZALA Park is a another small nature reserve and field study center set under the shade of a variety of trees, including orange, lime, grapefruit, nutmeg and banana, ginger, chilies, black pepper and cinnamon are all grown there too. The captive animal exhibits include Tree Hyraxes and a variety of reptiles, such as Green Tree Snakes, Mambas and some big Pythons. Chameleons, Geckos, Tortoises, Striped Lizards and Monitor Lizards are included amongst the legged reptiles. The Park is approximately five kilometers southeast of Jozani Reserve.
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