Brilliant white beaches lapped by the warm waters of the Indian Ocean provide the perfect place to relax, soak up the sun and take a break from some busy sightseeing. Modern resorts nestle in the shade of coconut palms, providing cool and comfortable retreats.

The beaches are a paradise. Here are picturesque fishing villages where the people live a simple way of life, unchanged through the years. Just south of Zanzibar town are Fuji Beach and Chuini Beach, which both offer facilities for a range of watersports, while to the north there is Mangapwani where the only noise is likely to be the sound of the ocean.

On the northern tip of the island is Nungwi, where visitors can watch fishermen's boats being built here or swim in the coral lagoons. One Zanzibar's north – east coasts are the beaches of Matemwe, Mapenzi, Kiwenga and Uroa, with their wide stretches of uncrowned sands and opportunities to explore the underwater world. Other well – developed resorts Pungwe, Bwejuu and Jambiani are to be found on the southeastern coast. As well as watersports there are also opportunities for fishing – or for observing the activities of the local fishermen.

Some 75-km to the north of Dar es Salaam, on the coast opposite Zanzibar, is the former capital of German East Africa, Bagamoyo. Possessing a good, natural harbor ideal for sailing vessels and dhows, it was once the center of the notorious slave trade.

Its name is derived from the word bwagomoyo, which means, “ here I throw down my heart,” reflecting the desperation and despair of the ‘broken hearted' captives whose voyage into the unknown began here. The present police station, near the beachfront, was the first stone building in Bagamoyo. Originally an Arab residence it was at one time the old prison where slaves were herded through underground tunnels to waiting dhows. The city is also the starting point for the first European explorers on their way to search for the source of the Nile. Livingstone, Stanley, Burton and Speke all passed through here. Livingstone's body was laid to rest here before being taken first to rest here before being taken first to Zanzibar and then to England. The Mission has a museum with a wonderful collection of photographs and mementos relating to Livingstone and to German colonial times. A house where Henry Morton Stanley lived a century ago can be seen in solitary splendor near the beach.

130 km North of Dar es Salaam is east Africa's only coastal park about 1000 sq. kms. In the south of the park, the Wami River offers probably the best boat safari in Tanzania. Located on 54kms north of the historic town of Bagamoyo, Saadan is the only coastal National Park known to harbor large mammals and it is said to be the one place where elephants can still be seen bathing in the Indian Ocean. Other resident animals to this park include lion, leopard, zebra roan antelope, giraffe onyx and buffalo.

Bird life: Saadan is a home to hornbills, starlings, and buffalo weavers; ring necked dove, lilac-breasted roller and gray-y headed roller. Another group of ground birds and aquatic waders are a common site at the shore and on the banks of rivers. Yellow billed stork, Grey heron, little egret, water dikkop, and sandpipers are spotted at Saadan. Raptors are relatively scarce except for the yellow – billed kite. This kite takes the place of gulls, which are absent from the shores of Saadan.