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Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park was established in 2004 and covers an area of 5,000ha. It is the only National Park in Zanzibar. The park vegetaion is a mixture of ground water forest, ever-green mixed forest, dry bush land, shrub and mangrove.
This habitat is home to many animals, the most famous being the Zanzibar Red Colobus (Philiocolobus kirkii). This primate is endemic to Zanzibar and listed as Endangered in the IUCN Red List. There are approximately 1200-1500 individuals on the island with the largest groupings in and around the park. On most days there are near guaranteed sightings very close to the park headquarters.
Other primate species comonly sighted at the park include Skye'se monkey and, at night time, bushbabies (galagos). The park is also very good for birding and there are many trails through the forest to follow and explore, including an elevated board-walk through the mangroves.
The park is open every day 9am - 5pm. Visits to both Jozani and ZBC can be easily combined into a day trip from either Stone Town or the coast.
The Zanzibar archipelago lies off the north east coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. The two largest inhabited islands, Unguja and Pemba, attract thousands of tourists every year who travel to Zanzibar to experience white beaches, warm seas, world class diving and the historical city of Stone Town (a World Heritage Site).
Although much of the wildlife of the islands can also be seen on the mainland there are some famous endemic species - the Pemban flying fox and the Red Colobus Money are found on Pemba and Unguja respecitvely.
Zanzibar is a largely Muslim society and has a vibrant culture influenced by the Arabs, Persians, Indians, British, Portugese and African mainladers who have all lived on, traded with, or ruled the islands at various times through history. Traditionally the archipelago was famous for its spice trade - it was once the world leader in clove production. A darker side to its past is that it was the main trading port of the East African slave trade and served an important role in the Arab slave market (for several hundred years until the 1960's Zanzibar was ruled by the Sultan of Oman).