The island of Zanzibar, and its nearby sister Pemba, stirs the imagination and conjures up images of Arabian nights and an air of magic and mystery. Anchored 40km off the Tanzanian mainland and fringed with white sand beaches, the island was closed to tourism for many years but is now a welcoming and exciting destination. The scent of spices fills the air and the whitewashed buildings of Stone Town, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, invite you to step back in time.