Established as a conservation area in the 1960s, the Jozani Forest is now part of Zanzibar’s Jozani-Chwaka National Park, and has become an important sanctuary for one of the rarest primates in Africa: Kirk’s red colobus monkeys. Sightings of these creatures, which are endemic to Zanzibar, are now very frequent in the reserve, where they are thought to number almost 2,500.
Which is now adopted as the flagship species for conservation in Zanzibar, from the mid-1990s. Other species of fauna found in the park are the Sykes monkey, bushbabies, more than 50 species of butterfly, and 40 species of birds. The nocturnal Zanzibar tree hyrax, which has four ‘toes’ on its front feet and three on its back, is said to be the first hyrax species that has acclimatized to the forest.
The forest is also rumored to be home to the elusive leopard, although it’s been several decades since there have been any official sightings.
We pick up our travelers from any hotel on the island, from the ferry in Stone Town, and from the Zanzibar airport.
Your tour around the Jozani Forest Reserve will be led by an experienced guide, with good knowledge of the reserve’s flora and fauna. As you follow the park’s network of nature trails, keep an eye out for some of the forest’s residents. As well as the colobus monkey, there are Sykes’ monkeys, bush pigs, Zanzibar suni, tree hyraxes and Ader’s duiker, as well as more than 40 species of bird – not least among them a species of Fischer’s turaco with unusual coloured wings. At one spot in particular, you will usually find two groups of habituated red colobus monkeys, which are no longer disturbed by the presence of humans. As a result, they go about their day-to-day business taking little notice of the humans staring up from below – so it’s often a fantastic place for photographs. In the south of the forest you can follow a boardwalk deep into the mangrove swamps and find out how this fascinating ecosystem protects the Zanzibar coastline.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
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You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
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