Bawe Tropical Island is an island not bigger than a football pitch. A beautiful island that takes the breath away; acres of lush paradise haven so skillfully done that you will think it all happened naturally. Arrival at Bawe is something truly unforgettable; a spectacular private island, a haven of peace, silence and cut off from the madding outside world. Bawe Tropical Island is the perfect setting for those escaping on a romantic breakaway.

Lie on the beach, relax … time isn’t important on this island. Forget about time while enjoying the warm waters of the Indian Ocean whilst having a cold drink in the driftwood hippy bar, the Robinson Crusoe, on the beach…

Location
Lying off 5 miles from Zanzibar's mythical Stone Town, Bawe is truly a dream island, a slice of pure happiness; everything is easy here, in this natural paradise between sea, sun and sky…

Accommodation
Its 15 magnificent cottages are discretely scattered along the beach line, all of them with panoramic views of the clear waters of the Indian Ocean, ensuring maximum privacy and seclusion.

The cottages, situated to make them feel like a part of the surrounding landscape, are built from local traditional materials and topped with thatched roofs, allowing the invigorating sea breeze to circulate and affording a cool atmosphere, day and night.

The spacious cottages host magnificent dhow-type beds equipped with mosquito nets. The tasteful interiors, known as ‘los colores’ given their warm combination of soft colors (greens, yellows, oranges, grape fruit), are elegantly decorated and they all contain en suite bathrooms, each with a double basin, 2 al fresco showers and a bathtub.

The large private wooden verandahs overlooking the ocean give an impression of living outdoors, with air remaining mild all year round.

Dining
Fresh fish and seafood, “catch of the day”, that the local fishermen will bring right up to you when lying on your beach bed, will meet the dreams of the most demanding gourmets… Tell the chef how you’d like it, and just enjoy.

If you prefer international cuisine, just ask; no worries. Problems do not exist here.

Witness the magical African sunset, while sipping delicious cocktails on the Sunset Deck, or dream about staying here forever, far from the hectic life, under the stars, on the Baobab Deck.

Facilities
Bawe Tropical Island is ideal for those looking to escape a hectic lifestyle. The island possesses all the alluring dreams of isolation, of remoteness, of getting away from it all…

There are many things that you cannot find on the island; these things serve no purpose - no television, no shoes, no news… For those who are seeking seclusion, as far as possible, from overcrowded schedules, no other paradise is more enchanting, where refinement is combined with so much poetry and imagination.

Dreamers will lie on the beach or by the fresh water swimming pool, basking in the sun, without a care in the world…

Just remove your shoes, as is custom, and accompany that by wearing a ‘kikoi’… There is no dress code here; the only trend is to wander barefoot. Going barefoot returns us to a state of childhood and freedom.

The resort is so quiet and isolated; you will think of it as your own private paradise; the beach belongs just to you and the ghost crabs. If you like romantic unspoiled beaches… Bawe is the place.

Activities
Relax on the beach, whilst pampering yourself with a massage and a delicious cocktail. Relax, forget about the madness of the day-to-day life. That is the main activity at Bawe Tropical Island.

Nearby the islands, discover mythical treasures:
Day trips to Zanzibar’ Stone Town: the perfect chance to discover the Swahili culture, a happy mix of Africa and Arabia. Explore the winding narrow streets of Stone Town, classified as World Cultural Heritage Site, with ancient buildings, superb balconies, amazing sculptured doors, mosques, palaces and Livingstone’s House, among many other remarkable features.

Spend a day at Bawe’s sister island: Prison Island, which is a contemporary style island resort for nature lovers, with a tortoise sanctuary for the Giant Aldabra Tortoises and artfully restored 19th Century colonial buildings.

This once upon a time Quarantine Island was formerly owned by an Arab and used as a private place of detention for slaves. It was bought by General Mathew's and the jail (recently fully restored) was built in 1893 as a central prison in Zanzibar. It was, however, never utilized as such. The island was later on the Quarantine Station for Zanzibar, Kenya, Uganda and Tanganyika territories. There are small gazelles in the bush and birds and fauna which are not to be seen in other parts of Zanzibar.

Facts on Zanzibar
 The Zanzibar archipelago has a total area of 1,000 square miles distributed over 50 islands, the largest being Unguja and Pemba, and it has a total population of over half a million people. Although small in size, Zanzibar has played a significant role in the history of the East African coast. From the beginning of the Christian era, populations along the coast developed a farming and fishing civilization that included commercial exchanges with other Indian Ocean markets. Marriages of traders from the Arabian Peninsula with local women were common. As a result, a cosmopolitan society evolved along the coast and islands over the centuries. By the 10th century A.D, Islam had spread along the coastal islands. This process is considered to be the origin of the Swahili civilization. ‘Swahili’ was the name given to the coastal peoples by the Muslim traders - a word that means ‘coast shore’ (sahel, in Arabic). Thus, Waswahili  are the people of the coast. The Swahili civilization prospered until the arrival of the Portuguese at the end of the 15th Century. The Portuguese took political and economical control of the coast by force - the Swahilis fought them for 200 years.

Zanzibar became the main centre of East African economic and cultural life from the end of the 18th Century, when the Omani Arabs joined with the coastal towns to drive the Portuguese from the coast. The Omanis decided to settle. In 1840 the Al Busaidi ruling dynasty of Oman situated the base of his East African operations in what at that time was just a small fishing village in Unguja Island and which later became Stone Town. They created a vast trading empire and a large number of Omani families moved to Zanzibar.

From Zanzibar the Al Busaidi family gradually created and extended their empire. Zanzibar’s economy at the time was based on growing cloves and coconuts on the islands using slave labor, and also on the East African transit trade for which Zanzibar was virtually the only port. The archipelago became the centre of a vast trading empire. During the 19th Century the demand for the total suppression of the slave trade at the end of the 19th Century led Great Britain to progressively increase their influence over the Sultan. And in 1890 Zanzibar became an official Protectorate of the British Empire.

In 1879, Bawe Island was given by Seyid Barghash bin Seyid, 3rd Omani Sultan of Zanzibar, to the Eastern Telegraph Company to be used as the operations station for the underwater telegraphic cable linking Cape Town with Zanzibar, Seychelles and Aden. The agreement was extended ten years later, in 1889, by the next Sultan, Seyid Khalifa bin Seyid. To accommodate the Cable & Wireless staff, bungalows were built on the island, which were also used to host weekend parties when other town-based staff would visit and enjoy the beach with their families.

The Protectorate lasted until 1963, when Zanzibar gained its independence as a kingdom, with the Sultan as the head of the state. Only one month later, on January 12th 1964, a revolution transformed Zanzibar into a Republic. Three months later, a Union Treaty between the Government of Zanzibar and Tanganyika formed the United Republic of Tanzania.

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