Jen discovers Zanzibar

Posted on 22nd June 2020

As a first time traveler to Zanzibar and with all the excitement the coming trip created, I was intent of doing as much research as possible as to when, where, how! And to be sure, there is any number of options when it comes to Zanzibar! 

Zanzibar receives rainfall throughout the year, usually in typically brief African thunder storms, with April and May receiving the most rain. But generally, anytime is a good time to visit the sunshine Spice Island of Zanzi!

Zanzibar has an international airport and direct flights come in from Johannesburg, Dubai, Amsterdam, Istanbul, Rome, Milan, Frankfurt, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam. One can also take a 2 hour ferry crossing from Dar es Salaam, and ferries also service routes between Zanzibar and Pemba Island.

Any first time visit to this amazing little island would be incomplete without a visit to the historic heart of Zanzibar – Stone Town. There are numerous accommodation options available in Stone Town if you want to stay there, but day trips are also available from everywhere across the Island. On this visit we did a half day trip to Stone Town, which was enough to have a walk through the old town appreciating the old Portuguese buildings and fort with our knowledgeable guide. But rather make the time for a full day or two in Stone Town! From past visits we can recommend staying in one of the older hotels that used to be the homes of important people and royalty during Zanzibar’s heyday. Places like the Dhow Palace or if your budget can handle it, the extraordinary Emerson and Green. An absolute must do is dinner on top of one of the old buildings in Zanzibar Old Town where the sea breeze gently cools the guests during a multi course meal reflecting the many influences that make Stone Town so special. Emerson Spice Tea House and Emerson on Hurumzi Tea Room come to mind as two of the best of these special rooftop restaurants. Do yourself a favour, and after dinner instead of calling a taxi ask to be escorted back to your hotel on foot. What an experience wending the way through the ancient alleyways of Stone Town by night!

Other must do attractions in Stone Town, in no particular order, The House of Miracles, The old Slave Market, and the current food market which is so alive with colour and noise and fragrance (okay not the fish market – that just smells pretty terrible!) that it left us reeling. Our guided tour of the old town was really a fantastic experience too.

In terms of accommodation, Zanzibar offers many options, from laid back backpacker type establishments to incredibly plush five star resorts.  There is also a wide selection of boutique style hotels and beach front private villas, which is what we decided on for our stay, and turned out to be the most wonderful option for our group of seven adults.  We had a full complement of staff, including two chefs should we wish to have meals at home, or we could wander down the beach to a nearby lodge/hotel or beach front local café for drinks and a meal.  The northern side of the Island can be quite busy/commercial, so if you are wanting a quieter chilled experience, I would recommend staying in the north east side, or further down towards the south east around Paje. The north/north west is considered the party side of the island. It is very popular and can get quite crowded!

The food in Zanzibar is outstanding! Seafood is not only available everywhere, but very affordable, which was a happy surprise when one considers how rare and pricey seafood can be. We had as much freshly caught crayfish, prawns and line fish as we could possibly handle!  The island also has a plentiful supply of wonderful fresh fruit and vegetables to accompany your beach front Al Fresco dining experience! The spice island influences and flavorings are mind blowing indeed!

In terms of what to do, there are many activity operators on Zanzibar, offering scuba diving trips, snorkeling excursions, kite surfing, spice tours, Stone Town tours, visits to the Jozani national park, and much more. Unless you have two weeks or more on the island, you really do need to pick and choose what to do, as you also need that much needed chill time on the beach soaking up the sun and sea!  I would have to say on my next trip to Zanzibar I will definitely plan to go for 14 or more days! The laid back atmosphere of Zanzibar is well expressed by the local phrase “pole pole” which literally means take it slowly!

One thing that I had not picked up on, but that became quickly apparent, is that there is only a small network of roads on Zanzibar Island, so although the island is relatively small at only 30km wide by 83km long,  it takes nearly 2 hours to get from the airport on the south west coast to the south east coast! Added to which the roads are in general in poor condition, and you get the idea… So when planning your activities, you need to bear this in mind, as you don’t necessarily want to be spending half the day in a car everyday!  For example, if you have your heart set on diving or snorkeling at the Mnemba Atoll, then you would do well to choose accommodation in the north/north east of the island. Having said that, there are plenty of other great options for snorkeling and diving accessible from almost everywhere on the Island. We went with “The Safari Blue” for the most fabulous day trip to Fumba Island and Menai Bay Conservation Area by traditional hand-built wooden dhows. The trip included a road transfer from our accommodation in the south east of the island to the starting point on the south west coast, and we enjoyed guided snorkeling with quality kit, dhow and ngalawa sailing, swimming in a mangrove lagoon, a delicious seafood buffet lunch, massive tropical fruit tasting and honest Zanzibar hospitality. And all of this for a mere USD60 per person! The crew and staff were incredible and never once did I feel like it was all put on for the tourist, which was wonderful.

Another trip worth doing is going to the Tangawizi Spice Farm, which we combined with the Stone Town trip. Although I was not the keenest member in our group to do this particular tour, I cannot express how much fun we had!  Our guide was yet another amazing Zanzibari character, who kept us totally enthralled and entertained for what turned out to be nearly 4 hours on the farm (we didn’t want to leave!).  Not only did we learn about how the various spices and coffees are grown and harvested, but we were also able to buy their products including a massive array of farm grown and hand produced soaps, perfumes, curry and spice mixes, coffees, and gift packs. Included in the tour was a sit down marathon fruit eating/spiced tea and coffee drinking session, which was outstanding.  One of the truly impressive aspects of this 100% local company is that the various guides are fluent in many foreign languages including Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Dutch and Arabic amongst many others. The State University of Zanzibar has an entire foreign language department offering courses for Zanzibaris, which is truly remarkable when one considers Zanzibar only has 1.3 million people. Coming from a country which is also very much tourism driven, we were beyond impressed as one doesn’t generally come across these types of fluent linguistic skills in southern Africa!

In terms of getting around and arranging your activities, your accommodation hosts will undoubtedly be able to assist with all your plans, and steer you in the right direction by assisting with bookings and other arrangements. For getting around locally, there are little motorbikes/scooters to hire everywhere. These are a great cheap option, provided you can cope with the somewhat challenging aspects of sand roads, potholed tar roads, and the kamikaze driving skills of the locals – although this is only really stressful as one nears the busier roads of Stone Town! Tootling around your local villages along the coast presents very few challenges and is a fun way to explore the island at your own pace.

One of the most special parts of our Zanzibar trip was undoubtedly the people. The people are incredibly friendly, helpful and genuine.

I have no shame in admitting we were all in tears when the time came to leave Zanzibar, and we could not have asked for more amazing service, love and care during our stay.

So until travel restrictions are lifted let’s dream and plan that next holiday!

Asante Zanzibar, until next time!

www.safariblue.net

www.tangawizispicefarm.com