Zanzibar became the final part of our big African trip. We spent five beautiful days there and we may say that we saw a lot of the island within this time, and we will share our impressions with great pleasure.
How to get and where to stay.
It is easy and cheap to reach Zanzibar from Europe with Jetair flying from Brussels, in case, you make it from the mainland Dar es Salaam, you may choose to use the ferry.
In Zanzibar, we stayed in two places. In the old city, we stayed in Malindi Guesthouse which we will certainly not recommend (it was terrible from all possible perspectives). At the ocean, we stayed in Milele Lodge which is kept by a German and which we will certainly recommend.
The only usual trouble with the ocean bungalows is that the nearest food available is that made in bungalows per se; usually the dishes try to be European and their prices are European as well. Our hotel did the same, which is why we ate in other towns and villages during the day while sightseeing.
Zanzibar beaches.
One of the main reasons for visiting Zanzibar is its heavenly deserted beaches. The color of water is beautiful, the sand is really white, and the ocean itself is very warm, perhaps we have never swum in such warm sea or ocean.
The place is also heavenly for surfers, especially in the place called Paje. Even a non-surfer can stand here for hours watching the beauty.
Sightseeing. Perhaps, as us, you cannot stay at the beach for hours being bored to death. In this case, Zanzibar is still a great place for you. For instance, there are several museums here telling about the history of the island. Although Zanzibar belongs to Tanzania, it becomes clear from the descriptions that those living in the island have their own strong identity and even some craving for independence.
A small museum of natural history tells about the island flora and fauna.
The former slave market and slave prison are considered to be a must see. The entrance fee is 5 dollars; the price includes the guided tour.
Stone Town.
In Zanzibar, you do not necessarily need to look for the cultural experiences in the museums on purpose: it is also great to ramble around the streets of the old town looking out to the ocean time after time.
When visiting the old city do not forget to look into the fortress: life is still vibrant there – restaurants, souvenirs…
Beer and food.
Zanzibar offers lots of evening pleasures: drinking beer in the beach bar or watching the local life.
Also, you may take active part in the local nightlife at the night market of Stone Town. You may try all kinds of local dishes at the market: grilled meet, Zanzibar pizza, traditional Zanzibar soup urojo (although it does not look too good, it tastes great).
By the way, you may also buy urojo during the day in different parts of the old city. At first, we were suspicious about places in which it was sold, but the soup was so good that we kept coming back.
In the morning, the most interesting thing was to watch life in the port. For the sake of it and to visit the night market, we recommend to stay in Stone Town (rather than the beach) for at least one night.
Indeed, Zanzibar is a heavenly island, and for visiting it you may take at least a week, or even the whole holiday. The only thing you need to know (and we will tell next time) is about the organized tours in Zanzibar and what you need to know before choosing and buying them.
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