Zanzibar, Tanzania
Zanzibar, Tanzania
"Away from the people and the good times and the enjoyable noise, it was a place to truly reset. In the early morning the beaches were vast and abandoned. The sun crept up and showed you how fast the earth is moving. The day showed you how simple life is and the night let you unwind and get close with strangers. I hope I remember this place forever" - MF
Chances are, you are either coming from or going on a safari or climbing Kilimanjaro. Hopefully, you aren't going to Kilimanjaro from Zanzibar.. It's much better to do the suffering pre the relaxing! Zanzibar is an awesome side trip and if you're in East Africa, you have to come to Zanzibar. It's one of Earth's gems and one of the last bastions of pure beach beauty, without all the commercial hubbub.
This post is directed to people that are on a budget:) I didn't stay anywhere fancy, but in Zanzibar, it's all beautiful and in my experience, the hospitality in every spot, was top notch. Note that I did not stay in Stone Town, so I don't have any tips there. I did day trips to the market and to tour around the town, which was amazing.
How to get there
Assuming you're in Dar Es Salem and are finding the best way to travel to the island, you have 2 choices:
Taking the Ferry:
The ferries are located at the waterfront (Yahuh!) off Sakoine Drive. You will be harassed like crazy while figuring out what to do and what company to book with. (tip! I wear big headphones constantly and are ignored by a lot of the hustlers. Walking with purpose helps too). You want to book a ferry that takes 2-3 hours, is safe and pro at what they do. There are a lot of rumours about ferries that sink, that are turbulent and that take 10+ hours - and all of those rumours are true! However, you can avoid that by reading this blog and booking a ticket on the boat I went on. It took 2.5 hours, was super comfy, not turbulent and cost $35 (USD). If you know for sure when you're going, book your ticket in advance. I got to the port in mid morning and barely got on the afternoon ferry because it was busy. The ferry had a lot of locals going back and forth to work, not just tourists, so it does get busy and booked up fast.
If you get stuck in Dar, there's a YMCA a 10 minute walk from the ferry. It's a hostel, so you have budget options. My room was $15 and came with breakfast. It's a total sketchy looking building...like extremely scary sketchy looking (pic below). It looks like an abandoned, bombed out building. Showing up here alone at midnight on foot was a good time. As per usual (but not always) it was better that it looked and safer that it seemed. The staff were very nice and the room was decent (pic below). YMCA LINK
Flying:
Return flights are usually in the $250 US range. Flying is fast and looks pretty, but obviously a much different experience than navigating the docks, riding on the water and then experiencing the hilarious mayhem when you exit the port into Stone Town.
Chances are, you are either coming from or going on a safari or climbing Kilimanjaro. Hopefully, you aren't going to Kilimanjaro from Zanzibar.. It's much better to do the suffering pre the relaxing! Zanzibar is an awesome side trip and if you're in East Africa, you have to come to Zanzibar. It's one of Earth's gems and one of the last bastions of pure beach beauty, without all the commercial hubbub.
This post is directed to people that are on a budget:) I didn't stay anywhere fancy, but in Zanzibar, it's all beautiful and in my experience, the hospitality in every spot, was top notch. Note that I did not stay in Stone Town, so I don't have any tips there. I did day trips to the market and to tour around the town, which was amazing.
How to get there
Assuming you're in Dar Es Salem and are finding the best way to travel to the island, you have 2 choices:
Taking the Ferry:
The ferries are located at the waterfront (Yahuh!) off Sakoine Drive. You will be harassed like crazy while figuring out what to do and what company to book with. (tip! I wear big headphones constantly and are ignored by a lot of the hustlers. Walking with purpose helps too). You want to book a ferry that takes 2-3 hours, is safe and pro at what they do. There are a lot of rumours about ferries that sink, that are turbulent and that take 10+ hours - and all of those rumours are true! However, you can avoid that by reading this blog and booking a ticket on the boat I went on. It took 2.5 hours, was super comfy, not turbulent and cost $35 (USD). If you know for sure when you're going, book your ticket in advance. I got to the port in mid morning and barely got on the afternoon ferry because it was busy. The ferry had a lot of locals going back and forth to work, not just tourists, so it does get busy and booked up fast.
If you get stuck in Dar, there's a YMCA a 10 minute walk from the ferry. It's a hostel, so you have budget options. My room was $15 and came with breakfast. It's a total sketchy looking building...like extremely scary sketchy looking (pic below). It looks like an abandoned, bombed out building. Showing up here alone at midnight on foot was a good time. As per usual (but not always) it was better that it looked and safer that it seemed. The staff were very nice and the room was decent (pic below). YMCA LINK
Flying:
Return flights are usually in the $250 US range. Flying is fast and looks pretty, but obviously a much different experience than navigating the docks, riding on the water and then experiencing the hilarious mayhem when you exit the port into Stone Town.
Getting around in Zanzibar
So you're docking in the main port of Zanzibar. You will get harassed like you've never been harassed before by cab drivers etc. They will follow you and get in your face like crazy people. You have a few options here. It's nice to have a plan at this point. Know where you're going and how far it is etc. If you're staying in Stone Town, you probably don't need a cab, because you're basically in Stone Town when you walk off the boat, but make sure you know where you're staying and check before you get there, because it's so busy and crazy, that you wanna have your shit together when you land in that mess. I did not, so I can attest.
There are two main ways to travel on the island. Cab or Mototu - Dala Dala. Mototus are small passenger vans and Dala Dalas are trucks with covered, outdoor seating. In Zan, they just call everything a Dala Dala that is a vehicle that you pay to take you to a place.
Cabs will ask you for $50 from the port to Paje beach (on the other side of the island). That's way overpriced as you will find as you spend more time on the island. $35 is reasonable (for the entire cab, not per person or shared).
I took a Mototu from the port to Paje Beach for $5, which I later found out was double what I could have paid, but sometimes you pay a tourist tax right? I walked 5 minutes to the main market and asked a vendor where a Dala Dala was to Paje and he pointed to an intersection and I waited there for it to come. I tried to find fellow travellers going to Paje on the ferry and then again when I landed to share a cab, but noone was headed that way (or didn't like me? :)
So you're docking in the main port of Zanzibar. You will get harassed like you've never been harassed before by cab drivers etc. They will follow you and get in your face like crazy people. You have a few options here. It's nice to have a plan at this point. Know where you're going and how far it is etc. If you're staying in Stone Town, you probably don't need a cab, because you're basically in Stone Town when you walk off the boat, but make sure you know where you're staying and check before you get there, because it's so busy and crazy, that you wanna have your shit together when you land in that mess. I did not, so I can attest.
There are two main ways to travel on the island. Cab or Mototu - Dala Dala. Mototus are small passenger vans and Dala Dalas are trucks with covered, outdoor seating. In Zan, they just call everything a Dala Dala that is a vehicle that you pay to take you to a place.
Cabs will ask you for $50 from the port to Paje beach (on the other side of the island). That's way overpriced as you will find as you spend more time on the island. $35 is reasonable (for the entire cab, not per person or shared).
I took a Mototu from the port to Paje Beach for $5, which I later found out was double what I could have paid, but sometimes you pay a tourist tax right? I walked 5 minutes to the main market and asked a vendor where a Dala Dala was to Paje and he pointed to an intersection and I waited there for it to come. I tried to find fellow travellers going to Paje on the ferry and then again when I landed to share a cab, but noone was headed that way (or didn't like me? :)
Where to Stay
There are many an option. It's a small island, but seemingly a million places to stay. As you narrow things down to what you want to do and what you want your experience to be, the options are few, fast. For instance, if you want to Kite surf, you're probably going to want to be at Paje beach. If you want a nice quiet, tranquil beach experience, you're going to avoid Paje and stay in the South West area.
I stayed in a nice lil place in Paje called Demani Lodge. I had the intention of moving around the island for the 3 weeks that I was there, but I never did. Demani got it's wonderful little claws into me, I met some amazing people and I just never left.
Page beach is the obvious place to stay if you're 18-35 and looking to meet other travellers, party a little bit and of course, kite surf.
There are many an option. It's a small island, but seemingly a million places to stay. As you narrow things down to what you want to do and what you want your experience to be, the options are few, fast. For instance, if you want to Kite surf, you're probably going to want to be at Paje beach. If you want a nice quiet, tranquil beach experience, you're going to avoid Paje and stay in the South West area.
I stayed in a nice lil place in Paje called Demani Lodge. I had the intention of moving around the island for the 3 weeks that I was there, but I never did. Demani got it's wonderful little claws into me, I met some amazing people and I just never left.
Page beach is the obvious place to stay if you're 18-35 and looking to meet other travellers, party a little bit and of course, kite surf.
Demani Lodge
Sometimes you find yourself in a place with strangers who are just as shy, high and wild as you, but it takes a chemical reaction for the explosion to happen. It's entirely reasonable to meet new people and then for those people to become some of your favourite people, but you just never know when it's going to happen. What I'm saying is, is that I have a colossal bias to love Demani because it's a place where I met some amazing friends and had some of the best nights and early mornings of my life. Was it fate? Was it a lovely anomaly? Was it Demani? Can a place attract a sort of people who will just get along like a dwelling going through the process of combustion, releasing heat and light?? Maybe...but I think we just got lucky.
There's an unspoken alliance, an agreement that you know that you've found a special place. It's something you share with every new face you meet.
Ha. Anyway.. The facts:
Demani Link
Note that every Thursday there is a party hosted by Demani where locals and tourists around Paje will come to hangout, eat BBQ and per-teh. This is a great time to meet new people! Most of the lodges in the area do this on different nights, so you can go visit other lodges and have yourself a nice time. Places like:
Jambo
Page By Night
Teddy's
etc..
Notables and Must do's:
Well, that's it! Zanzibar....
Away from the people and the good times and the enjoyable noise, it was a place to truly reset. In the early morning the beaches were vast and abandoned. The sun crept up and showed you how fast the earth is moving. The day showed you how simple life is and the night let you unwind and get close with strangers. I hope I remember this place forever.
Love Matt
Sometimes you find yourself in a place with strangers who are just as shy, high and wild as you, but it takes a chemical reaction for the explosion to happen. It's entirely reasonable to meet new people and then for those people to become some of your favourite people, but you just never know when it's going to happen. What I'm saying is, is that I have a colossal bias to love Demani because it's a place where I met some amazing friends and had some of the best nights and early mornings of my life. Was it fate? Was it a lovely anomaly? Was it Demani? Can a place attract a sort of people who will just get along like a dwelling going through the process of combustion, releasing heat and light?? Maybe...but I think we just got lucky.
There's an unspoken alliance, an agreement that you know that you've found a special place. It's something you share with every new face you meet.
Ha. Anyway.. The facts:
- Demani is 'sold' as a backpacker destination, but it's really suitable for couples, families and anyone looking for a simple, fun place to stay in Paje.
- They have dorm style rooms, private single rooms with ensuites and triple rooms with ensuites.
- Rates range from $16 - $70 night and all include breakfast, which is yummy and fresh.
- Demani is 1 km away from the ocean. So not right on the ocean, which seemed like a downer for me and one of the reasons I was going to look elsewhere, but it really doesn't matter cause it's so close. It's easy to bounce around to different places if you really want to.
- Staff is really great, helpful and knowledgeable about the island. You can organize anything through the lodge if you want.
- FOOD IS GOOOOOD. Food is so fresh and really amazing at the lodge. Just be prepared to wait at least an hour for food because they make everything from scratch! If you order coconut chicken, look in the kitchen in 20 minutes and a dude will be grinding down a coconut and there may or may not be a plum of feathers surfing back down to earth.
Demani Link
Note that every Thursday there is a party hosted by Demani where locals and tourists around Paje will come to hangout, eat BBQ and per-teh. This is a great time to meet new people! Most of the lodges in the area do this on different nights, so you can go visit other lodges and have yourself a nice time. Places like:
Jambo
Page By Night
Teddy's
etc..
Notables and Must do's:
- Blue Safari Tour + Dolphins
The Blue Safari tour is sailing, snorkelling, swimming and visiting isolated sand bars in Menai Bay, with the quintessential seafood lunch and snacks obviously. Make sure to negotiate a Dolphin Upgrade where you find dolphins, speed ahead of them and then jump in the water before they swim by you. I thought the dolphin thing was going to suck and be violating, but it was really amazing and slightly scary. Are those fins dolph? (I have footage of this in the video above). It's a full day trip including breakfast (if dolphining) and lunch. Approx $30/person
- SUP
Stand up paddling through The Mangroves of Michamvi. This was really cool and relaxing. We went while the sun was setting and it was beautiful. It's easy to learn if you haven't done it before. It takes about 2 hours. $50.00 seems steep, but it's a sunset you won't forget.
- Spice Tour
Weird huh?! I wouldn't usually do something like this cause it sounds boring and not that interesting, but it was my 2nd day and I wanted to meet more people, so I went to hangout. As it turns out, I'm a natural at calling out spices. I found this tour really interesting with a million interesting facts about spices!! I'll never look at food the same again.
Legendary lunch afterwards. $25 - 1/2 day
- Mama Africa Beach Massage
Mama Africa is a lady that hangs out on Paje Beach. She has a shop that sells touristy things, but this is not why we love Mama. We love Mama because of her $10, hour long beach massages. It's a hard life in Zanzibar and all that surfing, late night good times and early morning jogs can really do a number on your posture. Let Mama sort it out:)
- Kite Surfing
This is why most people come to the island. I dedicated a separate post to Kite Surfing. I received an epic ankle injury on the last day of my trip. You can check out video and pics as well as the the entire post here.
Well, that's it! Zanzibar....
Away from the people and the good times and the enjoyable noise, it was a place to truly reset. In the early morning the beaches were vast and abandoned. The sun crept up and showed you how fast the earth is moving. The day showed you how simple life is and the night let you unwind and get close with strangers. I hope I remember this place forever.
Love Matt
