On the Road to Zanzibar

Leaving the Serengeti behind and traveling south on bumpy roads, we headed toward the historical town of Bagamayo. This city played an important role in the East African slave trade. While we only spent the night there, it was incredible to see some of the reminders that are left behind. Most noticeably are the Christian Churches spread through the area that were established by missionaries when slavery was abolished. The churches stick out in a landscape of primarily Islamic people.                   

After our overnight in Bagamayo, we drove to the large city of Dar es Salaam. The traffic was terrible but when we finally made it, we were able to secure tickets on the 12:30pm ferry to the island of Zanzibar. Local transportation in this area of the world are always an adventure. Our group appeared to be the only tourists on board with hundreds of locals. People were squeezed into every seat, ledge and available floor space to endure the two-hour boat trip to the island. Lucky for me the seas weren’t too rough and I didn’t get sea sick.                

Upon arrival at the ferry terminal all foreigners must pass through immigration. While Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, they operate almost independently. No additional visa is needed but it is mandatory to show your passport and vaccination card (for yellow fever) to be allowed to exit the terminal. Once we all made it through, a local guide met us for our transfer to the north part of the island. The drive was approximately 1.5 hours. The travel time was worth it as all the most beautiful beaches are located on the northern tip of the island. Everyone in our group was thrilled to spend a few days relaxing on the beach, swimming, shopping the markets and enjoying a few local beers.                                 

We jumped on the chance to go snorkeling at one of the very small island on the northeast coast. The water is super clear and the fish are abundant. The boat ride to get there was a bit rough because it was packed with too many people for a two-hour each way trip. We would recommend that anyone interested in doing a snorkel trip should find a company that takes no more than 20 people at a time. It would be a much better experience had we thought to inquire about that in the beginning. Nevertheless, we made the most of our time in the water and on the secluded beach.

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In the evenings, we indulged in the hotel buffet featuring local Zanzibar dishes followed by watching the breathtaking sunsets.

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Our time on the north side of the island came to an end and our guide arrived again to pick us up. We had one more day in Zanzibar but were moving hotels to one in the in city, Zanzibar City. On the way back to the center of the island, we stopped at a fruit and spice plantation. For hundreds of years, Zanzibar has been known to the world as one of the “Spice Islands.” The climate is perfect to grow exotic spices which are then exported around the world. The most exported product is clove. A guided walk through the plantation gave us a chance to see the plants growing as well as taste many of them fresh from the plant, including black pepper, nutmeg and cinnamon. The most popularly grown fruits are jackfruit and coconut. At the end of our walk, fresh coconuts were cut open and given to us to enjoy.

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Later that afternoon after checking in to our hotel, the guide collected us again for a tour of the historic district of the city. The neighborhood within the city known as Stone Town in recognized an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stone Town was founded by the Sultan of Oman to be used as a trading port both for spices and slaves that were sold to Europe and the Middle East. The presence of the Islamic culture remains very prevalent on the island of Zanzibar.

Our tour started with lunch at a local restaurant. Followed by a walk through the historic district. Most interesting was the former slave market which is now a museum. When it was in use, it was an open-air market. Today, there are several areas that can be visited including the cathedral that was built when slavery was abolished, a memorial to the people who were enslaved, a museum and the slave holding rooms underground. It was a very emotional experience to be in the place where such crimes against humanity occurred.                           

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Next stop on our walk was the city market. Anything people want to buy can be found there. The meat stalls were very interesting as well as extremely smelly. Seafood is the main source of protein on the island. We saw a wide variety of offerings most interesting was a stingray that was being cut up to sell by the piece.                          

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Following our guide out of the market and into the narrow streets and alleyways of Stone Town, we were treated to many unique people and shops. I enjoyed seeing all the different ways the shopkeepers would displays their wares.                 

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Toward the end of our tour, we stopped at the sight of Freddie Mercury’s birthplace. He is well known for being the lead singer of Queen as well as said to have one of the best voices of all time. The people of Zanzibar are quite proud that he was born there.                

Just before being picked up by our driver, we made a short visit to the Old Fort of Zanzibar. Built by the Omani Arabs after defeating the Portuguese in 1699. It is the only Arab fort in East Africa.Today the fort is used as a venue for festivals and pubic events.

After our very hot walk through Stone Town, we had some time to relax and cool off at our beachside hotel. The next day we took the ferry back toTanzania mainland to continue our overland tour.                                

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Our adventure tour through Tanzania continues with game drives in Mikumi National Park.