Our travels on the spice island of Zanzibar (Tanzania)

Our travels are taking us around eastern Africa and we recently had a fabulous safari in Tanzania’s Serengeti region. Leaving the ‘safari capital’ of Arusha, we flew to Zanzibar Island, one of the Spice Islands on Tanzania’s section of the Indian Ocean. It was a stop on the spice route as far back as the 8th century, where dhow boats transported spices across the east. 

Dhows trading in tourism, Zanzibar, Tanzania

These days, the only dhows to be seen are those dedicated to taking tourists between Zanzibar and some of the other spice islands. The spice islands received their name because of the spices they grow which includes cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, turmeric, and cumin. This all sounded exotic when planning from home, so we’d been looking forward to this part of the trip.

Small plane from Arusha to Zanzibar, Tanzania

Meanwhile, at Arusha airport we struggled to find any signage to point us to anything remotely aviation oriented! So we joined a long queue at a table, and confirmed that we were on a flight. Next, our cases were snatched and tagged to go we knew-not-where. Then, after sitting in an open-air waiting area for ages, a man holding our flight number pointed, so we raced across the tarmac to a tiny plane and grabbed a seat as they weren’t pre-allocated.

Items for sale on the route to our hotel, Zanzibar, Tanzania

About one-hour later, we arrived in Zanzibar city. As we were staying north of the city centre, we drove in a taxi through several villages to get there. It gave us a peek into the bustling lives of the locals who were selling their wares from stalls alongside the road. You could buy anything there, from food to furniture.

View from our hotel room, Zanzibar, Tanzania

When we arrived at our hotel, we were delighted to find we had a spacious room with a balcony and an absorbing view of the sea and the activities on and around it. During the day, fishermen were preparing their nets with their boats moored nearby, and during the night, the boats were at sea and we could see a necklace of their lights bobbing about in the dark distance.

Streets in Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

After a few days of relaxing and enjoying the view, we visited the historic centre of Zanzibar city called Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This ancient town contains some of Tanzania’s major cultural and historical sites, with several dating back to the early 15th century. It is a throbbing labyrinth of winding, narrow, interesting, colourful and hot alleyways.

Marg in the wee coffee shop, Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

After an hour or so, we were walking past a wee colourful shop in an alleyway, and were lured by the smell of fresh coffee. So we succumbed and popped into what was a quaint coffee house. It was in a traditional building and had a giant coffee-grinder working. The smell of freshly ground Tanzanian coffee was fantastic.  After our coffee, we set off to further explore the sights of Stone Town.

Glimpses of the colourful market in Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

Very soon, we arrived at the colourful market where you can buy anything and everything. It was laid out in tight alleyways, with goods overflowing into the walking area. The colours and atmosphere were really vibrant. We wandered around there for ages, enjoying the sights including craftspeople preparing their products for sale.

Fish market, Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

Not far away, we found the fish market. Zanzibar is known for its fresh fish, and we could see many varieties of fish in all sizes, glisteningly fresh-looking, and waiting to be sold. Marg wasn’t keen on the smell but Leigh went in for a look and stepped into the middle of an auction. It was very interesting to see the various fish catches being auctioned off.

Architecture of Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

As we walked further, we noticed that the architecture seemed to reflect some of the many cultures that have called Zanzibar home over the centuries. We saw plastered and lime washed wooden buildings of Swahili, Arab and European origin, and the narrow verandas and intricate lattice-work of Indian origin.

Doors of Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

We also saw many studded and carved old doors, and learned that Zanzibar is famous for these ornate beauties. At lunch time, we had a great seafood meal at a restaurant on the waterfront, enjoying the views and sea breezes cooling us in the 28⁰ C heat. After lunch, we wandered around some more.

Marg outside Freddy Mercury’s house, Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

Then we found the house where Freddy Mercury of Queen fame was born in 1946. It is now set up as a museum to celebrate Zanzibar Island’s most famous artist. Nearby, we saw an ancient mosque, traditional houses, the former Sultan’s Palace, and the ruins of a fort.

The fort and St Joseph’s Church, Stone Town (UNESCO), Zanzibar, Tanzania

The fort was built in the 17th century to protect the island from attacking Portuguese. We also saw the Anglican and Catholic churches, both large structures standing out in the narrow streets. St Joseph’s Church in particular dominated all around it. Eventually we found our way back to our hotel, having seen quite a lot in vibrant Stone Town.

Kiwengwa Beach, Zanzibar Island, Tanzania

The next day, we took a taxi to Kiwengwa beach on the opposite side of the island. It was a scorchingly hot day, but the beautiful white sand was fringed with palm trees which provided some much-needed shade. We walked along the long beach for around 2 km, before finding a resort where we stopped for a fruit-juice.

Kiwengwa Beach, Zanzibar Island, Tanzania

On the return walk, we stopped for lunch at a beach-side restaurant that we had read about. It was just a shack really, but we liked the menu so found a table with a great view of the beach, and ordered a seafood meal and a beer. The seafood was lobster and sea cicala, simply prepared and grilled. It was absolutely delicious.

Sunset on our last night in Zanzibar, Tanzania

After a week, it was time to leave Zanzibar, so we enjoyed our final night admiring a stunning sunset from our hotel room balcony. The next morning, we taxied to the Zanzibar ferry terminal to catch a ferry to Dar es Salaam on mainland Tanzania. But it was completely chaotic, with no signage, no check-in process, and lots of shoving. Finally, a port official sent our cases somewhere and virtually pushed us onto the ferry. We just hoped we were on the right one.

View from the ferry coming into Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

We were, and it was quite a rough 2-hour crossing. But when we arrived at Dar es Salaam ferry terminal, it was worse than the chaos in Zanzibar – it was totally shambolic. A few hundred people were trying to get off the ferry, find their luggage and work out where to go, and the area was inundated with touts. Nobody seemed to know what to do.

View from our hotel, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Eventually two porters grabbed us, put us into a ‘holding area’ with a minder, then went to find two suitcases that looked like the photos we showed them. Once found, they took possession, asked the name of our hotel, then took off. So trailing the porters who carried our cases, we walked to the hotel which was, fortunately, nearby. Of course, for each person who helped, there was a tip. Arriving at our hotel, we found our room on the 13th floor giving wonderful views of Dar es Salaam city.

Some of the architectural styles of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

The next morning, we went out walking in the hot 27⁰ C heat. Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s largest city, and its commercial hub and busiest port. Sitting on the coast of the Indian Ocean, it is home to a wide range of people and cultures which is reflected in its architecture, much of which shows the usual rotting plaster facades that we have seen in so many equatorial countries.

People and transport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

We eventually found our way to one of Dar es Salaam’s markets, which was bustling and busy with people and all forms of transport. It was interesting, but not as vibrant as the market in Zanzibar. As the crowd thickened and the day got hotter, we sought the cooling breezes of the waterfront. But that could have been a mistake!

Drug-boat left to rot, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

While travelling, we have learned to politely manage the many touts who descend on tourist. But then we met two guys who were not easily managed, and when they said they were from an artist colony beside the waterfront, we decided to have a look. It turned out to be seedy, below the road level, and beside a littered beach where drug-boats caught by port authorities were left to rot.

Some of the sights seen in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

We bought a small painting and left the area quickly, almost glad to be back on the hot, hot street. To cool off, we had lunch at an air-conditioned restaurant before walking around again. We saw several of Dar es Salaam’s sights including the Azania Front Lutheran Church, more shopping streets, Old Boma statehouse, St Joseph’s Cathedral, and some modern high-rise buildings. One of these, somehow, had laundry hanging on the 15th floor balcony.

Our last night in Dar es Salaam and in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam was our last stop in Tanzania, where we’ve seen some amazing sights, had a fantastic safari, and been through some areas of terrible poverty. Throughout, Tanzanian’s had been friendly, but their touts were more aggressive than those in Kenya and Uganda. It’s now time to move on. Our travels take us next to Malawi, but we’ve written about that in the next blog.

This blog is part of a series on our travels in eastern Africa. The first in this series is called Johannesburg, South Africa.