TANZANIA (DAR ES SALAAM, ZANZIBAR)

OVERVIEW

• When: 26 December, 2023 – 1 January, 2024
• Where (accommodations): Dar es Salaam: Sea Cliff Hotel; Zanzibar: Zoi Boutique Hotel
• Transportation: Mombasa, Kenya to Dar es Salaam (MBA-DAR) on Flightlink flight. Azam Marine Ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar. Emirates airlines from Zanzibar to Boston (via Dubai)
• Sights/attractions: Dar es Salaam: St Joseph Cathedral, Azania Front Lutheran Church, Fish Market, National Museum of Tanzania, Kariakoo Market, Slipway Market; Zanzibar: Stone Town (The Old Fort, Freddy Mercury House, Jaws Corner, Shree Shiv Shakti Temple, Darjani Souk, Former Slave Market Site, Mrembo Spa, Abeid Curio shop, St Joseph Cathedral), Big Body With Tatata Spice Farm, Matemwe Beach, Mnemba Island tour, Nungwi Beach
• Food/drinks: Dar es Salaam: Karambezi Cafe, Akemi Revolving Restaurant, Levant Restaurant; Zanzibar: Zanzibar Coffee House, Zanzibar Sunrise at Bandas, Secret Garden at Emerson Spice restaurant, Night Food Market, Cape Town Fish Market Restaurant, The Corner Zanzibar, Kendwa Rocks, The Rock Restaurant

Fourth and last country on our wild African trip! Rwanda and Uganda was a super fast adventure, while Kenya absolutely blew our minds. Time to see what Tanzania has to offer! Even on the last week we could not stay still and relax in one place. We always try to end our trip on the beach, so it was a no brainer to greet the New Year 2024 in Zanzibar. But, since we just enjoyed a few beach days in Kenya, we decided to check out Dar es Salaam for some city time.

From Diani Beach, Kenya we got a hotel driver to take us to Mombasa. It was an easy 2hr ride and a short ferry crossing (in the car). The ferry was an interesting experience. First all the cars go on the ferry, then they allow passengers on foot.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many people board a ferry. They just kept coming, and coming- all the space in between the cars was filled up with people. The driver said that it’s now controlled, they know the limit that is allowed to go on. That is because at one point the ferry was sinking due to the overload! It was only about 10 min ferry ride, but it goes when it’s full, not on a strict schedule, so have a little extra time for the airport, in case you have to wait. Another option was to fly from Ukunda- the airport that is super close to Diani Beach, but then we would’ve had to go to Nairobi first, then change airports for another flight- it seemed like way too much hassle.

Flightlink airline even provided snacks on the short flight- I am always amazed at the foreign airlines service compared to the USA ones. You’d be crossing the whole country on a domestic airline in America and might get a bag of chips or cookies if you’re lucky. Regardless that it’s a 5+ hour flight. While here it’s less than an hour and we are served ice cream and a granola bar!

We actually didn’t know that the flight will be going through Zanzibar- we didn’t have to leave the plane, only those that had Zanzibar as a destination disembarked, a few people boarded, and we took off to Dar es Salaam. We got to see the island from the air, which was pretty cool- a few days later we will go to Zanzibar on a ferry, so it was nice to get both experiences.

Tanzania is not part of the East Africa visa program, so we got our e-visas online in advance and it was an easy process. Approval letter took a bit longer, I think it was around 3-4 business days. All was done through this website here. Going through customs was a breeze, we had no issues whatsoever.

DAR ES SALAAM

Dar es Salaam is largest city and financial hub of Tanzania, however it’s not the capital of the country as I initially thought (the capital is Dodoma). Dar es Salaam is a port city on the Indian Ocean and home to over 6 million people. Our friend Allen helped us pick the hotel and we were very happy with the area and the accommodations.

Sea Cliff Hotel

Located on the cliff, equipped with a warm pool and several restaurants in the vicinity, this hotel provided us with a very comfortable two nights stay in Dar es Salaam.

We arrived late in the afternoon, but were still able to take a dip in the pool before it closed for the evening.

We were tired after all day travel, so for dinner went to Karambezi Cafe, which was recommended by the hotel staff. It was excellent!

Fresh fish, delicious meat and one of the best chocolate lava cakes we’ve had in a long time! I still drool thinking about it.

Azam Marine Ferry

We only had one full day in Dar, so we started it with a strong breakfast at the hotel and took an Uber tuk-tuk to the Azam Marine Ferry office to buy our tickets to Zanzibar for the following morning.

There are several ferry lines that go from Dar to Zanzibar island, but based on the online reviews Azam Marine is the best one. We tried buying the tickets online in advance with no luck. Each time I was getting the payment issue error, despite trying a few different cards.

First of all, I have to say, it’s a bit of a mayhem near the ferry office building. As soon as we got out of the tuk-tuk, several people tried to ‘sell tickets’ right on the street. I read about this, so we were firm right away- ‘thank you, but no thank you’ and walked into the building as fast as we could. However, when it was our turn to buy the tickets, and we decided on the VIP ones, their ‘credit card machine just stopped working’ and the payment needed to be done in cash. It makes complete sense now why we could not get the tickets online- based on talking to other people, who came with cash already, it looks like the machine never works. We didn’t have that much cash on us for the VIP class, so booked a regular $30 pp ticket. Turns out the broken machine saved us $60 bucks. The tickets we got were completely fine, we sat outside and were super comfortable. I’ll talk more about it later, but bottom line- don’t waste the money on the VIP class.

Dar sights

We did not have a huge list of things to see and do, but since we were right there, we walked by the St Joseph Cathedral and went into Azania Front Lutheran Church because it was open.

Our next stop, which we walked to was the Fish Market.

I am 100% sure you can skip this ‘attraction’.

There is not much worse that the fish stench on a hot and humid day. Fish laying in the sun, some being gutted right there on the floor, it’s absolutely disgusting and we lasted about 5 minutes. Some vendors tried to sell us the fish and we were like deer in the headlights backing out of there, hoping to not see our breakfast. I don’t know what I expected, but it was not a market we needed to go. Obviously we won’t buy or cook the fish, so I guess it was more for the ‘experience’.

Well, that was a short visit, we have more time left in the day than we thought. Next was National Museum of Tanzania. We also walked there (besides being hot, it was nice to walk and feel safe everywhere).

There were very few people in the museum and we learned some history, plus got to cool off from the heat.

Just like in Nairobi, there is a Memorial for the August 7th terrorist attack (there were simultaneous attacks on the US Embassies in Nairobi as well as Dar es Salaam).

It was an OK visit, but not one of my favorite museums by far.

For lunch we went to Akemi Revolving Restaurant and we really enjoyed it. Nice view of the city, good food and even a delicious espresso martini!

One more market we read about online and decided to visit was Kariakoo Market, which was not within walking distance, so we got another tuk-tuk. There are regular Ubers by the way, but the reason we went with the small tuk-tuks was their mobility. If the options are to sit in the air conditioned car, but be stuck in a traffic jam, or zoom by in a little tuk-tuk, we preferred the latter.

Kariakoo Market was interesting. Not in the best way though. It’s a local market and we felt like we were the only tourists there. From what we saw, it was mainly food products, so we weren’t buying anything, but when I wanted to take some photos, we got yelled at. Previously in the day we noticed that people carrying items on their heads said ‘no photo’, which we respected. But when I am taking a picture of a bag of spices or the counter full of vegetables and I am being yelled at- that’s not very pleasant. I don’t know why it was such hostility, but we decided it’s not worth our time. We were hot, tired and felt unwelcome, so we grabbed another tuk-tuk and went back to the hotel for some relaxing pool time.

Since it was our last day here and I wanted to do some shopping, we decided to go to Slipway Shopping Center, which was a completely different experience! Located in the waterfront area, this outdoor mall was clean, charming and welcoming. There are some cute stores and boutiques, a few jewelry stores that sell tanzanite- blue/violet color gemstone from Tanzania. And a good gelato!

I think our favorite was this charming boutique with a kitty in it, I can’t recall the name, but the mall is is not that big, it should be easy to find it!

For our last dinner in Dar es Salaam we went to Levant Restaurant– amazing food, great service, perfect end to our short trip in Dar!

ZANZIBAR

Last destination on our trip- semi autonomous region, 25-50km off the coast of African mainland- Zanzibar! There are many small islands and two main ones- Unguja (commonly referred as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City and its historic center is Stone Town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since the year 2000.

We got to Zanzibar on a 2hr Azam Marine ferry. 7.30am departure was a great idea- we sat outside, it was not too hot yet, enjoyed the breeze and the views. I was glad our attempt to purchase VIP seats did not work out, because sitting inside in the cold air conditioner was not appealing. I am sure if you take a later ferry, it would be the only way to not sunburn/overheat. The ocean was very calm, I was reading my Kindle part of the journey and I can’t do that in the car or I’d get car sick. That tells you how smooth the ferry ride was! One thing to note, when you arrive in the port, you still need to go through Zanzibar customs. We quickly filled out the forms and got our passports stamped. It was a little hectic, but manageable. If you got a driver, know that they may have to meet you outside the gate for pickup.

Stone Town

Since the ferry arrives to the Stone Town, we booked a walking tour before heading to our hotel on the beach which is on the opposite side of the island. It was only a couple hours, but the guide was informative and I feel like the money and time were well spent. We arranged it through our hotel- they provided a driver who met us at the port, then brought us to the guide and, when the tour was over, picked us up for the next destination.

We started the walk at the Old Port, went through the Old Fort and into the maze of the charming old town streets. The guide pointed to several different types of doors- each with their own meaning and significance.

The shape, size, style and decorations on the door would represent whether the person was rich or poor, if the style was Omani Arabic, Gujarati Indian, Swahili, or have Islamic writing.

With the guide we only passed by the Freddy Mercury House, but we came back to Stone Town a few days later and fully explored the house/museum on our own.

I love Queen and had no idea that Farrokh Bulsara (Freddy Mercury) was born in Zanzibar and spent summers on this island. It’s a well made museum, it does not take long to see it all, definitely worth it while in Stone Town.

Stone Town is a melting pot of religions and places of worship. St Joseph’s Cathedral, a mosque near by, Shree Shiv Shakti Indian Temple– all within a short distance from one another and it’s beautiful to witness.

We loved just walking around the maze of the streets, especially when we came back without a guide and had more time to just soak it in.

It is predominantly Muslim population, so for exploring Stone Town I’d recommend a bit longer clothes. It was very hot, but my short dress felt too revealing, so I tied my shirt to add some coverage on the bare legs. Nobody said anything, there were a lot of tourists, but it felt more appropriate and less standing out that way.

There are numerous souvenir shops, art vendors and curio shops all around Stone Town. Mrembo Spa and Abeid Curio shop are worth mentioning. The spa sells locally made body oils, creams and soaps and a few things I bought smell delicious! Every time I put some of the oil on my wrists it brings me back to Zanzibar.

To see a local market we went to Darjani Souk– it was a quick visit since we were with the guide and short on time. It was a lot nicer than the one in Dar es Salaam and nobody complained about taking photos.

We also passed by the Former Slave Market Site, but due to the time constraints and it being a very hot day we didn’t explore it more.

You cannot go hungry in Stone Town. Restaurants and coffee shops are everywhere. With the guide we went to the Zanzibar Coffee House and had a delicious coffee and sweet snacks.

When we came to Stone Town on our own, we had lunch at the Secret Garden at Emerson Spice restaurant. It has a beautiful inner yard and the food was very tasty! However, service (as we noticed several times in Tanzania) was a bit interesting. We ordered food, server brought completely wrong meal for me (still tasted good, but not even close of what I ordered) and when I asked her about it, I was told that “the kitchen is closed,” and they cannot make the correct order.

It was 3pm, she suggested to ‘come back for dinner’ and was about to take the wrong dish away (without being able to make the correct one). I of course ate it since I was hungry, and it was delicious, but it was definitely strange to hear- there is nothing we can do. Not even ‘sorry’ 🙂 .

If you are in Stone Town during the early morning or around 6pm in the evening- make sure to stop by the Jaws Corner. It’s a place where locals gather to have coffee, socialize, watch TV and play games.

This old man sets up his coffee station and I of course had to try a cup. In all honesty it was not a very tasty coffee, but I had to try it for the experience. We sat there for a bit, Sean watched soccer with the locals- it was a moment being part of their daily life.

Another place to visit if you are in Stone Town in the evening- their daily Night Food Market! We were told it starts at 7pm and is right near the port. Lots of vendors, grilling, cooking, variety of meats and fish and a LOT of people.

We really liked ‘Zanzibar pizza’- the dish with veggies, egg and meat inside the thin dough. It was so good that we came back to the same vendor for the second one. Bring cash for this- they don’t take payment by card.

If the tide is high around sunset, Cape Town Fish Market Restaurant is a fun place to have a drink (or dessert in our case) and watch the local kids jump off the sea wall into the ocean. They were doing flips and crazy jumps and this restaurant has a perfect view for it.

We loved Stone Town and were very glad we came back for the half day/evening, even though it was almost an hour drive from our hotel.

Big Body With Tatata Spice Farm

One of the main industries in Zanzibar are spices-islands produce nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, black pepper. That’s why Zanzibar Archipelago is often referred as ‘Spice Islands’. It would be a shame to come to Zanzibar and not visit a spice farm!

After our tour in Stone Town, our driver brought us to Big Body With Tatata Spice Farm, which was on the way to the hotel, so a very convenient stop. People working there are for sure pros at what they do. While we were getting all kinds of info about the spices and demonstrations on various plants/seeds, the other guide was making us crowns, rings and necklaces out of the palm leaves. I am still baffled how he guessed our finger sizes. Both Sean’s and mine rings were perfectly fitting without any prior measurements!

They climbed the palm tree, there was some singing, and selling spices and perfumed oils- we were very impressed with the experience and would absolutely recommend this farm for a visit while in Zanzibar!

Zoi Boutique Hotel

From the ferry, to Stone Town, to the Spice Farm and finally we made it to the beach! Four nights to relax, swim and celebrate the New Year before returning back to cold Boston.

We made our hotel reservations early- in April to be exact, because we knew Zanzibar can get busy for the holiday season. It was originally Nest Boutique hotel on a different beach. In September, we received an email stating that there was a fire at the hotel and that our booking is now canceled. We looked online and indeed- there was a fire IN JULY that started at the Nest kitchen and spread to nearby hotels damaging several properties. Why we were not informed right away is beyond me, but three months before New Year is not ideal time to look for a hotel on the beach.

Luckily we found Zoi Boutique hotel located on the gorgeous and quiet Matemwe beach.

We booked the ocean front room with a private plunge pool and that was the best decision. The main two pools did not have many chairs and some people would grab them early in the morning, so having our own private lounge area was amazing.

Breakfast was included in our stay and we enjoyed it every morning. We also had one dinner and one lunch, which was not as expected, so we found amazing place a few min walk on the beach and kept having our lunches and dinners there.

As I mentioned earlier, Tanzania’s service has room for improvement. Especially coming from Kenya where everything was so perfect, here we sometimes felt like we were an inconvenience. An example of this occurred at our last lunch in our otherwise amazing hotel. We sat down at 2.15pm (have only had breakfast at 8 in the morning). Our order was taken 30 min later. By then there were no other tables eating and we were starving. It took us 3 times asking and almost begging to give us SOMETHING. Not even tea or salad were brought to us for almost 1.5 hours!

Some food arrived cold, as if it was ready, but was sitting there waiting for the rest of the order to be done. I was hangry and almost sick from low blood sugar and we expressed our frustration to the staff, who didn’t seem to care much. The server later apologized and the manager came to our room in the evening to apologize, but the magic just wasn’t there anymore. As we were walking the beach one evening, we saw the sign for live music/dinner at Zanzibar Sunrise at Bandas and decided to try it out.

Not only was the service amazing, but the food was way better than at our hotel too! We came back several times and it was always same great experience.

I guess the super slow service in Zoi Boutique did us a favor- we would’ve not found this place if the food had arrived faster on that last lunch.

I don’t want to say that we didn’t enjoy the hotel-we did. We had massages too, they were not as good as in Kenya, spa was very small, just a massage table really, but it was not bad. Our room I definitely loved. However, there is no AC and it was around 90F (30+C) and high humidity. We even got a third fan to keep the air moving at night, but I have never sweated as much in my life as those four nights in Zanzibar. It was a bit draining to be completely honest. I don’t know if other hotels have air conditioner or if fans is typical, but check that before booking if it’s important to you.

Matemwe Beach and Mnemba Island tour

We really REALLY liked the beach in front of our hotel. Especially the super soft and white sand, which didn’t get hot even on a hottest day somehow.

The water was warm like a hot bath. You would step in and feel warmer than outside, which I didn’t know was even possible. This side of the island is subject to big tides- some times of the day the water was close to the hotel, while during low tide it would recede far away. There are some sea urchins, so walking far out I’d wear water shoes. We saw many people walking way way out! The nice thing was that even during low tide there was no fishy smell despite some rocks getting exposed. It was also empty and quiet, even during the busy time of the year! We were both very glad we chose this side as oppose to some crowded beaches on the island.

Since we are on the water, we wanted to do at least one snorkeling excursion and we heard than it’s good coral around Mnemba Island. So we booked a tour through the hotel leaving early in the morning. It was only us on the boat and we had a good time.

The boat ride along the coast allowed us to get a different perspective of the island, there was fresh fruit and all snorkeling equipment, though they did not have a large selection of fins and all of the ones they had were too small for Sean.

Snorkeling was good, I’d say above average. A lot of colorful fish, some healthy coral. However if Zanzibar continues the way it is now, who knows how long their beautiful nature will last. It was crowded. Too many boats in one place. Too many people.

We asked to stop near the sandbar closer to Mnemba Island (we saw only one boat with two people there) and the guys gave us pushback. They said there is a fee, someone will come and charge us etc. We insisted that we want to go there anyway and finally they agreed.

It was peaceful and super nice. Nobody came to ‘charge us’. Up until now we don’t know if that was a real fear or if they just didn’t want to stop near this area for whatever reason. I am glad we insisted though.

Afterwards they took us to another sandbar- this one had a lot of boats and people. It was still nice, don’t get me wrong, but I do prefer more of a nature than touristy sandbar personally.

The captain also brought me the beer and said- here, I got you a beer! I was -thanks, this is perfect! Thinking it’s part of the tour. As we are about to board the boat, he tells me- you have to pay for the beer! The guy over there needs his money! It was almost $10 USD, not cheap for Tanzania. It was obviously nice to enjoy it, but I’d appreciated if he had told me up front and didn’t make it sound like it was part of the excursion.

On the way back the tide was coming out, so Sean had to help push the boat over the rocks- it was a fun excursion at the end, but also I think we could have gotten a lot better deal from the people selling tours on the beach. Hotel tours as well as the drivers were for sure overpriced.

Perfect example was the drive to Stone Town. Hotel quoted us $100 USD. While walking the beach we met the guy who was offering tours, so I asked- do you do drives? Yes, he does! How much is to Stone Town? $60! We did not even negotiate, agreed on the spot and he was our driver for the next 3 days – Stone Town, Nungwi Beach, Kendra Rocks for New Year, Rock Restaurant (1.5 hours each way) and the drive to the airport. We relied that he would show up and he did! If you need a driver- Haji from Mermaid Tours Zanzibar is your guy! WhatsApp him on +255 778 745 220 and hopefully he’s still around!

There is one excursion I do not recommend. At least not near Matemwe Beach, because I don’t know how it’s done in the other areas of Zanzibar. That is dolphin tour. We talked to a family staying at our hotel, who said they went on a very early tour and were the only boat there/were able to swim with the dolphins. Sean found the same guy on the beach, booked the tour and we got up before sunrise for it.

These views were the only good thing out of this excursion though. We went to the area where the dolphins were and so were about 25 other boats! It was a total disgrace. Boats were revving their engines and CHASING after a pod of dolphins, while a few brave people were in the water trying to swim. We were saddened and mad that this was allowed. There was no respect for nature and we wanted no part of it. Besides it not being safe in the water with so many boat engines, we felt terrible for the dolphins being chased like this. We told our guy to go back to the hotel as soon as possible. At least we got a gorgeous sunrise on the last day of 2023, so it was not a waste of the early wake up.

Nungwi Beach

Since our side of the island was very quiet and there were no parties happening for New Year’s Eve, we asked around and found out that the best place for it is at Kendwa Rocks, which was around 20 min drive from our hotel. Another 15 min north from there is Nungwi Beach, which we have not been to yet. We decided to get ready for New Year’s, check out this side of the island, have dinner, and then head to the party.

I brought a shiny (and synthetic) dress for New Years. Zanzibar’s weather had other plans. It was SO hot and humid that there was no possible way I would be suffering in a tight dress that’s not made from a breathable fabric. So I put a linen dress on and it was the best choice! The little bead purse I got in Slipway mall in Dar es Salaam matched the color perfectly and I was ready for New Year’s : ) !

We made it to the Nungwi Beach right before sunset and realized just how much more busy this side of the island really is! The view below was from Rooftop Bar at the Z Hotel.

The water is gorgeous and we loved the fact that we got to see the sunrise AND the sunset on the last day of the year, but we also appreciated even more our quiet Matemwe Beach area. I do believe that this end of the island does not experience drastic tides, but for sure it’s a lot busier.

For dinner we went to The Corner Zanzibar– a super cute place that was somehow not overly busy even on the 31st of December, a few hours before midnight.

It was absolutely delightful!

Happy New Year!

We met up with our driver and now we are ready to party at Kendwa Rocks! Haji said it’s a fun party, but he is not going in because it’s too expensive for him. Entrance was around $15 USD pp. We got him a ticket, told him to not have too much fun because we still need a ride to the hotel and to meet up at the entrance at 12.30am.

It was definitely a fun party on the beach! Good music, a bit hard to get a drink at a busy bar, but we met a nice couple from South Africa that let us sit at their table and had a great conversation.

At midnight there were excellent fireworks and the fire show- given that half the island houses are made out of wood, maybe that was not the best idea, but we totally enjoyed it!

Our driver was waiting for us at the agreed time and was happy to enjoy the party, while we were once again appreciating the fact that he could’ve been drinking or dancing the night away and not responsibly waiting for us. It’s pretty amazing how reliable some people are, or maybe we were just lucky!

The Rock Restaurant

On our last day (and first day of 2024), instead of relaxing by the pool before almost 24 hours travel back, we decided to go to one of the most famous restaurants in Zanzibar- The Rock Restaurant. Who cares that it’s 1.5 hr drive each way, right? I could not leave the island without visiting and had lunch booked well in advance- do that, it’s not available a day or two prior typically.

What’s so special about this restaurant you might say? Well, it is built on a rock! And depending on the tide, it’s either a walk, or a boat ride to reach it! When we came it was low tide, so we didn’t see it surrounded by water, but the high tide was not for another 8 hours, so waiting was not an option. Either way, it was a very cool place to see and a very nice lunch on our last day in Zanzibar!

Meals were creative and delicious, we spent the whole two hours allocated for the reservation and were definitely glad that we came!

Since our flight was not until almost 11pm, we still had time to relax at the hotel, have one more dinner at our beloved Zunzibar Sunrise and finally our driver took us to the airport. It was a busy drive, lots of traffic, we barely made it for boarding, but all worked out and we got home safe and sound!

CONCLUSION

Happy 2024! Hakuna Matata! This is, by the way, not a made up saying from the Lion King movie. It means ‘No worries’ in Swahili and was used often in Tanzania. Along with Jumbo (Hello) , Karibu (Welcome) and Asanti (Thank you). Everyone knew English, but these phrases were in our daily vocabulary and were received very well.

It was an amazing, super busy trip. Tanzania left us with mixed emotions. We absolutely loved Kenya, so we couldn’t help, but compare.There were instances where Tanzania came a bit short. Service for sure was one of them. We didn’t feel as welcome in this country as in Kenya, but also never felt unsafe. We didn’t like how Zanzibar is not protecting it’s nature and chasing dolphins daily is a normal behavior.

We DID love the beaches. For sure Zanzibar has one of the most amazing beaches in the world. There was no trash that we saw of, which is always a huge positive for any country. The food was great too, but the weather at least in December was slightly too hot. Either way, we are super grateful for the successful trip and every single experience that came with it.