Zanzibar: The Lighter Side

tim-beck (58)in #travel • 6 years ago

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I wrote a post yesterday, Zanzibar: The Darker Side, which dealt with the island's unpleasant history. But of course, there a lot more to Zanzibar than a dark past.

What to expect in Zanzibar

Zanzibar is known for its exquisite beaches, fabulous resorts, perfect diving conditions and great food. Apart from that, it's an interesting place to visit and explore.

Zanzibar is an island 37 km off mainland Tanzania. Politically it's part of Tanzania but in virtually all aspects - such as food, culture and religion - it is different. It has come under the influence of may foreign cultures over the centuries, and it shows to this day.

Unlike the rest of the country, Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim. This doesn't mean there are strict rules of behaviour: drinking and wearing beach gear is legal and acceptable although, as always when visiting foreign countries, the local culture must be respected and these should be done appropriately. So staggering drunkenly through the streets of Stonetown wearing a bikini is not on.

Getting there is usually via the Tanzanian capital, Dar Es Salaam, and then either by plane or fast-boat ferry. Once there, you need to reset your watch to Swahili time which has got more to do with the position of the sun than the actual time. And everything moves slowly, pole pole as they say in Swahili. Time to relax.

Resorts

Zanzibar boasts many world-class luxury beach resorts. This stands in stark contrast to how the majority of the population live - on an average of $1- a day.

But most budgets are catered for. At the top end, resorts such as the Zanzibar White Sand Luxury Villas & Spa start at just under US$400- per day (couple), providing better value than some of the other pricey resorts.

In the more affordable range, The Sands Beach Resort Zanzibar is good value starting at about US$180- per day (couple).

And the lower end is well-catered for too. Such as Filao Beach Zanzibar which could set you back less than US$100- per day (couple).

Food

With its tragic history of being a trading hub with many different rulers, Zanzibar certainly has one of Africa's most interesting cuisines. Spice is the central theme - being a Spice Island. The Indian, Arab, Chinese, Portuguese and African cooking traditions make it the original fusion food.

Stonetown has many good restaurants, but street food is a great way of experiencing the range of food available.

Diving

Zanzibar has a reputation of having some of the best dive sites in the world. It has some amazing underwater landscapes and is rich in marine creatures. Underwater visibility of up to 60m makes it a diver's dream.