Getting to Zanzibar

There are 3 ways to get to Zanzibar from the mainland. Oneis to take a flight from either Kilimanjaro Airport after a safari on thenorthern circuit or for a short 10 min hop from Dar es Salaam. Another is to take a ferry at about $40, similar price to flying but takes almost 2 hours leavingfrom downtown Dar es Salaam ferry terminal. Preference over ferry and flying really depends on how much time one has, and whether you want to take in the ocean air and have 2 hours to spare, beware bad weather could mean half the passengers on board throwing up. The third and most authentic way to get toZanzibar is to take a dhow. Be warned, although taking dhows to Zanzibar is aromantic and exhilarating, journey times can vary from a couple of hours tomore than 24 hours! It all depends on the wind conditions, weather and size ofdhow.  Size of dhow does matter-especially if you value your comfort, take a small dhow and you could findyourself not sitting back enjoying the Indian ocean breeze but helping to bailout water for hours at a time! For these reasons, I recommend taking thelargest dhow possible from the shortest crossing point. This is what I did on arecent trip- I took a commercial trading dhow from Kipumbwi Village southof pangani near Tanga on the mainland to Mkokotoni port on the mid section ofZanzibar island. The trip took 5 hours leaving the mainland at about 3am.Getting to Kipumbwi required a handy contact, David, who showed us the busroutes from Tanga and cheap accommodation at the beachside village. From thevillage, on a clear night, you can see across the water, the lights ofstonetown and resorts of the ever popular Nungwi in the north. Once on thedhow at 3am, it was plain sailing, with glowing phosphorescent microbes on thewaves at night and brilliant stars. As the crew decide to rest once the boat set on course, the dhow falls eerily silent like on some ghost ship (ok- so Iwatched pirates of the Caribbean 2 nights before!). The sailing only improves asthe sun begins to rise and you intercept other dhows heading towards themainland, it’s also nice to see dolphins splashing around if you’re lucky. Aswe neared Zanzibar, you cross some reefs and the water turns the turquoisecolor that signal arrival in paradise- one could easily stop the dhow and gofor a quick snorkel! Then before you know it, you arrive at Mkokotoni portwhere you will be ushered into immigration. Don’t be intimidated by the officer lookingfor bribes and claiming that dhow boats are illegal for tourists- they are not,although we took a commercial dhow which is not licensed to carry passengers-our bad, but hey, at least the boat was big enough to give us a smooth ride!Dhow sailing cost was about $30 per person when you include tipping, room at Kipumbwivillage (rock bottom accommodation) and David’s cut.

Stonetown- fun to getlost
Stonetown is  a real cultural andhistorical treat and very tourist friendly. I would claim it to be the most friendlyplace for tourists in East Africa, with enough history and culture to keep youthere for days. You would never guess that if you lost your bag in a bar inAfrica, someone would not steal your belongings and instead place it safekeeping with the bar management, or should you lose your room key (BTW- always keepyour key at hotel front desk), that someone would return it to the to yourhotel! It does not mean you should let your guard down as a tourist, just enjoythe great company and friendly natured people of stonetown. For startersgetting lost on the narrow streets of stonetown is fun and great way todiscover places, you’ll find lots of shopping opportunities for jewelry andcarvings, and bargaining in Swahili is always appreciated and rewarded with greatdiscounts. As the sun begins to set, I recommend walking by the beach near theferry terminal to see kids show off their soccer and  asacrobatic skills in the silhouette light, from here head to the infamous AfricaHouse where one will be treated with an awesome sunset with dhows passing oncue for a great postcard photo opportunity- try the Zanzibari cocktails and asthe night goes on, go for a “shisha” or “Hookah”. The Africa House is a greatmid-high end hotel, but it also a must stop for tourists, particularly formeeting up with other travelers. Another great place  for sundowner drinksand a meal is Mercury’s (in honor of Freddie Mercury who was born in Zanzibar)just near the ferry terminal - they play Queen just a tad too much for myliking.

Dining in Stonetown is just wonderful, go for one of theroof top restaurants, at the time of this writing my personal favorite is EtcPlaza near Africa House in the Shangani area of town. Service in Zanzibar isgenerally slow, but its small price to pay for being in this lovely island-just be relaxed and go for a couple of drinks- avoid exotic items (i.e. stickto meals involving red snapper and kingfish) on the menu for speedier service.On a logistical issue, be sure to stock up on cash in this area at two ATMs,one is the NBC in Shanghani, the other Barclays bank a little way outsideStonetown. This is imperative as there is minimal credit card infrastructure onthe island, and one does not want to be stranded at some beach paradise (e.g. Nungwior east coast) without a means to pay.

Nungwi & Kendwa-paradise on earth + partying
At first, Nungwi was a place that the hardcore backpacker would braveterrible roads and a 2 hour journey to be rewarded with a stunning beach andisolation. How things have changed. Ok, the beach from Nungwi to Kendwa, abouta 3-4 mile stretch on the north tip of Zanzibar, is to die for. Nothingcompares- I have met many travelers around the world who have said that thebeach at Kendwa when you combine its isolation, width, color of water,flour-like sand and stunning sunsets, is simply the best beach in theworld- its mesmerizing. I tell people of this beach back in the west, and theyinstantly label it as yet another beach similar to some place they’ve been inthe Mediterranean- its only when they get to Kendwa, do they realize that this beachis on a different league- the photos do not do it justice.
Nungwi is fast becoming very busy, there is ample development and rooms with agreat Oceanside balcony, café’s are springing up and what was once isolated hasnow become a fast growing tourist beach mecca. One thing about Nungwi, is thatit does have possibly, the best bar in the world! Head to Cholo bar for a lazyafternoon on the hammocks and watch the sunset and enjoy chillout music. Thebar is in the shape of a dhow, there is a motorbike suspended in the palmtrees, a door frame complete with dhow on the beach as an entrance. Enjoy sometuskers, Kilimanjaro lagers, cocktails and even a shisha or hookah. The companyis also amazing, you will meet adventurous travelers of all ages ready to chat anddrink the night away.
Kendwa is further up the beach on the eastern side, you can walk there and ifyou time the tide right,  you’ll getright to the end (don’t attempt late at night)- I like to combine this with abar crawl (I estimate there are some 15 watering holes along this beach),it is a great day trip with good company, be sure to take stops to play pooland of course swim on the gorgeous water. Kendwa is sooo laid back, it’s almosthorizontal, the beach is much wider than at Nungwi, water much cleaner, andatmosphere more relaxed. This does not mean that Kendwa hasn’t got a partyscene, in fact, the full moon party here is one of the best parties of allTanzania. Held at Kendwa Rocks, the party attracts tourists and locals alikeand tries to cater for them all with the music they play. Girls, beware, yesthe Rasta guys are sexy and dance well, but they are known to drug your drinksshould you not be watching. The party goes on till sunrise and is held on thenearest Saturday to the full moon and every Saturday from Summer 2007 at peakseason (July-August).

Nungwi and Kendwa are great places to start diving andsnorkeling from, diving generally costs about $40 per dive. Don’t miss out on$20-30 group half day snorkeling trips with drinks and lunch on the beachincluded. The snorkeling and diving generally heads out to Mnemba Island on thewest of the northern tip of the island. Mnemba is a private 5 start resort roomsestimated at $3000 a night and has been had Bill Gates, Angelina Jolie and TomCruise as guests.