At the beginning of January I was fortunate enough to travel to Zanzibar and see a different part of Africa. I went, along with 3 friends, for a short break to this beautiful island off of the coast of Tanzania and had the most amazing time.
We flew to Zanzibar from Uganda which in itself was an adventure. Our plane journey took us overnight from Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda..then onto Addis Ababa, Ethiopia...then to Dar Es Salam, Tanzania and then...finally to Zanzibar!! It was a drawn out journey travelling north to go south (see map) which seemed very strange (This Is Africa!) and took nearly 24 hours to travel a not very long distance (I won't even mention the 17 hour stop-over we had in the airport in Ethiopia on the way home!). It was however an amazing experience looking out of the plane window at the landscapes of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Zanzibar is known as 'Spice Island' and is an exotic paradise. Whilst away we had an action packed, fun filled holiday with time to rest and relax as well. It was amazing to walk along white sand beaches fringed with coconut palm trees and swim in warm turquoise seas. We stayed in a place called 'Stone Town' which was full of incredible history about the slave trade era, the export of slaves from Africa to other countries and eventually the end of slavery in this area. We wandered through tiny Arabic alleyways and took in the rich mix of fascinating Indian and Arabian culture that surround the small streets. One of the highlights was obviously learning that Zanzibar was the birthplace of Freddie Mercury and seeing his first home!
During our 4 days we were able to enjoy snorkelling among the coral reefs, visiting endangered turtles on Prison Island, relaxing on a beautiful beach, having a tour of the historic town where we were staying, enjoying BBQ seafood from the evening market, experiencing a 'Spice' tour and enjoying a sunset cruise on a Dhow (a traditional Arabian sailing boat).
Zanzibar was beautiful paradise and provided us with a lovely short break. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful beach destinations in Africa, and to have spent time with some wonderful friends recharging our batteries over many hours of fun and laughter.
We flew to Zanzibar from Uganda which in itself was an adventure. Our plane journey took us overnight from Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda..then onto Addis Ababa, Ethiopia...then to Dar Es Salam, Tanzania and then...finally to Zanzibar!! It was a drawn out journey travelling north to go south (see map) which seemed very strange (This Is Africa!) and took nearly 24 hours to travel a not very long distance (I won't even mention the 17 hour stop-over we had in the airport in Ethiopia on the way home!). It was however an amazing experience looking out of the plane window at the landscapes of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
Zanzibar is known as 'Spice Island' and is an exotic paradise. Whilst away we had an action packed, fun filled holiday with time to rest and relax as well. It was amazing to walk along white sand beaches fringed with coconut palm trees and swim in warm turquoise seas. We stayed in a place called 'Stone Town' which was full of incredible history about the slave trade era, the export of slaves from Africa to other countries and eventually the end of slavery in this area. We wandered through tiny Arabic alleyways and took in the rich mix of fascinating Indian and Arabian culture that surround the small streets. One of the highlights was obviously learning that Zanzibar was the birthplace of Freddie Mercury and seeing his first home!
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| A sunset cruise on a 'Dhow' |
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| Prion Island |
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| Locals collecting seaweed from their seaweed farms |
Zanzibar was beautiful paradise and provided us with a lovely short break. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to visit one of the most beautiful beach destinations in Africa, and to have spent time with some wonderful friends recharging our batteries over many hours of fun and laughter.
Dear Katie,
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing your photos of your short break to Zanzibar. I hope you have come back refreshed with your batteries re-charged for the work ahead. Love and hugs Mum x x x