Zanzibar

We then spendt a few nights in Zanzibar, an island off the east coast of Africa and a short1 hour flight from Arusha. We arrived in the late afternoon to a beautiful sunny day. We were met by our guide Suluman and taken to our hotel the Kholle House. We had the pool all to ourselves that night and had a great meal at the Kholle House. The room itself was quite small, but the character of this hotel was something. Princess Kholle had it built in 1860. The building sat dormant for a number of years until it was turned into a boutique hotel about 10 years ago. Really an interesting place.

We were picked up by Suluman the next morning to go on our Safari Blue tour. Suluman left us in the care of the driver as Suluman said he needed to go to the hospital for a checkup. Safari Blue was an all day adventure on the ancient Dhow boats to have fun on the water and enjoy a seafood beach BBQ. It was low tide when we arrived so we had to walk quite a ways out to the boats. Our first stop was Missing Island. It’s called that, because during high tide this huge sand hill is totally covered by the Indian Ocean. It was amazing to see the massive difference between high and low tide. After a little beach time and snacking on some fruit , we were taken to the snorkeling spot. Unfortunately, there wasn’t any snorkeling gear for us. We weren’t sure if Suluman hadn’t paid for our gear rental or if it just didn’t get put on the boat. I made the best of it and went for a little swim and hoped the camera was picking up more than I could see. It was then time to head to the Blue Lagoon. The lagoon looks more green than blue, but I wasn’t the one who named it. The water in the lagoon is super warm. This area is dry during low tide and which allows the rocks to be heated by the sun. Then high tide comes in and quickly warms the water. Then we moved on to one of the islands for our bbq. There was so much food, lobster, chicken, tuna, shrimp, calamari, and octopus. And of course, what good would any tourist activity be without the opportunity to shop. The prices really did seem to be really good and even better once you bargain.

     

We sailed back and our driver took us to the Mitzigani Seafront Hotel where we’d be for the next 2 nights. We stayed in the room called Tippu Tip, named after a very successful slave trader. It was a great room (in spite of being named after such a bad man) with a balcony overlooking the seafront.

The next morning we were again picked up by the driver, Mohammad and taken for a tour of the Jozani forest. This area is a national park that was set aside to protect the endangered Zanzibar Red Colobus monkeys. It was an interesting tour learning about the variety of trees and plants and their uses in herbal remedies. We learned about the monkeys inability to handle sugar and how they will only eat the non-mature fruit. The forest exists on only about 3 feet of soil as the base is coral rock. We also learned the importance of the mangrove area in the development of a healthy environment and in helping to protect against hurricanes.

We were taken back to the hotel and grabbed some lunch as it had started raining again. The rain slowed and so we thought we’d take a walk around the city of Stone Town. Looking conspicuously like tourists, we were approached by a guide to give us a city tour. We made a deal with Mohammed and he gave us a great walking tour of Stone Town. It is called Stone Town because the buildings are made from the coral rock. In the historic section of Stone Town the building’s must continue to use the coral rock for the exterior of the buildings. Zanzibar was also of great significance during the slate trade of the 1800’s. There is an exhibit about East African Slave Trade that is well worth the $5 entrance fee. They have a number of accounts of the suffering that the slaves endured and the countries and people that played significant roles. You also are taken to 2 rooms that have been reconstructed to show where the slaves were housed prior to action upon reaching Zanzibar. We toured the local market and were able to see many of the local spices as well. If you go, don’t pass on a city tour of Stone Town. We found it fascinating.

Our 1 hour flight back to Arusha seemed to take all day. The flight was delayed over an hour because of rain, but we were pretty comfortable hanging out in the airport lounge. Who would have thought that this relatively small island would have an international airport complete with an airport lounge. Upon our return Josh informed us that the missing Suluman had been in the hospital for surgery and not just merely for a checkup as he had told us. One mystery solved.

Our final days in Tanzania, Josh came the next day to pick us up for a traditional choma (grilled meat) of goat. There is literally an entire street of the Morombo market where meat is grilled. It was delicious and 4 of us ate for about 20 bucks. Josh then took us to Lake Duluti. This area is about 20 minutes from Arusha and is great for hiking, camping, and canoeing. The lake is estimated to be about 700 meters deep and is a crater lake formed by Mount Meru. We were given a guided boat tour of the lake and the ranger pointed out many birds and described their habits. The lake also offers views of both Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, our view of Kilimanjaro was covered by clouds that day, but it was a relaxing way to spend a few hours before our flight. We had a late night flight to Dubai where we’d spend a few days.

We said goodbye to Tanzania and our new friend Josh and Joica Tours. We really miss the whole crew there.