A guide to Zanzibar for first-time travellers

Bendy palms crowning the shore, proudly hanging over the perfect strips of white-sand beaches and turquoise water. This heavenly image is inviting, especially if you live is greyish winter destination. Zanzibar is a place for sun lovers, so if you fit this category, make sure to put it on your bucket list.

Practical stuff for your first time in Zanzibar

Money- credit cards are accepted in most bigger establishments, however a 5% fee is added to all payments. Dollars are widely accepted as well as Euros, but I’d recommend withdrawing some local currency as the prices slightly drop when you pay in Taanzanian shillings.

Safety- Zanzibar seems to be a rather safe place and as a solo female traveller, I felt very comfortable everywhere even after sunste. Yet, I always use common sense and precustions like anywhere else I travelled to.

Plugs- type G sockets are common in Zanzibar. Some better hotels have adaptors available or outlets suitable for European and British plugs. I usually bring my own just in case none are available.

Water- tap water is suitable for drinking, but the locals discourage foreigners to do so as the water is heavy on chlorine.

Visa– you can apply for a tourist visa online or get it at the airport on arrival. I’d strongly recommend acquiring it before the trip as it’ll save you a lot of waiting time. The airport is small but chaotic and having the visa speeds up the process. Here’s the link to the website where you can apply for your visa. Be aware, that there are quite a few fake websites that seem official. I almost applied for a visa with a fee of 100$ while the official price is 50$.
Insurance– I never skip this part

Getting to Zanzibar and around

Zanzibar is quite well connected with Europe and the Middle East. I flew with Qatar Airways, but I always recommend comparing different airlines for prices and schedules with Skyscanner.

There are a few options of transportation on the island, a taxi being the easiest (but pricey). A single trip of 1-hour costs around $50, so you might want to opt for renting a car instead.

Other options include dalla-dalla (an open type of truck with seats) and boda-boda (motorbike taxi). These are cheap, but figuring out the timetable of regular lines seems to be a mystery (that’s why I opted for taxis and tours instead this time).

Where to stay

Planning an accommodation in Zanzibar starts with choosing what area you want to stay in and it might depend on your beach preferences. I spent hours (literally…I wish someone summarized briefly what to expect from different areas of the island) researching what beach to stay at. The north and west of the island have less drastic tides making the beach available to enjoy throughout the day. This is also where amazing sunsets happen. It is also more tourist and busy with shops and restaurants. If that’s what you’re looking for, Nungwi and Kendwa are for you.

The east coast is more affected by the tides, making the beach at times totally covered by water or the sea escaping really far. In this area, you need water shoes. I have been using these for a few years now and are great. The east coast is less crowded but has a few beaches to choose from. I visited a few and stayed 4-5 days at two of them: Kiwengwa and Jambiani. Kiwengwa is beautiful with great hotels, lots of craft shops and locals selling things, it is also more expensive (by 30% I would guess) than Jambiani. Matemwe (near Kiwengwa) is also quite beautiful. Jamibiani, on the other hand, is quieter and gives a great opportunity to observe local life, fishermen coming back with their catch and Zanzibari people enjoying their life. Paje, near Jambiani, is a kitesurfing hub, but I didn’t really like it that much.

Nice hotels I found for my stay:

Mvuvi Boutique Hotel– located in Kiwengwa. I stayed there for 5 days and loved how peaceful it was.
The Loop Reach resort– very vibrant hotel with a young atmosphere. I loved getting out of my room straight into the sandy beach.

Check them out, but feel free to use Booking.com to look for other options, as there are plenty of amazing hotels in Zanzibar.

Learn a few words in Swahili

The locals enjoy chatting with tourists. They also love telling about their country, places to see, language and traditions. I spent hours jibber-jabbering with kids, women selling hand-made jewellery and Masaai men coming to Zanzibar for an economic boost. They all wanted to teach me a word or two in Swahili and a little girl, Mariam, gave me the whole number lesson, so I left the island with a few basics. And I loved it! Learning languages is one of my favourite thongs in the world, so here’s what I’ve learned and I’d say can give you a quick immersion into the local life.

jambo- hello
karibu- welcome
asante (sana)- thank you (very much)
hakuna matata- no problem
pula- to eat
polepole- slowly
kwaheri- goodbye
tafadhali- please
habari gani- how are you?
nafurahi kukuona- nice to meet you

baadaye- later

What to see and do in Zanzibar – my picks

Snorkelling and diving

Zanzibar is an excellent location for marine life lovers. I do not dive, but snorkelling will give you an abundance of memories. I managed to go only on one snorkelling trip, my GoPro died, probably at the very beginning, and I came back with zero photos or videos, but it doesn’t really matter- I loved every moment of it so much, that I put all my attention to being fully present and notice every underwater creature. I went on this tour with One Ocean diving centre and it was a great choice. They use traditional dhow and groups consist of snorkellers and divers, so it’s a fun experience. What I liked most about them is that they divide you into very small groups (2-3 people) and you have a guide with you the whole time.

Shop for crafts

In Kiwengwa beach you can find many small shops full of crafts and arts made by the local people and Maasai, who come to Zanzibar to earn some money and boost their economic wellbeing. You will quickly realize that you cannot be alone for a moment and dozens of vendors will try to sell you something. Unlike in many other places I travelled to, people in Zanzibar are extremely friendly and while they want to do some business, they also want you to feel welcome. It’s true that I was invited possibly into 50 shops, which at times was tiring, but I also had some great conversations with the locals.

Michael (on the right), sells his handmade jewellery and wooden crafts in Kiwengwa beach. He made for my niece a beautiful bracelet exactly how I wanted it to be. Paulo (not in pictures), who is based in Jambiani, made for me a set of jewellery that I have been looking for for a long time in shops elsewhere and could not find. He put a lot of effort into finding the exact pieces for me. Whenever you buy anything from them they are very grateful for the support. If you don’t buy anything, they give you a big smile and wish you a lovely day. That’s exactly how Zanzibar is written in my memory.

So when you find your way to Zanzibar, look for these guys and, if you can, get yourself a little souvenir. The guys below are all based in Kiwengwa near Mvuvi hotel, in case you’d like a trusted source.

Visit Jozani forest

Visiting forests and jungles always make me excited. I mainly went there to see the monkeys, but quickly realized that you don’t need to enter the park at all to them. It was a bit disappointing, so if you are not sure whether to go or not and the only reason is the monkeys, I’d recommend not going but stopping at the roadside to see them. However, the forest itself is quite nice and you can learn a lot about mangroves and other plants.

Play football with the locals

Every evening the locals gather at the beach to play football and many eager foreigners join them. It is a really pleasant image of pure, raw fun that reminds me of problems-free childhood play. As everywhere in Zanzibar, everyone is welcome to join.

Visit the local village

People in Zanzibar are really friendly and curious. They ask lots of questions, sometimes too private for my liking, but they also enjoy talking about themselves. A few times kids demanded to take a photo with me or asked me to take photos of them. And this little group in the photo below asked for presents. They wanted pencils, books and colours (read: crayons), so they could draw. After getting a bunch of school materials, every day they would run to show me their drawings, really proud and happy with their final art.

Visit the spice farm

If you’ve been on my blog before, you might already know that I love food, so visiting a spice farm seemed obvious. Going to the spice farm was one of my favourite activities in Zanzibar )apart from the obvious beach and snorkelling, that is). When we got to the farm, Mohammed, who works there and Ramadan showed me so many different spices that are grown on the island and explained in detail how various spices grow.

I hired Ramadan, a local guide from Zanzibar Home Taxi and Tours to show me around. I’d like to mention him here as I had a wonderful time being guided by him. He is knowledgeable and really cared about me enjoying the tours. If you are not sure what company to use for tours leaving from Stone Town, Ramadan is your guy (this is in no way sponsored).

Stone Town city tour

You can visit the city on your own, however, I’d highly recommend hiring a local guide. The old town is a maze and full of the history of Arab and Indian heritage. Zanzibar was also a hub of slavery markets and I think it’s really important to learn as much as you can. Hiring sometime to show you around and speak about it it’s quite impactful.

Top tip

Stone Town is like stepping into chaos in the middle of paradise. I stayed there my last two nights and I I’d recommend is (if you opt for staying overnight or two in Stone Town) to make it your first stop before heading to the beautiful beaches of Zanzibar, so your last memory is an image of palms swaying over white sand beach instead of cramped streets of a an old it.

Visit the Rock restaurant

Visiting The Rock was an addition to my other trip that day and I must be frank here with you: I am glad it was only a little stop of no more than thirty minutes. A few local people mentioned that the restaurant itself is not worth dining in and that there is a much nicer restaurant just in front. I cannot judge the food as I wasn’t really interested to eat there. The beach was not very inviting either, but the restaurant makes it a nice postcard image.

Take a boat ride to Prison island

Ramadan organize my tour by hiring a boat just for me, which allowed me to see the island at my own pace, without any rush. Honestly, this excursion was not a highlight of my trip, but it’s an interesting one if you have some spare time, want to see an abandoned prison building (educational part of the slavery history of Zanzibar) and meet giant tortoises (and some other lovely creatures). We did a little search of Zanzibar deer that Ramadan skillfully spotted for me. I think it would be also a lovely activity for families.

Visit a seaweed farm

I love seaweed, so it was only natural that I wanted to visit a seaweed farm. I loved this part of my trip, although quite brief. It’s a nice short excursion, lesson-like, to see how seaweed is grown on farms, what types are cultivated in Zanzibar and what they are for.

BOOK A TRIP TO SEAWEED FARM

Stargazing

A sky generously dotted with sparkling stars is a rarity and a real treat these days. Without much light pollution, Zanzibar offers the most amazing sky (million shades of blue during the day, full of stars at night).

Long beach walks

I love long stripes of a beach and Zanzibar has plenty of options. Unlike Maldives or Greek islands, Zanzibar is a treat for someone, who enjoys long walks at the beach. The east coast is filled with a white-sand coastline, where you can walk for a couple of hours (just mind the tides).

Mindful moment

Zanzibar is a perfect place to practice mindfulness in a very simple way. These are two of my favourite ways that I added to my every day while in Zanzibar:

Grounding through mindful walking. Walk barefoot on soft sand paying close attention to the way your feet touch and feel the powdery sand with occasional shells or seaweed. Do not rush and try to notice all the sensations on your skin.
Mindful listening– this exercise is just perfect after sunset. Go to the beach and stand or sit close to the sea. Focus on the sound the water makes, the waves gently crashing at the shore. An extra bonus would be a fresh breeze and a sky full of stars. Just soak into the moment and recharge.

Find your tours

You can easily see Zanzibar on your own if you opt for renting a car, but it is so much easier to do some activities by hiring a guide. If you don’t have your own transport, I would not rely on buses in Zanzibar, so hiring a taxi is very common (but not cheap, usually around $50 per ride or $20 to the airport from Stone Town). Booking tours for me was a better option. Your chances are that you’ll get a car just for yourself. I was travelling solo and for snorkelling, I joined a group, but for all other excursions, I had my own driver that would take me places and only there I would sometimes join a group with a guide. For example, in Jozani forest you can only enter with a guide that works there, not your own.

Top tip

While booking tours is advance might be ok, I realized that it is fairly easy and accessible to book tours when in Zanzibar just a day in advance.

Favourite travel resources:

Booking.com for searching best prices on accommodation.
Discover Cars is a great website as they search both local and international car hire services, so you can choose the best deal for yourself. Make sure though, that the company has a good reputation and reviews.
Get Your Guide is my place to go for searching and booking tours and excursions, especially when I travel solo.
World Nomads travel insurance. I like them because they have quite extensive coverage of different activities.
Jack’s Flight Club is a service that can save you hundreds of dollars on flights, it works especially well in Europe.
Trivago where you can search and save on hotels.
Go City is a perfect site for booking bucket list experiences and attractions all in one to avoid paying for multiple tickets. Easy and saves money.
Trip Advisor– amazing for good quality recommendations.
Skyscanner is a perfect website for searching flight routes and comparing prices.

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