Hi fellow travelers,
As a big lover of Asia, I’m not used to writing travel reports here since I find it so easy to get by in those countries (whether online, on Place, or beforehand). But after 15 days in Zanzibar, I figured our experience (we’re traveling as a couple) might help some of you.
To sum it up, I’d say this island is amazing but not exactly a walk in the park for independent travelers!
TRANSPORTATION
Since we’re not Bill Gates, we have to make choices—especially in Zanzibar, which is way pricier than Asia.
One option was taking the Dalla dalla to get around the island, but it was just too complicated for us. For example, to go from Nungwi to Matemwe, it takes half an hour by car but hours by Dalla dalla because you *have* to go back through the capital!!
Taking taxis from one hotel to another didn’t interest us since we see travel as a way to immerse ourselves in the country and get as close to the locals as possible (sounds a bit pompous put like that, but I couldn’t find a better way to say it!!).
So, we decided to rent a car to move freely and stop wherever we wanted. If you’re looking for info on the Dolphin Tour, Spice Tour, or Safari Blue… you can skip this part—we didn’t do any of that (I know, it’s a shame, but you can’t do everything, right?
). There are agencies everywhere that can organize those for you without any hassle.
Long story short, after some searching, we rented a car from Ally Keys (found on Le Routard), a small Toyota 4x4 for $350 for 11 days (we drove about 900 km for 80 € worth of gas).
The roads are like real highways—you just have to constantly watch out for pedestrians and cyclists. But overall, once you leave Stone Town, there’s hardly any traffic.
The police—oh, what a love story for us!! First off, no paranoia needed. The police checkpoints stop
every car, not just the ones with "white" people.
In 11 days of driving around, we were stopped… 13 times, no joke!!
They all asked for an international driver’s license and the Tanzanian permit Ally gave us for free before we left. Everyone was charming and didn’t cause us any trouble (a few words of Swahili can help). Except once, when they noticed the insurance had expired two days earlier
.
We hadn’t paid attention, and neither had Ally—our bad.
It turned into quite the sketch, lasting a good two hours. But Ally, whom we called, negotiated with them. The fine went from $200 down to $20, and Ally even reimbursed us afterward!! Quite the experience, all in all.
THE PEOPLE
Okay, I’ll try to explain our experience
without getting "stoned," please. I’m not judging anyone—I just want to share what we felt during those 15 days (way too short to really understand).
My favorite motto—"if you smile, people will smile back"—didn’t really work there. We found the locals weren’t exactly approachable, especially the women.
Sure, we met some nice, selfless people: one in Stone Town, sometimes in the local eateries where we ate, and with hitchhikers (or hitchhikerettes) we picked up whenever we saw them (the only way we found to share a bit of our "wealth").
But overall, I found it really tough.
At the same time, it clarified things. Every time someone approached us in a friendly, warm way, they had something to offer (a restaurant, a shop to visit, a snorkeling tour, a taxi…). No problem with them—they were lovely, just like the staff at all the hotels we stayed in.
In Matemwe, we walked through the village every morning and evening for five days. I made an effort to smile and say hello every day, morning and night, but even by the end, the best I got was a nod.
We learned a few words of Swahili (hello, how are you…) to break the ice, but it was pretty much a lost cause, with a few exceptions.
Obviously, since I’d never experienced anything like this, I tried to find an explanation—but we were there too briefly to really figure it out. Here are just some hypotheses:
- The strong Muslim presence (even little girls wear veils). Maybe they see us white folks as depraved, even though we always dressed modestly.
- Smiling might not be part of their communication style (sounds silly, but who knows!).
- Maybe there’s some resentment toward white people, which, honestly, I’d totally understand. Let me explain: two worlds share this island without really mixing. 50% of tourists stay in Nungwi and Kendwa, 25% stay in resorts all around the island, 23% go from hotel to hotel by taxi or Dalla dalla, and maybe 2% travel like we did (totally unscientific stats, obviously).
In 11 days of driving around the island (except Stone Town and the beaches), we never saw a single white person outside a hotel or taxi (no exaggeration). Never any in the villages, markets…
Luxury resorts sit right next to villages in extreme poverty (no running water, no electricity, among other things), and the tourism money barely reaches the locals. It’s enough to make you ashamed of being white—I felt that way more than once!
Anyway, if anyone here knows Zanzibaris well, I’d love to hear their take.
PHOTOS
Given what I just said, you can imagine it wasn’t easy.
The women were the hardest to approach—I gave up trying to photograph them after 3 or 4 clear refusals (they’d cover their faces, not angrily, but firmly).
Most men I asked agreed.
With kids, anything goes:
- Some pose for a photo and laugh their heads off when they see themselves.
- Others pose but then demand a dollar, shillings, pens, or even your hair tie if that’s all you’ve got!!
- Some are thrilled when you ask permission, while others shout a big "Nooooo" or even threaten to throw rocks at you before you’ve even turned on your camera!!
Once again, I put myself in their shoes and watched how "white" people behaved. They’d walk by without a word, raise their camera, snap a shot, and leave without even a wave. When you see yourself in that mirror, it really puts things in perspective!
STONE TOWN
Like everyone else, we started our trip in Stone Town—one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen (no exaggeration!). Despite being super touristy, it’s managed to keep its soul, which is pretty rare.
The sea and its dhows, those triangular-sailed boats straight out of another era, colonial buildings everywhere (some renovated, others run-down but still beautiful), narrow alleys with stunning doors (not just in hotels, as I thought), women in colorful veils all over the streets, the call to prayer echoing through the alleys, and the big Darajani Street market—not to be missed if you want even a tiny taste of African life. Pure magic!
The only downside: quite a few shady guys offering all kinds of services, some of them junkies and a bit unsettling (one even waited for hours outside our hotel even though we’d told him we didn’t need anything). We stayed polite and friendly, and it went fine, but it did create a slightly "sketchy" vibe at times.
For our hotel, we spent the first two nights at Karibu Zanzibar Inn, found online for $65 a night. Right in the heart of the old town, perfect for us—clean, quiet, rooftop terrace for breakfast, welcoming staff. Nothing to complain about, except maybe the price!
For the last two nights before leaving, we found one on the spot, super well-located, for $45 a night (DM me for more details if you’re interested).
We also rented bikes to get around—great for $5 a day per bike.
MONEY
Money’s a bit complicated here, I found. Some hotels supposedly only accept dollars (not the ones we stayed in, though), and a lot of prices are listed in that currency. Either way, you can leave your euros at home—several exchange bureaus won’t take them. My advice? Bring enough dollars to avoid credit card fees (you can’t withdraw more than 190 € at a time from ATMs, so you’d pay a fee every time).
For our budget, we spent 800 € per person for 14 days, finding hotels for around $45 on average (not easy!) and eating often in local eateries (see below). Meals in touristy restaurants cost between 6 and 9 € per person, a beer 2 €, a Coke 1 €…
Don’t forget for two people: $100 for visas, $60 for round-trip airport-port taxis, and $160 for round-trip boats between Dar and Stone Town.
FOOD AND ACCOMMODATION
We ate in local restaurants about ten times. Chicken or beef skewers with fries or rice for 1.50 € per person, but:
1 – You have to find the "restaurant" that doesn’t look like one (usually a roadside shack).
2 – With a shady spot to sit, which isn’t always possible.
3 – For the squeamish, hygiene conditions are pretty rough (no fridge, obviously; well water used to wash dishes; flies everywhere)!!
We figured if locals eat there, it’s probably a good sign—and honestly, the food was good, and we never got sick.
Plus, it’s a great way to meet Zanzibaris.
Hotels were tough to find under $50. Thankfully, we had the car to scout around (what we’d found in guidebooks had raised their prices!). We chose to stay five days in the north of the island in Matemwe and five days in the south in Jambiani, which let us explore almost the whole island.
We decided that on the spot after checking things out.
In Matemwe, we didn’t overthink it—we stayed at Allykeys Bungalow, whose owner rented us the car! At first, we were a bit wary of his offer, but after checking it out, we really liked it. Simple bungalows but with everything we needed, a great setting facing the sea, sun loungers to relax, a restaurant and bar by the water, and—most importantly—a very local vibe (about 50 dhows leaving for fishing every morning between 5:30 and 6:00, returning around 1:00 PM with fish, and the lively bargaining on the beach—pure bliss).
Just so you know, it’s pretty noisy (I love the call to prayer, but at 4:30 and 5:30 AM, it’s early—especially when it goes on so long!!), no hot water (just lukewarm), and no Wi-Fi. But for that, there’s a great deal at the Green… at the very north end of the beach. Just by ordering a drink (3 € for a beer, 2 € for a Coke), you can enjoy the Wi-Fi and pool all afternoon. Super friendly welcome at this luxury hotel, even for "peasants" like us!!
In Jambiani, we found Pakachi Beach Resort—a dream come true. Listed at over $60 online, they offered us a beachfront bungalow (a big bed downstairs, another upstairs with a sea view and sea breeze included), a bathroom with hot water, Wi-Fi in common areas, and a pool (low tide is *really* low there!!) for $45 a night. It was so amazing we wondered if they mistook us for "Le Routard guides" since we arrived alone with our car!!
It was also super quiet—only three plugs in use, including ours. Maybe that’s why!
THE BEACHES
Quick rundown:
The most beautiful aesthetically and for swimming anytime: Kendwa, no question. The downside is there are way too many resorts for our taste, and no local life. We only went for the day before heading back to Matemwe.
Most hotels and tourists: Nungwi, obviously. Not our cup of tea at all, but I imagine it’s great for young people who want to party.
Best for local life: Matemwe, hands down. The daily fishing returns are a highlight, plus village life, seaweed gatherers, kids on the beach—we really fell in love.
For peace and beauty (but no swimming at low tide): Pongwe, Uroa, Kiwengwa, Jambiani, and a special mention for Dongwe, which we found absolutely stunning.
If you want to feel almost completely alone in the middle of nowhere but still by the water: Kae Kuu and Unguja Ukuu.
There you go—that’s pretty much everything we saw!
Sorry for being so long. I doubt many made it to the end of my "prose." At least no one can say I didn’t share my experience this time
.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate.
See you soon, and happy travels!
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