Tanzania Classics (Safari & Zanzibar) (page 2 of 3)

Sunday, August 2nd - A packed day. - A morning game drive - A flight from Seronera to Arusha (Cessna Caravan) - A flight from Arusha to Stone Town (ATR 72) - The guided tour of Stone Town

At 6:30 AM, we head out for the game drive. No luck this time—still no "hunt" on the agenda.

Up above, the balloons enjoy the view. Down below, the square goalposts on the soccer field remind me of the Saint-Étienne final!







Seronera and our plane (14 seats). The day before, a Cessna Caravan crashed in Peru... I avoided sharing that info with the family!





Our pilot (who struggled to see the horizon). In the co-pilot’s seat, a young German tourist (luckily very calm).









Around 4:00 PM, we arrive in Stone Town—a complete change of scenery.

Stone Town is all about colors, crowds, the Indian Ocean, the smells of the market, narrow streets, traces of slavery, Islam, wooden doors, Omani traders, and the memory of Freddy... A whole different world for us. Tonight, we're staying at Sharazad Wonders, a lovely hotel in the heart of the city.

Monday, August 3rd.

One last little stroll through Stone Town before heading to Matemwe and the Marafiki Beach Hotel. On the way, we visit a spice farm.

Beyond the guide, the spices, and the place itself, we love the organization, the fruit tastings... We have a really great time!



See our coconut supplier?

Tuesday the 4th and Wednesday the 5th of August, we're in Matemwe for 3 nights.

Matemwe is in the northeast of the island. It's a quiet spot, far from the resort complexes of Nungwi, and the beach is gorgeous.

On Tuesday, it's a diving baptism for the youngest ones (around Mnemba). On Wednesday, we're spending the day at Mnemba Atoll (departing from Kendwa).

There are 6 of us, and we've chartered a dhow. It's great—overcast weather, but the wind is with us. A wonderful experience!









Sunset in Kendwa:

On Thursday the 6th, Friday the 7th, Saturday the 8th, and Sunday the 9th, we’ll spend 4 days in Jambiani (southeast of the island) at the Nyumbani residence. It’s a complex of about a dozen studios located just 10 minutes from the beach.

We really loved Jambiani, and I’d recommend it if you only have time for one stop in Zanzibar. The beach and sea are just as beautiful as in Matemwe, but it’s much livelier with kids playing in the water, women gathering shells and seaweed, vendors, and plenty of kite schools. Our kids will be doing 4 days of kiteboarding.

One local restaurant I can recommend is Pishi Restaurant.

On Sunday evening, our taxi picks us up at 8:30 PM. Around midnight, we take off from Zanzibar, and by Monday afternoon, our vacation ends at Roissy.

Recap: We loved everything (1 trip but 2 very different experiences). The safari program was perfect (6 full days and 3 parks). The animals, landscapes, accommodations, meals, and our guide—who was very reassuring and respectful of the wildlife—were all great. The weather could’ve been a bit sunnier, the driver a little friendlier, and the leopards a bit less perched (just kidding!), but those are minor details. The flight back was comfortable (even if it was a bit bumpy).

Zanzibar really added something special to the trip. We didn’t fall in love with Stone Town, but the sea, beaches, sunshine, Maasai on the beach, restaurants, sports activities, and excursions were all fantastic!

Just watch your budget—Zanzibar isn’t as cheap as Asia...

One last note: we booked with the agency SBCS (Serengeti Big Cats Safaris). We’d recommend them.

The end of this travel journal (which doesn't seem to be exciting the crowds ;))...

It's August—this month is always a bit quiet on the forum! 🤪

Zanzibar seems nice. I’m keeping it in mind for a relaxing trip. 🙂

Hi Manu,

Thanks for the travel journal 🙂 How lucky with all those big cats! A great 2-in-1 trip that really makes you want to go!

This travel journal is amazing. Thanks a bunch. Zanzibar, you’ve changed my mind. I’d told myself I’d probably never set foot there. But with your journal and photos, I see things differently.

Thanks Manu for this story—it brought back some great memories! I had a somewhat similar trip, mixing safari and beach time. We skipped Stone Town (not really our vibe) and stayed a bit south of Matemwe. I think it’s the whitest, softest sand I’ve ever seen 😎.

Hello,

and a BIG THANK YOU for this account of your trip/safari, which allowed us to relive the wild nature of northern Tanzania.

For us, it’s a reminder of two trips, in 2008 and 2009 (but two weeks on safari each time). Tarangire truly deserves much more time (4 or 5 days)! You only scratched the surface of the variety of landscapes and wildlife this reserve offers visitors.

Saturday, August 1st. Today’s program: the Lobo hills (which we’ll love) and then we head back up to the Grumeti River. We vote for the tranquility of Lobo. We were won over by this corner of the Serengeti!

The Lobo region won us over too—both times—with its terrain and landscapes, far more varied than Seronera’s, and its peaceful, tourist-free vibe.

Now, you still have to discover the southern reserves, wilder and more intimate. THANK YOU again for sharing this safari story—it felt a bit short to me!

Puma2A

(During the visit to the Maasai theater, did anyone inform you (before, during, or after) about the practice of female genital mutilation on their 6- to 8-year-old girls? Or were you already aware of this practice before leaving?)

...

Thanks for this beautiful travel journal! 🙂 I’m always a bit taken aback by the clusters of vehicles in Ngorongoro… Did you often run into this kind of traffic jam during your trip, or is it really specific to this park? About the private dhow trip, I think I recognize the “cruise operator” from the boat photo. I’m definitely planning to use them for our outing. Can you confirm that they’re as ethical and respectful of the environment and marine wildlife as they claim to be?

Coming from an expert, that’s nice to hear!

Yeah, Tarangire would’ve deserved an extra night (and inside the park) to explore the southern swamp areas, but we knew that, and with seven of us in a sardine can, adding another day seemed tricky.

Ngorongoro is spectacular, but the crowds kind of ruin the experience. We ended up preferring the Serengeti, especially in the Lobo area where we were (almost) alone.

We don’t plan on doing any more safaris (on top of South Africa and northern Tanzania). But if I had to pick a new country to discover, it’d be Namibia—for the landscapes. The issue is the long distances between sites and the toll it takes on your back ;)

About visiting the village, the point wasn’t to start that kind of debate. Everyone plays their part: the tourist does tourism, and the village puts on a show.

We took the photo for the exceptional nature of the situation.

Not many people in Tarangire and Serengeti Lobo. In the plains south of Seronera, we had a maximum of 4 to 5 vehicles (lions, leopards), but most of the time, we were alone. Our guide wasn’t a "follower."

Moreover, he respected the park rules well (especially regarding off-road driving). It seems that the Rangers' checks are quite a deterrent for drivers. That said, where we didn’t go, we saw other vehicles that didn’t hold back.

For the dhow, it was the "Lady Boss Dhow." The boats are managed by the sister of the local agency that took care of us ("Amani Tour"). I highly recommend these two local agencies. On the boat, all good—no diving over dolphins, no sandbanks to "take out" starfish. Perfect from an ethical standpoint.

Coming from an expert, that’s nice.

Expert??? NO (expert in nothing at all) Lover!! YES.... 😉

Yes, Tarangire would’ve deserved an extra night (and inside the park) to explore the southern swamp areas, but we knew that, and with 7 of us in the sardine can, adding another day seemed complicated.

And at Silalle swamps, you can picnic, which is really nice. Plus, there’s the eastern plateau, which kinda resembles Central Serengeti.

Ngorongoro is spectacular, but the crowds kinda ruin the experience. We preferred Serengeti, especially at Lobo where we were (almost) alone.

It’s not for lack of repeating it in this forum—Ngorongoro feels like Place de la Concorde at rush hour, and on top of that, it’s Tanzania’s most expensive visit....

We don’t plan on doing more safaris (beyond South Africa and northern Tanzania). But if I had to discover a new country, it’d be Namibia (for the landscapes). The issue is the distance between sites and the toll it takes on your back.

Namibia’s a gorgeous country we’ve also visited multiple times. I’m a few years older than you and have severe lumbar arthritis. No matter the place (even just driving around here), I wear a back brace with stays. It keeps me pain-free. I’ll add that the small bush camps in southern Tanzania (like Ruaha or Selous) are perfect for a couple’s "Out of Africa"-style getaway. You’ll easily forget all the chaos of today’s world there—an unforgettable experience in a wilder setting than the north. Some southern camps have Toyotas, others Land Rovers, with a canvas roof and nothing on the sides... even better than the pop-up roofs in the north... 😄

All the best.

Puma2A

...

Stone Town could have potential... In my mind, I was thinking of Cartagena in Colombia (for example).

Take the Sultan’s Palace (Beit-al-Ajaib / House of Wonders) as an example—it’s been under construction since 2016. You can tell that, despite Oman’s funding, things aren’t moving forward (and the money’s probably going into other pockets).

For the "beach" part, without kitesurfing, our young travelers might’ve gotten bored. But kitesurfing was part of the equation when we decided to stay for 8 days.

Just so you know: $25 for a 1-hour rental, $40 for 2 hours, $80 for a 3-hour beginner session with a private instructor. All that after haggling a bit, of course...

That said, the general consensus is that it’s a bit "overrated" for kitesurfing. Essaouira or Tarifa were more appreciated by our "sporty" group. Other tourists who came specifically for kitesurfing confirmed this.

Thanks so much for all this info! I’ll definitely push, if needed, for our guide not to just be a "follower" either! I’d much rather skip it than end up in a traffic jam with dozens of other vehicles around an animal! 😕 That’s really not my idea of a safari. The dhow rental guy wasn’t the one I had in mind, but I’ll also contact yours—he sounds really great! Thanks again for sharing and all this valuable info! 🙂

We really liked Zanzibar.

But I can't compare it with other Indian Ocean islands (Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion...). It'd be great to get a seasoned traveler's take...

The "2-in-1" is a real plus. It’s what convinced us over other destinations...

That and Air France’s new flight plan. Before, it was Paris => Zanzibar => Kili => Paris Now it’s Paris => Kili => Zanzibar => Paris

How luxurious—direct flights (8h30) and only a 1-hour time difference!

Yay! Back to it.... 😉