We land at the airport of Zanzibar where we pick up our luggage in the crowd (no conveyor belt, the luggage is just thrown in a room, as it is often the case in small airports), our driver that we ordered from our hotel is waiting for us. We chose the Sahari Zanzibar hotel, it is located in bwejuu, a few kilometers north of Paje. This choice comes from the fact that I absolutely wanted to go kite surfing and that most of the schools are in Paje. We looked for a cheap hotel as the bill for Kili and safaris was quite salty.
The archipelago of zanzibar is located in the Indian Ocean, along the east coast of Africa, at the lattitude of the mainland of Tanzania. Ringed by several other small islands, islets and coral reefs, three main islands make up this archipelago: Unguja, Pemba and Mafia. It is also interesting that unlike the rest of Tanzania, the population living in Zanzibar is overwhelmingly Muslim (98%).
The hotel is correct, unpretentious, the rooms are clean, the food is nice and cheap, with a beautiful seafront on the Indian Ocean. We wake up, relax in the hammocks, eat in the open air restaurant and walk on the beach without moving too much. Attention however to the receptionist who tried to rip us off (the only drawback of our stay in this hotel, the rest was perfect).
We almost didn’t explore the island since it was our “rest” week, but I still did some kite and diving. For the kite the conditions were ideal, wind, a huge lagoon with shallow turquoise water. Just be careful with the sea urchins, got some of them into my feets, it’s painful. I don’t remember the kite club, but from memory it was in the complex of the hotel Paje by night.
For the diving I went with the buccaneer company, I passed my open water PADI in a few days. Theoretical courses, swimming pool and 4 dives in the ocean. Lots of fish and very clear waters, a pleasant experience and a good experience with my instructor.
The last day we went to eat at the rock restaurant, although the setting is a bit special (we eat in a restaurant built on a rock) I found the place too touristc, the food honestly average and I felt a bit ripped off, I don’t necessarily recommend it.
After this last week of rest in the sun, back to the airport and back to Europe with a stopover in Kenya!
The video of the trip : (Zanzibar 5m20 – end )
