15th July 2022, 23:43
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| Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania How it started It was mid Jan in 2020, when Covid was a mysterious flu that was spreading fast, but in faraway China. Was it even a factor when I made an impulsive vacation plan? I didn't have the remotest idea that it would be wreaking havoc on the tourism industry for the next two years or more. The journey started in the Wikipedia page "Visa Requirements for Indian Citizens" - I kid you not. Stages of filtration were as follows:-
Essentially this left me with South East Asian and East African countries. With me having already visited the former (that's for another Travelogue), it was between Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. Ruling out Somalia because of the civil war there, it was down to the other two. Considering my time frame of 23 days, I could have actually done both - at one point I was an overnight bus ride from Nairobi - but I decided that I wanted to do Kenya standalone properly in a different trip, plus, Zanzibar's beaches and diving spots are surpassed only by Mozambique (which unfortunately has a troublesome visa policy). Mind you - the entire process took 20 minutes to decide, and this was done 15 days before I took off. The journey is a go! So here goes - booked an Air Tanzania flight to Zanzibar from Bombay with a stopover at Dar Es Salaam - Tanzania's financial capital. The Mumbai to Dar Es Salaam leg was a 5 hour non-stop flight on a Boeing 747 Dreamliner, with a nice meal included. Very luxurious experience I must say! Incidentally, a day before I started my journey - Jan 30th - the first Covid-19 cases were reported in India. I however didn't attach much importance to this.  On landing in Dar Es Salaam, I went through a temperature scan, and paid $50 at the immigration counter to get a 90 day tourist visa, confirmed to the friendly immigration officer that I was in the country for tourism. The second leg was a 20 minute flight from Dar to Zanzibar Island, barely settled myself in my seat before the announcement for landing came from the cabin crew. Managed to click a beautiful shot of Stone Town as seen from up top. This was the view of the island from the aircraft:-  I then came out of the airport and exchanged €50 for the local currency - Tanzanian Shillings. The prevailing rate at that time was €1 = ~2500 Shillings. For ease of converting my spends into rupees, I had a guideline of 300 rupees = 10,000 Shillings in my head. I got 10 notes of 10k shillings each and the rest in smaller denominations. I heard the whirr of the note counting machine, and pocketed the bunch of notes and left - HUUUUGE mistake - we will get to that in a while. Reaching Stone Town, finding my feet Meanwhile I took my backpack and asked a few locals about getting to Stone Town (Zanzibar's capital) via public transport and they pointed me towards a Dala Dala. It is Tanzania's equivalent of our "Share Autos", which ply on fixed routes and drop off/pick people on the way. The vehicle could be anything from a Toyota van to a mini truck with a tarpaulin closing the top and benches added on either side. Needless to say, they are packed to the brim, but are very cheap. My 12km ride to the city cost 500 shillings (15 rupees) while a taxi would have been at least US$20.  The coins for smaller denominations:-  I had a booking only for the first 3 nights of a 23 day trip - found the hostel easily, a place named "Lost and Found" right on the main street. The receptionist exclaimed seeing my Indian passport and showed me her phone, on which she was watching the Hindi serial "Naagin"  . I was asked to pay up 90k shillings for the 3 nights. Remember - I had 10 notes of 10k each - or so I thought. Took out the bunch, took out one note, and gave the rest to the receptionist. She counts and informs me that there are only 8 notes. I was adamant that it could not be the case - till I verified myself. Puzzled, I gave her the note which I had taken out of the bunch and proceeded to my bed. Later on I got to know from other fellow tourists that this was a common trick by the currency exchange employees - they swipe one note from your bunch after the notes are counted on the machine and before they hand the cash to you - some sleight of hand, considering it's a small kiosk. Coming to my hostel, it was on Stone Town's main street and located bang opposite the Freddie Mercury museum - yes, he was born in Zanzibar and spent some of his childhood in that very house.  Some history of Stone Town - it's Zanzibar's capital city, the old part of which is almost completely made of stone, giving it the name. The entire old city is a UNESCO Heritage site. Having been under Omani and British rule at different points of history, the different influences are seen in the architecture. The highlights are the beautifully crafted doors.  Stone town has a lot of narrow alleys which snake all over the city like a huge maze. They are the dotted green lines on google maps below:  Some of my snapshots of the alleys:    Major coincidence - the day I landed in Zanzibar also happened to be the day the Tanzanian football captain made his debut in the English Premier League for Aston Villa. I watched the game in the famous "Jaws Corner in stone town, a popular gathering place for the locals, named for the murals on the walls depicting the movie "Jaws". It is a place where the locals get together, socialize, play cards, etc. and is located in the heart of Stone Town. There's even a blackboard where events are written down - Weddings, births and even deaths - for all to read.   First order of the day - getting a Sim Card. Was surprisingly smooth - had to give my fingerprints and passport number which is verified with what I gave during immigration and is approved immediately if it matches. The receptionist at the hostel recommended Zantel and I was pleasantly surprised - the 4G speeds were noticeably faster than anything I'd experienced in India.  Last edited by RubberGuru1113 : 23rd July 2022 at 19:00. |
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16th July 2022, 12:23
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| re: Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania I met an American and an Indonesian backpacker who were staying in the same hostel, and we decided to hit the Darjani market, famous for raw meat, street food, spices and fruits. Surprisingly, Tanzania's Mango season runs from November to March and the mangoes are delicious! In another shock, my favourite banana varieties - what we call "Rasthali" and "Nendran" in Tamil - which I'd struggle to find in North India, were consumed widely in Tanzania.  We had some barbecued chicken, mutton and beef. I must say that the cooking style and the spices used are very "Indian" - turmeric, red chilli powder, tamarind sauce, etc. At least in terms of food, I was right at home! Even the names are the same - Samosas and Chappatti for example, are called the same over there. We then headed to the more touristy Forodhani Gardens, which is by the sea and everything sold is the same as in Darjani but costs 2x, this is where I had my first taste of the Urojo soup - what tourists would call "Zanzibar mix". It's a signature preparation which consists of tamarind soup (the taste reminding me distinctly of our South Indian "Rasam" in which we can customize the garnishing as per our taste - dry noodles, chicken/mutton/beef, pickled potatoes, fried flour balls (like our pakoras), boiled egg, etc. This dish would go on to become my staple meal over the next 3 weeks - fulfilling and cost effective, a big bowl for only 3000 shillings (~45 rupees).  There was also space to try the freshly made Zanzibar pizzas. I chose the minced beef one.  I woke up pretty early the next morning - 8AM - early for a sleepy tropical paradise that's always on holiday! Woke up to a gentle patter of rain, a brief respite from the humid tropical sunshine. The view from my balcony - the colonial style white building is the Stone Town Post Office.  Interestingly, there was not a single dog in the entirety of Stone Town while the place was overrun with cats. A few examples:-   I was told that the reason for this is the large Muslim majority on the island (90%+) who regard cats as sacred. This demographic is in contrast with mainland Tanzania, which has a 60%+ Catholic population, which is why Zanzibar island is a semi-autonomous region with a greater degree of self-governance compared to the rest of the country. And yes, time to hit the beach! What I came for! How gorgeous is that blue!! From what i was told, the island has much more beautiful beaches, I couldn't wait!  Off to Paje! The advantage of arriving at a holiday with no bookings is that we can make and change plans off the cuff. I met a young student from Germany who was doing a semester abroad in Nairobi and she was visiting Zanzibar before flyting home. Went for a drink at this lovely bar right next to the harbour and made plans over a few pints to go to Paje! This was the view from my table at Mercury's Bar in Stone Town. Zanzibar is for sure proud of their most iconic export, Freddie Mercury.  And yes, left to Paje in a - you guessed it - Dala Dala, paying the equivalent of 60 rupees. The blue is even more gorgeous on the island's east coast!!  Reached Paje and walked the distance from the main road to my hostel, right on the beach.  The hostel where I stayed - interestingly named Ananda Beach House - was located right on the beach with the ocean a few yards away. At that time, the place was extremely basic with some of the cheapest beds in Paje, I remember spending the equivalent of 700 rupees per night inclusive of breakfast. Two years down the line, they contacted me saying that they have added a Cafe on the first floor and the hostel is a little more "upmarket" now. The hostel manager was a nice French lady who was impressed with my French  Ananda Beach House also has a fluffy cat and quite a few dogs, who coexist quite peacefully except for the occasional skirmish. I promptly settled down near the dogs with a book and a drink to pass a quiet afternoon.  The cat, Brownie, deserves a post of his own. Look at that tail!!  Thinking deep thoughts:-  Curled up  The unique feature of Paje's beach is that during low tide, the water recedes more than a kilometer! Even during medium tide, the water is only waist to chest high. However, one should keep track of the tides very carefully before venturing out - factoring in the time taken to walk all the way out and then back - otherwise there is a real possibility of getting stranded far from the shore in rapidly increasing water levels. This situation however makes Paje a perfect spot for Kitesurfing - where the wind is used to propel somebody on a surfboard. It required time and practice however, and I decided not to give it a shot. After all, I was there to relax! Paje's beach  Panoramic video after I walked a few hundred yards into the ocean during low tide. Note the tiny specks in the sky - Kitesurfers. And the crystal clear water!  This is Paje on a typical busy evening  Far from the madding crowd! I soaked in the atmosphere in Paje for a couple of days, had amazing food. The highlight was a dinner at Africana's BBQ with new friends I made at my hostel - 2 guys from France and the USA and a girl from Malta. I had a dish which was chicken cooked with coconut, served with banana chips. Excuse me, is this Zanzibar or Kerala? Interestingly, the type of banana used for the chips are the same as what we use in Kerala - the variety called "Nendran" in Tamil/Malayalam which is extra long in size. The difference being that it is fried to a chewy texture and not a crispy one, which makes it great to have with meat based sides!  Far from the madding crowd Paje was lovely with a lazy as well as a party vibe, but it was extremely touristy! I was longing for some quiet time with myself, and my French friend suggested that I go to Michamvi. So Zanzibar island is shaped approximately like your right palm when it is faced towards you. Stone Town is the base of your little finger, Paje is on the outer edge of your thumb near the knuckle. Michamvi is the extreme tip of your thumb, which juts out into the ocean like a dagger. It is surrounded by the ocean in all directions! I made a booking at Milele Lodge in Michamvi, the word meaning Forever in Swahili. On the subject of the language, Swahili was surprisingly easy to pick up. The most memorable is the greeting, which is a back and forth that stretches forever. Also, you're not supposed to repeat what the other person says! Sample this: Person 1 - Mambo Person 2 - Poa (It would be Poa Poa if he is in a hurry to leave which would end the back and forth) Person 2 - Freshi ? (Are you feeling good? A distortion of the english word "Fresh" Person 1 (if he is feeling good) - Freshi Freshi This is a ritual back and forth (with a lot of variations of course) which happens among the locals before they actually start getting down to business! And how can I forget the iconic phrase from The Lion King? Hakuna Matata, translating to "No Problem" but in a fashion to give you assurance and ask you to chill! Almost every Zanzibari I spoke to used this at the end of the conversation! Coming back to Michamvi, I reached the place around late evening and hit the sack. Had booked a bed in a hut with 4 beds, but I was completely by myself. Woke up the morning to a healthy and sumptuous breakfast. Chappatti, pancakes maple syrup and cut pineapples.  I was the only occupant in the lodge - which highlights how offbeat Michamvi is within Zanzibar, considering it was peak tourist season. One of the housekeeping staff and the cook kindly offered to take me to the beach.  When I came back, a large French family had checked into the lodge and invited me to join their table. We had a surprise visitor.  At night, the lodge's staff invited me to join their jam session around a campfire which I was happy to oblige.  After a groovy but tranquil weekend at Michamvi, it was time to head back to Stone Town. I decided to take a guided tour of the Jozani Forest which falls bang in the middle of my route. Another journey, another Dala Dala. This time it was special, however - I was ferried by a driver who supported the same football club as I did.  Jozani is a patch of dense rainforest with a canopy that acts like a roof, allowing very little sunshine to penetrate the leafy trees. The video below was taken close to noon at peak sunshine.  A black colobus monkey at close quarters. Looks like they completely lost their fear of humans because of the number of tourists that throng the island.  It also has a stretch of beautiful mangrove forests and has a bridge that cuts right through the middle. It is a very serene walk through the mangroves.  Some beautiful shots of the mangrove forest:-   This scary looking tunnel led us outside the forest back to the highway. Now, onward back to Stone Town, and time for some diving and snorkelling!  Last edited by RubberGuru1113 : 23rd July 2022 at 17:58. |
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23rd July 2022, 15:04
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| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: Gurgaon
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| re: Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania So back to base, Stone Town! Did a PADI diving course and saw some exquisite underwater life! Unfortunately the lack of a GoPro means I have no underwater shots, but here is our boat and preparations as we left the shore !  Unexpected and Heartwarming Meetings I was now staying in Ten to Ten hostel in Stone Town as Lost and Found was full. Ten to Ten has a communal area where all the residents come to have breakfast, read, work or just socialise in general. I met some of the most interesting people of my trip here.
Off to Arusha The Australian tourist was leaving to Arusha from Stone Town shortly after our meeting and his flight was in 4 hours. I booked a ticket in the same flight - an astronomical US$150 for a 40 minute flight. Flights within Africa are super expensive. I booked a stay at the Savannah House in Arusha, whose proprietor, Anthony, was known to my friend. Anthony was very friendly and helpful and gave me clear directions to his property from Arusha city center. In the city center, I looked into some safari companies' offices to enquire the price and I was quoted upwards of US$800 per day everywhere. Anthony said not to bother and he will figure something out for my budget. Through Anthony's resourcefulness, I ended up paying US$320 for a 2 day safari all inclusive - transport from Arusha and back, a night's stay in the jungle camp, 3 meals a day and of course, a day's safari each at the N'Goro N'goro and Tarangire national parks. He said not to discuss the price I paid with the other tourists in my group Later, he explained how the industry works. Only 4-5 companies have a permit from the Tanzanian government to operate safaris in these parks, but however, these companies are not well known. The advertising and publicity for these safaris are made by different companies, who sign up tourists and then club them with one of the main 4-5 companies. What goes to the main safari company is close to US$150 per day's safari (could go upto $250 for more luxurious tents, food, etc.) and the rest is pocketed by the middlemen. If anybody is visiting Arusha, I highly recommend Anthony's services, you can reach out to me separately for his contact details. The couple from Austria It was at Savannah House that I made my next friends - a young doctor couple from Innsbruck, Austria. They were taking a break from their career to travel through Africa and were very warm and friendly, and invited me to dine with them at a nearby restaurant. Later, they touched base with me to say that they cut their trip short and flew back to Austria due to a happy surprise - they were expecting! I'm still in touch with them and during the second wave, when the desperate situation in India was widely reported around the world, they messaged me to check on whether I was ok. Most of the new friends that I made during my trip did the same. Personally, my biggest takeaway from the trip was the people who I got the opportunity to meet and befriend. We were also joined by a Ukrainian guest who spoke limited English, who was from the Russian speaking part of Ukraine. My AUstrian friends were amused when he kept referring to them as Germans, and after a point, they asked him (in a playful manner), "How would you like it if we referred to you as Russian?" I feel a pang of sadness, relating it to the current situation, when I recall this exchange. Day 1 - Ngoro Ngoro crater Ngorongoro is a national park which is in an ancient and huge meteor crater, formed millions of years ago. Today it boasts a rich variety of fauna. Driving on the crater's edge made for an exhilarating view  I should say that of all the animals I was lucky enough to see in the flesh, Zebras looked the most beautiful. The vivid contrast between the black and white on their coats gives a dazzling effect!   And the famous wildebeest!  Giraffes looked massive in close quarters!  The highlight of the day! a lioness walked up to our vehicle and looked me in the eye! I was glad there was something solid between her and myself!  She promptly went ahead of the vehicle and lay down on our path   I now understood why they say, "an army of baboons". This was a particularly large group of at least 100.  It started raining and slushed up the path which our Land Rovers take. Took some skillful driving to get out of the slush! I wouldn't want to be stuck out there with hungry lions prowling around.  Retired to my basic but comfortable tent that night after getting back to camp.  Day 2 - Tarangire Took this stunning shot of Lake Manyara on the way to Tatangire the next morning. Was a pity the park was closed, as it is teeming with Cheetahs - an animal that I missed to see!  Tarangire is known for its elephants, and I saw at least 100 of them in a span of 2 hours! The african elephants with their distinctly shaped ears are huge!!   I was lucky to sight another lioness, this time in Tarangire. Looked like she was tracking some wild boar (Pumba, from The Lion King ) but the commotion around her by the vehicles meant they got alerted and ran away. Makes me wonder if they can get any hunting done at all with so many tourists thronging the place. Signing off from Tarangire with this picture of thirsty monkeys drinking from the lake.  I was then dropped off at Anthony's lodge for the night, and he had helped me arrange bus tickets for early next morning to Dar Es Salaam, from where I would be flying back to India. I ended up oversleeping and Anthony dragged a dazed me out of slumber and dropped me at the bus station himself on his bike. Regretfully, I noticed on landing in India (last week of Feb) that there were still very limited temperature checks done on international travelers, and I was among those who were just waved through! Considering that Tanzania started doing these checks when I landed there, it makes me wonder if our government should have been more prudent. This brings me to the end of my travelogue, and thanks to everyone who reached till the end patiently, hopefully I was a good storyteller! Thanks to Team-BHP for helping me re-live this wonderful vacation! I also know that I'm a bad photographer - honestly I didn't take many photos as I never intended to write a travelogue. All the jerky gifs that are there here were my Instagram stories during the trip! If anybody is planning to make the same trip, do feel free to get in touch, I can help you with hacks, advice and places to stay! Last edited by RubberGuru1113 : 23rd July 2022 at 19:07. |
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25th July 2022, 07:13
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25th July 2022, 08:44
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| Distinguished - BHPian   | Re: Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania Quote:
I probably might reach out to you later during the year; but could you share some info on the overall costs break-up (flights, safari, etc.) to get an indicative idea. Also how early did you have to book to get the rates you got and so on. | |
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25th July 2022, 10:13
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25th July 2022, 11:33
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25th July 2022, 12:25
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| Re: Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania Quote:
Quote:
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Flights:- My trip was completely off the cuff and unplanned - and that actually worked out cheap. The flights cost me Rs 25k for the round trip from Bombay, but that was pre-covid, I had booked the flights just 15 days before my departure date. Post Covid, it is more like 35k~40k even when booked a month in advance. Stay:- Like I said, I only had a booking for the first 3 days when I reached there, that was also for the purpose of someone in Immigration asking me (which they didn't). Booking far in advance doesn't make much of a difference, especially for budget hostels. In fact it's the opposite. If a hostel has free beds, and you go directly to their counter, they would give you a ~5% discount off the price that is shown on Booking.com. Even if saving 5% is not that important to you, I'd suggest that you go there and experience different hostels, that way you get to meet different people. In spite of the heavy tourist traffic, there are many hostels and there is no danger of having no place to stay. What I would do is walk to the counter and make 2 day reservations, and extend my booking each extra day that I need. The receptionist would inform me when there are 3 or fewer beds left at which point I'd take a call to either extend my booking or leave to the next place I stayed in shared dormitory rooms almost for the entire trip, which today would cost you Rs 1200-1400 per night in Zanzibar. A private room for 2 costs INR 2000~2500 in budget hotels. In mainland Tanzania, the cost is halved compared to Zanzibar. So in Arusha, a dorm bed would be INR~500 and a cheap private room can be booked for as cheap as INR 700~1000. However, I'd exhort you to stay at Savannah House (where the Proprietor, Anthony, was such a huge help and did everything for me - Safari, bus tickets, pick up, drop, etc.). He has private rooms starting at ~1800 INR. Pick-ups from the airport (which is 40+km away) would be charged heftily, so I just got a bus to the city from the airport. Intra-city and Local travel I took Dala Dalas everywhere and it cost me peanuts. Zanzibar is a fairly large island that measures ~50 km East to West and ~100 km North to South. Dala Dalas connect all the important spots in the island. Taxis would typically charge upwards of 30~40 USD for a 40~50 km trip like Stone Town to Paje. There is no Uber in Zanzibar or Arusha whereas it is widely available in Dar Es Salaam. For short distances that aren't in the Dala Dala route but too long to walk (like 4~5 km), there is the Boda Boda - bike taxis. They would charge ~200 INR for these distances. I never had to use one of these in the entire trip however, but with the caveat that I was ok with walking upto 1.5 km. Usually these Boda Boda guys are hanging around the Dala Dala stops, waiting to take tourists from the stops to their hotels. Inter-city travel Like I mentioned, even with an advance booking, flights within the country are expensive - upwards of US$100. The alternatives are buses and ferries which are far cheaper. I took an A/c volvo bus from Arusha to Dar Es Salaam for ~800 INR. The ferry from Dar to Zanzibar costs US$35 but I chose to fly instead. Meals Most budget hostels have breakfast included in their price. I mostly ate street food, which cost 50~100 INR per meal. Good upmarket restaurants cost INR 600~1000 per meal. Safari I literally booked my safari the previous evening at 6PM and I started at 6AM the next day. Like I mentioned, a day's safari each of Ngorongoro and Tarangire together cost me US$320. Lake Manyara National Park would cost you another US$150 and Serengeti (2-day safari) US$350 These were 2020 prices, but you could Whatsapp Anthony (+255 757 757 928) to check for the latest rate, it would be maybe 10-15% more in 2022. Again, what matters more is through whom you book than how early you do it. If you're in a group, I'd suggest maybe 2 weeks in advance (so that you can do the safari together). If you're alone, you could very well do it last minute. If you have specific requirements - Vegan food, more comfortable tents than what I had posted - it would cost a bit more. Scuba Diving While the dive sights and underwater views are beautiful, a PADI course costed me US$500 in Zanzibar while in Malaysia or Thailand it would be no more than US$300. Honestly, I wish I had saved that money as I had way more fun snorkeling. | |||
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26th July 2022, 07:50
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26th July 2022, 10:28
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26th July 2022, 11:14
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| Re: Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania Quote:
Having said that, Kenya used to have frequent terror attack in the 2000s, but the situation now is faaaaar more stable and all the increased security apparatus is still in place. For example, I remember one of the tourists I met during my trip saying that there’s a vehicle and baggage check a full 2km before the Nairobi airport terminal. I would take all the precautions that I took in Tanzania (and would take in India as well, in places like Delhi/Gurgaon) - avoiding overnight driving/road trips, keeping a constant check of my pockets and belongings, and sticking to crowded areas during evenings/late nights. All the must visit places in Kenya are pretty safe - Nairobi, Maasai Mara, Mombasa, Lamu, etc. | |
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30th July 2022, 10:08
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30th July 2022, 20:57
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| BHPian Join Date: Jul 2022 Location: Gurgaon
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| Re: Into the Wild | Zanzibar & Tanzania Quote:
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