As you may have realised by now, we love East Africa and all the travel opportunities it provides tourists and locals looking to enjoy the beauty of this part of the world. But you shouldn't take our word for it, which is why we enjoy sharing stories of others who have visited East Africa and can give you an authentic take on their stay in the region. To really give you first-hand experience of Zanzibar from the eyes of a visitor we've got an amazing post from one of our community members who recently took a trip to the Island of Zanzibar.
Introductions are in order
A quick introduction to who we are.
A couple of travel enthusiasts, who hail from Brisbane, Australia, that are trying to master the art of the work/life balance! We work hard and play even harder. We are making the most of any new adventure that comes our way.
We have blown out plenty of thongs and worn out many shoe soles in the process, hence our name Four Worn Soles!
Check out our blog for more adventures.
Here for the beer
Hi, my name is Gerard, and I love the feeling of being outside my comfort zone. I prefer to visit and experience countries and cultures different from my own. Street BBQ is probably my favourite food ever, and I consider myself to be a foreign beer tasting enthusiast.
In saying that, my only travel regret was buying non-alcoholic beer on Easter Island! Africa is my favourite continent to visit. Which brings us to the following blog about our Zanzibar adventure.
Zanzibar, not the bar I'm used to visiting
So recently we got to visit the beautiful island of Zanzibar that I would like to share some photos from the trip.
Zanzibar used to be a significant trade hub in this part of the world.
And it is where the Swahili language all began. The different traders from Arabia, India and Tanzania needed a language that they could all understand and communicate with each other. This is how Swahili was born.
We started in Dar Es Salam and caught the two-hour ferry over to Zanzibar.
Our first stop was Stone Town.
This old city is filled with tiny streets. It's kind of like a maze cause they all look the same. It is super easy to get lost!
One thing that does stand out is the cool looking doors everywhere. They have spikes on them, which is an Indian influence. It was used to keep the elephants out and not rub themselves on the doors.
The old Arabic fort. Zanzibar was the major slave trading spot when the Arabs had control over the island.
This fort has an amphitheatre and is now home to all of the tourist treasures.
We are then headed to the house where Freddie Mercury grew up. Zanzibar is an Islamic state as being gay is illegal here. So they say that he was a very flamboyant singer.
The sunset bar is a must when visiting Stone Town. Enjoy a cold beer as the sun sets over the ocean.
As we left the bar, the smell of street food was in the air. The night markets were kicking off, and all the seafood and meat sticks were available on the BBQ.
The next morning we were up early to visit Prison Island before the crowds hit.
Fun fact
Prison Island was never a prison. Although it ended up being a quarantine for people with yellow fever.
We headed down to the beach to find our boat "The Gladiator. "Jumped on board and set sail.
Thirty minutes later we arrive at the beautiful white sand and only two other boats on the shore.
So it was an excellent decision to leave early in the morning.
Now one thing I didn't mention is that Prison Island is now home to around 200 tortoises!!
These ancient dinosaurs were incredible to see in real life. And we got to feed them lettuce!
Just watch your fingers.
On the Rock
Our next mission was to the Rock restaurant on the entire another side of the island. One and a half hours later, we arrive!!
Restaurant perched on top of a rock in the ocean.
Not only was this a scenic spot, but the seafood platter was on point!
After lunch, our next stop was a "sea turtle rehabilitation centre."
Which is a natural lagoon that is tidal with the sea? So this is home to the 30 plus rescued green sea turtles.
All these turtles have been saved from fishing nets and are kept here until they recover.
Now you can feed these turtles and even go for a swim with them. Now I'm not sure how good this is for their rehabilitation. But it sure was a refreshing experience to be able to swim with all of these turtles.
Chasing the sunset
Then our final destination for the day was Sunset Bungalows at Nungwi beach. Right up the top of Zanzibar Island. We made it just in time for the sunset.
The following morning we had a buffet breakfast on the beach.
Then we headed out for a morning of swimming and snorkelling on a boat.
Unfortunately, snorkelling visibility was not too good. The water was rough with high swells. So we just spent the rest of our time swimming and jumping off the boat, before we headed back. It was so much fun!
The rest of the day was spent relaxing in hammocks.
Hitting cruising altitude
Then it was time for the BOOZE CRUISE!!!
Now the booze cruise was the goods. There were only five of us with all you can drink alcohol for two hours! As if it wasn't going to get messy haha.
We had our band and enough room for dancing and drinking.
A lot of beer, local gin and rum were consumed. Watching the sunset as we sailed along the northern coast of Zanzibar.
Then a quick swim in the beautiful turquoise water before we had to head back.
Another fantastic day in the books!!
An Aussie approved paradise
This place sure is paradise! I would highly recommend a trip to Zanzibar. We got to do all of this in just three days. Would have loved to spend a few more here though 🙂
For more Africa adventure adventures check out our blog.
