Five Reasons You Should Go to Zanzibar Right Now

by Pam Mandel on

I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but I’m looking at a graying sky that will soon turn to rain. Fall is here in Seattle, and soon, we’ll be in the dark, depressive days when when we question our choice of home. Meanwhile, off the coast of Tanzania, the dreamlike islands of Zanzibar await. Surely, you don’t need convincing to head off to the Spice Islands, but if you do, here are five reasons you should stop what you’re doing and book a flight to Zanzibar International Airport right now.

Stone Town is freaking cool. Oh, sure, it’s bit touristy and there are overpriced cocktails and mass produced souvenirs. But there are little alleys to wander, and the famous and beautiful Zanzibar doors with their intricate carvings and metal details. There are cafes where you can get brightly colored tamarind drinks and there’s a lively central market with fish mongers and butchers and produce vendors and oh, wow, saffron is really cheap here. Hey, this is where Freddy Mercury came from, it’s the kind of place that breeds THAT kind of crazy cool.

I’d been told that Stone Town can be sketchy and the locals aggressive towards tourists — I found this was absolutely not the case, people were kind and friendly and helpful and almost absurdly welcoming — I wondered if I hadn’t lived in Stone Town in a previous life.

The beaches are gorgeous. Soft golden sand, turquoise waters, shockingly picturesque dhows (boats) anchored just off shore… the northern beaches are lined with palm trees and kids playing soccer and oh, you’ll share the space with Speedo wearing Italians, but it doesn’t feel crowded and the water is fine, come on in! The tropical waters make for good snorkeling and diving, too.There’s delicious seafood. It’s an island, of course there’s great seafood. Whole fish grilled on open fire. Tuna on skewers with chili dipping sauce. Giant prawns with garlic. Great big crab claws. Dine seaside on a torch lit patio or, if you’re crazy for street food, head to the Forodhani Gardens night market and get the seafood pancake, a crispy fried crepe-like dough with fresh fish, veggies, and an egg mixed in to bind it all together. Yum.

It’s affordable. You can spend 300/night in one of the island’s chic resorts or you can spring for a room in one of Stone Town’s cool renovated buildings (right now, it’s 215 for high season in the best room at Africa House). You can spend that, but there’s no need. Your biggest expense is going to be your plane ticket. Once you’re on the ground, you can also get a double with a shared bath a mere two minute walk to the beach for 20/per person. A nice dinner will set you back 10 dollars, and that includes beer. Again, you can spend more, and certainly Zanzibar has its share of high end tourist offerings. But you don’t have to. Shop around for hotel deals, you’ll find stays that are priced to offset the sting of the airfare.

It’s Zanzibar! Do you need more reason than that? Even the name — Zanzibar — has the pull of the exotic. This is the Spice Islands, for crying out loud. For the change that’s in your pockets right now you can buy fragrant vanilla pods and packets of saffron and coffee seasoned with ginger and cinnamon bark. Zanzibar was a trading post for the Arab world, the Persians were here, and the Sultan of Oman and the Portuguese. David Livingstone had a home here, yes, THAT Livingstone, as in “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” There’s the tragic history of the slave trade and the footprints of great explorers.

Situated at the edge of Africa in a cultural crossroads of African, Persian, Indian, Arab, and European influence, Zanzibar is irresistible. Go because it’s Zanzibar!

My travels to Tanzania, including the excursion to Zanzibar, were hosted by Intrepid Travel. My shiny opinions, however, are really and truly my own and if I could go back to Zanzibar tomorrow, I would. Photo, mine, shortly before sunset at Nungwi.

Heritage sites in Cambodia and Tanzania get preservation grants

by Sean McLachlan on


Two UNESCO World Heritage sites have received major funding to save them from decay, Art Daily reports.

The sites are Phnom Bakheng in Cambodia and Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania. Phnom Bakheng temple is part of the famous Angkor Archaeological Park, which includes Angkor Wat temple complex. Phnom Bakheng was built in the late ninth to early tenth centuries AD.

Kilwa Kisiwani in Tanzania, shown here in this Wikimedia Commons image, is less known but historically important. This trading center was founded at the same time that Phnom Bakheng was being built. The site includes a fort, a grand mosque, palaces, and lots of other buildings. This entrepôt brought together Africans, Arabs, and Europeans and created a blend of cultures that can be seen in its crumbling architecture.

Both sites are feeling the weight of time and are in desperate need of preservation. Phnom Bakheng is in special danger because of the large number of visitors it gets. The World Monuments Fund has received grants for both from U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation to the tune of $450,000 for Phnom Bakheng and $700,000 for Kilwa Kisiwani. The World Monuments Fund is earmarking an additional $150,000 for Phnom Bakheng.

While a world-famous place like Angkor Archaeological Park getting funding isn’t a huge surprise, the fact that a lesser-known but equally important site such as Kilwa Kisiwani is getting preserved is good news. The majority of visitors I’ve met in Africa went there for the wildlife and culture, both of which are fascinating, yet are generally unaware of Africa’s rich and complex history. The lions are lovely and the gazelle are great, but you also need to see the pyramids of Sudan and the cave paintings of Somaliland.

Tanzania Game Reserve at Risk

by Pam Mandel on

First, a highway through the Serengeti, now, a uranium mine in Selous Game Reserve. Tanzania’s plans are drawing the ire of environmentalists, conservationists, and zebra-and-wildebeest huggers around the world. The government is eying Tanzanian game and park lands for developments that are in direct conflict with migrating wildlife, potentially risking their only sustainable economic sector: tourism. From an eTurbo News article:

Tourism is potentially the most important sustainable economic sector for Tanzania. We can make more money over a longer term, and create more jobs, earn more forex, and introduce more investment than mining Uranium in the Selous. The mine might last maybe 25 or 30 years, and the environmental damage will be huge. Once the resource has been plundered, I have really no other description, it will be the same like with our gold deposits. The ‘investors’ will move on and leave us with giant holes in the ground and massive destruction.

The Selous Game Reserve is home to elephants, black rhinos, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles and hundreds of bird species. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site occupying over 20,000 square miles of Tanzanian savanna. Access to the reserve is supposedly tightly managed — there are no permanent structures human habitation allowed — but poaching is still a problem. And there are those valuable minerals in the ground, tempting short term exploration and exploitation with potentially permanent long term consequences. From the UNESCO listing for the Selous Game Reserve:

The most significant threats are related to exploration and extraction of minerals, oil and gas, and large infrastructure plans; environmental impact assessments need to be conducted for all development activities in the vicinity of the property that are likely to have an impact of the property’s Outstanding Universal Value.

A BBC report says that the government is determined to push the uranium mining project though in spite of objections. From the BBC:

…the uranium mining project was in its infancy, but it would only affect about 0.69% of the current World Heritage site park and would be an important source of income for the country

Firms could expect to earn $200m (£125m) each year from mining uranium from the site, of which $5m would be paid to the government…

It’s unclear if the profit is worth the potential long term damage.

Photo by Bierbauer via Flickr (Creative Commons)

Packing for a Camping Safari: What’s in My Bag?

by Pam Mandel on

600 dollars for vaccinations, that’s what I spent in preparation for an upcoming trip to Tanzania. A pile. Still, it’s better than the alternative: getting a near fatal or certainly trip ruining illness. Now that the sticker shock has eased and I’ve got full use of my arm again, I’ve turned to gathering my belongings for an upcoming safari trip.

Here’s a round up of what’s in my bag.

A cotton sleep sack from Cocoon. I’m doing a camping trip; most of the time I’ll be sleeping in a tent. I’m packing my old down bag because it’s lightweight and warm, but I’ve added a sleep sack permeated with insect repellent. It’s good for warmer nights that don’t need a sleeping bag, the few hotels I’ll be in, and I’m all about not getting bitten. Speaking of which…

Serious DEET packed bug repellent. The travel clinic I use recommends Ultrathon from 3M. I’ve got some cream to pack and spray for my clothes — I’ll do that before I pack. My sprayed clothing will be protected for more washings than they’ll get on this trip. The cream is 34% DEET — that’s a lot of DEET, but it works, it really works. I used this same system for Southeast Asia and I did not get bitten once.

Packing cubes: I’m not usually a system packer, but I’d like to keep the dust out of my things just this once. The cubes I’m trying out are from Innate. (I’ve stuffed them inside the bag I reviewed here.) I’m hoping they’ll convert me into an organized packer, if nothing else, they’ll keep my clothes fairly clean, and whoa, is my luggage neatly organized. Sure, my things are crazy wrinkled, but whatever.

A cute sun protection cap. It’s tempting to go all pith helmet on this trip, but I’m a baseball cap wearing kind of girl. Mine comes from Sunday Afternoons. It’s vented, has a drawstring to hold it on in the wind, got 50 UPF (ultraviolet protection) in the fabric, and a little pocket on the inside for holding… um, your hotel card key? Your beer money and ID?It’s also got a split bill which means it packs down flat.A lightweight, mostly second hand wardrobe. There’s a reason you see travelers dressed in khaki and pale green colors. The biting bugs (it’s all about the biting bugs) like dark colors. Pale earth tones? They’re not so interested in those. I have long sleeved shirts — to keep the sun off — and very lightweight pants. The pants are from Ex Officio, I reviewed a few of their products here, but I’m also trying out their BugsAway line.

Running shoes and sandals. I’m always stumped by shoes when I pack. Luckily, there are a bunch of cute new mary-jane styles that come on sturdy hiking type soles nowadays; they’re good enough for dress up in most cases. On this trip, I’m not doing any huge hikes or anything that requires nice footwear. I’m looking at a running shoe/hiker hybrid from LOWA and a pair of Chaco sandals with Vibram soles. I don’t need anything else. Hmm, maybe flip-flops for the shower?

A windstop fleece jacket: Word has it that nights get cold in the bush and the mornings can be a chilly too. I may pack the pocket loaded Valkyrie from Triple Aught Design that I reviewed here, but it’s equally likely that I’ll pack the corporate branded by an out of business start up fleece and just leave it behind.

Still on my wish list? A pair of really good binoculars. New noise cancelling headphones; I’ve got 20 hours of flying each way and mine developed “issues” on my last long haul flight. A rain shell that packs down to almost nothing, just in case. My mom keeps trying to send me one of those vests with all the pockets, I think I’ll let her. A “Swahili for beginners” audio book. I need to pick up some sunscreen and some airplane snacks and all those last minute odds and ends that you end up stuffing in the outside pockets on your pack.

Have you been on safari? Anything you wish you’d packed but didn’t? Besides, you know, a much better camera lens and a past that allows for more luxurious travel in the present?

Photo: Selous River Camp by Willem vdh, Creative Commons/Flickr.

Conservation victory: Serengeti highway plans cancelled

by Sean McLachlan on


Plans to build a paved, two-lane highway through the Serengeti National Park have been canceled.

The road, which was supposed to bring better access to Lake Victoria, will possibly be rerouted further south to avoid having an impact on the Serengeti’s rich wildlife.

There’s already a gravel road across the park, but paving it would have attracted much more traffic and probably fencing. The U.S. government expressed concern, as did UNESCO, after a study showed the project would affect the annual migration of millions of animals that’s one of the wonders of the natural world.

This is a rare victory of common sense over unbridled “development.” It’s also an example of how being eco-friendly can be good for the economy. Tourism generates a major part of Tanzania’s income, and there’s no way a road cutting through the nation’s most valuable natural resource wouldn’t have had a negative impact.

[Photo courtesy D. Gordon E. Robertson]