Zanzibar

WHY WE WENT

Zanzibar was a part 3 of our Honeymoon - for more, see here and here.

As a wedding gift, a generous family friend gave us money to put towards travel so we used it to pamper ourselves for a few nights in Zanzibar.

HOW LONG WE STAYED

Our honeymoon was 3 weeks in total, from December 24, 2013 to January 18, 2014. We spent bout 5 days in Zanzibar.

WHO WENT

Dave and Ana, as newlyweds.

WHERE WE WENT

For our honeymoon, we spent 3 days in the Nairobi Area, 11 days on a camping safari through Kenya and Tanzania, 5 days in Uganda, and finally, 5 days in Zanzibar.

HOW WE DID Zanzibar

We spent two days in Stone Town and then headed to a beach in the north part of the island for a few days.

Time change

There’s a 7 hour time difference from Toronto but this didn’t matter then.

Transportation

We strolled the narrow streets of Stone Town and then hired a car to take us north to the beach. Our arrangements were conveniently made through the hotel.

Note: It’s important to hire a reputable car that can get you through police checks safely i.e. pay them off to let you pass.

Accommodations

In Stone Town we stayed in a cute hotel with an amazing rooftop patio where we watched the sunset and ate delicious food each night.

At Mnarani Beach Cottage, we stayed in a haven reserved for newlyweds that offered an exclusive stretch of beach, an outdoor bed, swaying hammocks, and a vigilant security guard, that ensured we weren’t bothered by vendors (though I did bypass a few).

Our days

I loved Stone Town - from Freddie Mercury's house to the amazing food night market and beautiful Prison Island, where we snorkeled and visited giant tortoises. We also enjoyed a spice tour that led us to a local's home where she treated us to an incredible and authentic lunch.

Once we got to our beach resort we finally did a whole lot of lounging (in and out of the water) and reflecting on our time in Africa. We went scuba diving, enjoyed delicious seafood and relaxing massages!