We ended our trip with a few days in beautiful Zanzibar. It’s important to be mindful of the change in culture as you travel to Zanzibar as it’s not the typical beach vacation you may have in mind. You are encouraged to be more modest when enjoying the sunshine and warm water of the Indian Ocean. I wore a swimsuit cover that also covered my shoulders. While swimming, you are welcome to strip down to your suit and enjoy the water. It doesn’t hurt to keep covered so you prevent yourself from burning as well.
We had one night in Stonetown before continuing north to the Nungwi beach area. In Stonetown, it was nice to experience the bustling city, close access to the beach, as well as night markets to enjoy some fresh seafood. On our way north, we stopped to try out a Spice Tour. I would highly recommend one if visiting Zanzibar. We again, brought our rainy blessings and our spice tour guides did their best to show us all of the plants and fruits on the farm during the storm. We didn’t mind as the rain was warm and tropical. Many of these spices and plants were new to us and we had only seen them in powder form or dried in bags. It was really special to see their origin and how proud these guides were of their product. Our guide, Idi, was knowledgeable and really fun. He had an assistant guide we called Tarzan who was really sweet and creative. He would always climb a tree to get us some fruits to test (why we called him Tarzan). Along the way, he would weave small gifts for us from palm leaves and flowers. He made me a ring, bracelet, necklace and crown. He made a tie for my husband, bracelet and crown. We were the King and Queen of spice by the end of the tour! We had the opportunity to try some fresh fruits and buy spices directly from the company. I was excited to take them home and try to replicate the Tanzanian soup I had come to love.
We continued north to enjoy our time on the beach for the next day and a half. We arrived early afternoon and took a walk up the beach to a turtle aquarium. We learned about how they were working hard to save the sea turtles and return them to the sea when they are strong. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at our hotel, Flametree Cottages, that was right next to the beach. It was still a bit rainy that evening so we didn’t see the sunset, but it was still beautiful. The next morning, we woke early to take a ride on horses at sunrise. I love riding horses every chance I get and try to do it whenever I travel. I did some research and a newer stable had opened up about a year ago called Zanzibar Horse Club. They had some pretty happy horses and it was special to ride on the beach. Our guides were very kind and we really enjoyed the experience.
We signed up for a few other activities directly with the hotel and our next one was snorkeling. Two guides took us out on their boat to snorkel for a bit at Kendwa Coral Garden.This was our first time in the Indian Ocean - it was lovely and warm! The snorkeling was a bit cloudy which I think was because of the rain storm the day before. Even so, we did see lots of fish and enjoyed swimming around and exploring the reef. On the journey back to the hotel, our guides offered to sail. It was amazing to see how they used their mast and sails to pivot as they changed directions. These men were strong and talented. We had a great outing with them. Our next scheduled event at the hotel was henna and a massage for my husband. They had a lovely outdoor massage table and they were able to do my henna next to him. We had some time to enjoy the sunshine and pool before our sunset cruise at 5 PM. This was similar to our snorkel sail, but we had a beautiful setting sun to enjoy. This sunset definitely made up for the night before and it was a glorious way to say goodbye to beautiful Tanzania. We packed our days full at the beach but it was still lovely and relaxing. It was nice to walk a bit and stretch our legs after being in the car and on safari. We enjoyed all our activities and I would recommend them to anyone to enjoy your beach days and last bit of time in Tanzania to the fullest.
Adventure Life is always an excellent choice when planning complicated, extreme, or exotic vacations or expeditions. They provide friendly professional services and advice and are enthusiastic and encouraging in helping us to prepare and thoroughly enjoy our trip. They handle all the details which greatly reduces the stress of planning a difficult trip. I'm very impressed with Adventure Life and definitely recommend them to friends and family.
Scott Trochim
2 days ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
4 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
5 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.