Zanzibar (Unguja)

After two relatively short flights, we arrived in Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar archipelago.

Outside the airport, we were greeted by numerous helpful taxi drivers who wanted to take us to the city for a minimum fare of $15.

Since this seemed a bit much for the only 7.5 km to our accommodation and we had enough time, we did some research and discovered the Dala Dala’s.

This way, we were able to travel to the city for the equivalent of $0.32.

Unfortunately, the start and end points of these shared taxis are not well marked, which is why we had to be taken from the bus station to the hotel by two motorcycle taxis. This was kindly arranged for us by the Dala Dala cashier. In the end, we still arrived at our hotel in Stonetown for just $1.93, which was significantly cheaper and, above all, much more of an adventure.

We didn't like the city itself that much; it was primarily because we found it too stressful and hectic and we didn’t want to be approached by all the “vendors”.

So we rented a scooter and visited two beautiful beaches in the south of the island.

The traffic is, as we know from Vietnam, particularly chaotic in the cities, and the last few meters to our destination are often rocky or sandy. After a while, it becomes fun to weave through the gaps with the other two-wheelers.

In the evening, we then headed north to our new accommodation.

Since we had good experiences with the Dala Dala’s before, we tried it again.

For $6.84 ($2.80 for Dala Dala & $4.02 for Tuk Tuk), we again stayed well below the quoted taxi price of $40.

This time, the 1.5-hour ride was a real experience. Whenever we thought the bus was full, another 5 people got on. We were lucky to have a seat and unjustly worried about our backpacks.

Upon arriving in Nungwi, we still went on a snorkeling trip to Tumbatu Island. Unfortunately, the beaches and reefs there are no longer in optimal condition due to a lot of trash and overfishing.

Although we were somewhat affected by jellyfish stings and a middle ear infection, we still enjoyed snorkeling and walking on the beach.

The next days in the resort were then accordingly more relaxed as we treated ourselves well.