Paradise Island. Zanzibar. Tanzania
My connotation with Zanzibar has always been an exotic paradise in the Indian Ocean. Long, white sandy beaches, lush greens, turquoise blue water, exotic fruits, spices and friendly smiles on people’s faces. So after an amazing wildlife safari in Tanzania I went to do a reality check on paradise island.
The long stretch of white beaches are the best I have seen so far (including the likes of Caribbean and Sardinia). Here, on the southeast side, I had the beach at times for myself.
It’s a shame this “tourist office” was closed. I would have loved to meet Mr Good Price and get some firsthand tipps for my island tours.
Breezes Beach Club is a gem of a resort. Bungalows are nestled into lush green gardens (with coconut trees the milk of which is free), the direct access to the amazing beachfront is an unbeatable asset.
An amazing formation of clouds as seen from the seaside during a reef walk.
Even upmarket accomodation have covered their roofs in local reef style. This gives the guests the feeling of being more close to nature and back to the basics.
On the culinary side, what struck me most in Zanzibar was the broad choice of fresh exotic fruit that tastes incredibly well. Not the sort of stuff we get in the northern hempisphere in our supermarkets. But directly from the source.
Jackfruit of epic size ready to be picked.
Although Zanzibar is nicknamed “Island of Spices”, it is the colourful fresh fruit that dominates local street markets.
This batch of water melons should do for the rest of my stay.
Stonetone is the old part of Zanzibar City, the capital of Zanzibar. It is where Freddy Mercury was born in 1946 and spent his early childhood. In his house, today there is a small but very fine museum located with original song lyrics by him and various memorabilia.
A former hospital built by the British. In Stonetown, the shortest war in history took place on August 27, 1896 between the British and the Sultanat of Zanzibar. It lasted for a full 38 minutes, and the British won.
Along the streets a great variety of colourful artefacts are displayed for sale.
Supply chain logistics in Zanzibar mostly still rely more on human intelligence than on artificial intelligence.
On the last evening at the Breezes Beach resort, the chef prepared a farewell present for me: the biggest lobster I have ever had (caught the same day). The fellow must have had 1.5 kilograms, and was one of my best culinary experiences ever. And that for a laughable 35 US Dollars!
The tides are very strong in this part of the coast. A mile-long guided walk to the outer reef was a unique experience, observing amazing sealife (sea urchins, water snakes, all sorts of fish, etc). What a great finale of my tour of Paradise Island.