Zanzibar Islands aka: Spice Islands, Zanzibar Archipelago

So much history, interesting architecture, not touristy, beautiful beaches, water, markets, harbour, wooden doors. Great fishing, interesting people.

I saw a National Geographic special about a football team from from Zanzibar about 5 years ago and have wanted to go ever since.

Very relaxing

This place is absolutely without a doubt paradise on earth. Also, it has special meaning for me because it is the place I was when I found out I was pregnant with my first child, a joyous day.

I took a cruise along the eastern coast of Africa several years ago. Zanzibar was one of our stops. I had always heard of Zanzibar, the spice trade, and just what an exotic place it was. This made me quite eager for the visit.

The city was a very interesting blend of African and Arab influences. I toured the House of Wonders, which was well worth the visit. The architecture of many of the buildings reflected the Arab influence as did the dhows which still sailed the waters around the island even then.

The only thing that put me off about Zanzibar was the fact that it was difficult to get around at times near the waterfront, as there were so many people there who were begging from us.

I ALMOST went to zanzibar! I was in dar es salaam and really really wanted to go, planned it out a little, then found out we weren’t “allowed” to go there because of some safety concern…I ended up going to mikumi national park instead, which was amazing, but I still can’t believe I was SO close but no zanzibar :-P

so now i’m determined to go.

zanzibar is incredibly beautiful. while i loved wandering around stone town and meeting locals, my favorite part of my trip was the visit to chumbe island. it’s a un heritage site, and the island is surrounded by amazing coral reefs that are now being protected. moreover, locals are getting involved in this project and educating future generations about preserving these wonderful natural resources. while it’s pricier to stay overnight on the island because there are only 7 bungalows, it is definitely worth it. the island has a beautiful beach, and a lighthouse that offers views of tanzania and the indian ocean. in addition to this, the island is full of all kinds of wild life, especially coconut crabs. the people we met who worked on the island were so committed to educating tanzanians, and it is amazing how much they have been able to accomplish in such a limited amount of time. this is really one of the most amazing places i’ve ever been…

for more information, please look at: http://www.chumbeisland.com/, or feel free to contact me!

SO FUN and SO AMAZING.
if you love being off the beaten path, find a small beach village and not a resort kind of place.
One of my favorite places in the WORLD
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imnewtryme/sets/156282/

This is the coolest name of a place in the world because it has two “z’s” in it. “S” is my favorite letter but “z” is my favorite letter for some words and to write. It would be so cool to live there and write letters to people and write “Zanzibar” as the address. I wish I could live there or at least visit there long enough to write some letters. My ultimate dream would be to live there and have a friend in Mozambique.

I’d chill out, after climbing to the Roof of Africa!