Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

05 October 2024

3-minute read

A little over 3 hours away from Johannesburg by flight, just off the east coast of Africa lies the beautiful island of Zanzibar. With stunning beaches, perfect weather and friendly people, it is an affordable holiday destination. Br Mazaher, a manager at the TUI Blue Bahari Resort in Zanzibar shared some of the details of the beautiful island he calls home.

Life began in Zanzibar over twenty thousand years ago. The island of Zanzibar, formerly known as Unguja, has a rich history starting with the spice trade and the slave trade. It evolved into a key trading hub for Africa, Arabia and Asia, and was controlled by the British, the Omanis and the Portuguese before gaining independence in 1963. Following independence, Zanzibar joined their government with the mainland country of Tanzania, although they do remain autonomous.

The best beaches are situated on the North and North-East of the island around the areas of Nungwi and Mnembe up to Pwani-Mchangani, with clear warm waters and a variety of water sports like jet-skiing, snorkeling, diving, kite-surfing, kayaking, and many more. Swimming with turtles is popular in Nungwi and swimming alongside dolphins takes place in Mnembe.

Because of the tropical climate, Zanzibar is tourist-friendly throughout the year, with high rainfall being experienced from March to May, and the hottest and most humid period falling in October, November and December. Apart from water activities, chilling at the resorts, touring the spice farms or the spice market in Stone Town, and visiting the caves are other tourist activities one can undertake.

With a mainly Muslim population, Islam is widely practiced in Zanzibar and halal food is found everywhere. There is a fusion of food from biryani and pilaau to local cuisine like Urojo which is a vegetable broth served with accompaniments. A fried bread served with curries is a tasty addition to most meals. The Zanzibari pizza is delicious and for those with an adventurous palate, octopus is a base for a variety of dishes like fried octopus, octopus stew, octopus curry and many others.

Zanzibar is a very popular place for tourist from all over the world with the majority of tourists coming from Germany, Italy and the mainland Tanzania, and it is also frequented by South Africans. The modes of transport generally used are taxis and shuttle buses that go from one point of the island to the other. A much cheaper option is the local taxi called the Dala-Dala which is like an open mini-bus and can load a large number of people.

With so much to do, see and taste, Zanzibar is definitely an island of dreams and place you would want to add to your bucket-list.

Listen to the full interview on the Travel Segment with Ml Ibrahim Daya and Ml Muhammad Kara.