Tanzania/Zanizbar/Safari?

[Rosiestraws]

Hi all

I'm pondering a trip to Tanzania, ideally with a stay somewhere where a short safari is possible and then a few days/week or so in Zanzibar on a beach resort. Grateful for any tips/advice/recommendations from anyone who has been?

Not sure if we should get a travel agent involved (have emailed a few) or if we can book it ourselves as cheaper I expect.

Was also pondering the idea of booking the all inc package for 12 nights or so to/from Zanzibar and maybe then just leaving for a few days in the middle for the safari?! Is that crazy?

I've never been anywhere in Africa so it'll be a whole new experience for us - grateful for any help.

Also, if anyone has visiting since Covid then any experiences?

Not quite the same but for our honeymoon in 2011 we flew to Nairobi, did a safari with kicheche (would recommend highly) and then spent a week in Zanzibar in a tiny beach resort which was just lush.

we booked the whole thing through Rainbow Tours in the UK. Not sure they are still going but Kicheche definitely is.

East our best holiday ever. Be warned though, Tanzania is exceedingly poor. Quite shocking really. Kenya otoh seemed quite developed. I imagine Zanzibar is much more developed than when we were there and sadly possibly not in a necessarily positive way.

I can recommend two travel agents, Expert Africa and Yellow Zebra Safari.

I've only been to Zambia so can't help with Tanzania or Zanzibar. Zambia still has masks etc in place in public spaces (eg airports) but once you're on safari you're outside anyway so that doesn't apply.

I don't know what the current situation is with covid in Tanzania but their government was in denial for a very long time:
www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1052

My impression with safari is that you're better to go thru an agent as they have better deals with the safari operators.

Oh I’m checking in for tips, looking at Kenya and possibly Tanzania in 2024. I’m desperate to do giraffe manor

ooh just looked up where we stayed in Zanzibar and it’s still there. Pongwe Beach Resort. Was very small and low key but luscious. Food was limited menu but extremely good. Looking at Google maps there sadly seems to be far more hotels there these days.

ah thanks for the tips so far - Rainbow travel is one of the travel agents I've already emailed...

Also happy to consider other places for the safari (and indeed the beach resort idea) but Tanzania and Zanzibar came up first when I started researching.

Ideally for the beach resort we'd quite like a large resort with all the trimmings (I've looked at Melia Zanzibar separately but only just started looking!)

In terms of a posh resort with all the trimmings, beware. When I was there there were some of those but they literally flew in the staff from abroad, the food came in from abroad, disrupted locals’ water supply, took over farmland etc. Literally harmed the local economy and provided zero jobs. I’d look for somewhere to stay that had an ethical outlook tbh. I could literally see what harm the tourist industry was doing when I was there. Not against tourism at all btw, but not when it doesn’t benefit locals one iota.

I'm not a lot of use to you as I'm a backpacker so don't have any experience of tour agents. But yes, please consider your impact on a poor area of the world. Zanzibar is spectacular, but staying in a big resort with all the trimmings will mean you miss out on a lot. And yes, these places are a drain on local communities rather than a bonus.

There are some really lovely local run places that will enable you to really take in what it's like to be visiting a whole new continent.
I'm not one of those backpackers who spends as little as possible, so I'm not suggesting you do it all on a shoestring. But seriously, you can find a really comfy place with a gorgeous sea view and local activity around and have a great time, without needing a Melia.

Ah ok, something to think about, true. I did like that aspect of the one you pointed out @Frazzled2207 Is there a middle ground? I'm thinking of wanting things like air con and a few different options for dinners/bars etc for all inclusive. Or is this the sort of place where it's cheap enough to not need to do all inclusive!? I assume Zanzibar isn't the sort of place you go out and about for food and drink? I just can't deal with the same place for 3 meals a day and really keen to have the total relaxation vibe at the end of it!

Doing an all inclusive on Zanzibar sounds nuts to me. Again, it's travelling for thousands of miles to a whole new culture and continent, and then shutting yourself away from it.

Seriously, just find yourself a really nice locally run hotel on a beach, maybe with breakfast included (and air con), and then actually walk along the beach or a bit in from it and explore the community and a different restaurant/cafe for lunch and dinner every day.

On a reasonable backpackers budget, I had a chalet on the beach. Every day there were flower petals sprinkled on my bed, and yes! There was a towel swan! I ate every meal at a different place and hired a bike to explore the villages around. It was gorgeous.

I assume Zanzibar isn't the sort of place you go out and about for food and drink?

I don't know why you think that. Both in Stone Town and on the coast, I ate it and about for every meal. From street food stalls to the occasional upscale restaurant.

Are OUT and about, even

There are def some nice restaurants in stone town but away from there I can’t imagine wandering round looking for a restaurant tbh. It’s just poverty everywhere (or was).The hotel i mentioned above had terrific food but what they had that day was whatever the fisherman had caught that day iyswim. Never more than 2 choices, but with only 20 or so couples staying there you got absolutely fabulous and personal service. Yes we ate from exactly the same table all week, though we then stayed in stone town for 2 nights at the end which I’d recommend.

however from what @saraclara said it would appear to have moved on. In simple terms there seems to be more there now so wandering along the beach to the next place is probably more of a thing these days. They were just too spaced apart when I was there and certainly after dark I wouldn’t have felt safe.

it’s a beautiful place with lovely people and well worth exploring on bikes, mopeds etc- we ended up with a clapped out jeep.

“ I just can't deal with the same place for 3 meals a day” seems highly insensitive to me in a place when most of the locals have to work exceedingly hard to be able to eat at all. We were randomly invited into a primary school when we were there (they were after money, specifically US dollars). That was an eye opener.

go by all means but don’t go to an all inclusive - I would put money on almost none of your hard earned cash benefitting the locals in any way.

Im a bit weird. I like the fall back of an all inclusive but to go out and about for lunch and evening drinks at the very least. So breakfast - our all day - back for dinner - put for the evening. Is that doable?

I did the same trip about 15 years ago.

Safari on the mainland including (Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater) then ferry to Zanzibar. Stayed in Stone Town for a couple of nights and the went over to the east coast and stayed at the Zanzibar Retreat hotel in Matwemwe.

We did very similar but 20 years ago. Amazing place, peiple and trip. The poverty is eye opening, take pens for the kids. We did 6 days safari as above, seremgeti, ngoro ngoro crater (incredible place) and one other place. We just booked it ourself with a local safari tour company when we got to Arusha (buy as I say, 20 years ago). We then went to Stone Town for 2 nights and then a beach place for 6 days (where i learnt to dive). Id do it in this order, the safari is tiring and you will appreciate the rest at the end. Id highly recommend this trip. I'm lucky enough to have travelled widely since and it still sticks in my mind as one of the best, memorable and thought provoking holidays we have ever had, if not the most. The poverty is eye opening, as other have said, as most of the country is subsistence living. Outside of Dar Es Alam, local children were very cheerful and happy to see you though, especially if you gave them a pen!

It was 20 years ago now, but we there went for our honeymoon! Stayed at Emerson & Green in Stone Town, and Breezes hotel. I can't remember the hotel in Dar es Salaam we stayed in. It was booked through Scott Dunn who were fab at the time

Thanks for the extra replies. Lots to look into and I'm grateful for any other hotel recommendations to look at.

Just to point out (not that I should have to, as each to their own surely..!?) when we do all inclusives that doesn't mean we stay on the resort and refuse to leave! We like having the options there for food and drinks all being included and for some days we would probably stay there (say 3 out of 5 or 4 out of 7 depending on what we choose) but other days we would go on trips to explore other areas or eat out in local restaurants, should that be appropriate in the place we're staying. Have only just started researching this so still figuring out what might work. The travel agent we've spoken to has suggested some hotels where there are some places nearby that you can go out to for food but also confirmed some of the other hotels would not have anything nearby.

Also, all the bigger hotels help bring in money/ taxes/tourism in general for the country so I don't think they're all bad. I do agree that smaller locally run hotels might do more but it's not always clear cut.

If you want to take useful items check the Stuff Your Rucksack foundation. It lists specific charities in the country you are travelling to and tells you what they specifically need.

Stayed at Emerson & Green in Stone Town, and Breezes hotel

This is exactly where we stayed too - both very nice. Wonder if we were there at the same time? :). Breezes wasn't a massive hotel at the time and I remember they were very vocal about sustainability, even back then when it wasn't as talked about as now. Looking at their website, seems they still are very local focussed and are based mainly in Zanzibar and Africa and appear to have a commitment to providing jobs for local people: www.breezes-zanzibar.com/5047-2/

The Dive crew from there that took me out were all local apart from the instructor and were lovely guys. Our safari guide was also an amazing guy and we still remember and talk about him fondly now.

Don't know if they do AI now though.