Tanzania

Visited: March 2005

Duration of visit: 9 days

Capital city: Dar es Salaam

Population: 40 million (2005)

Estimated reading time: 7 minutes

• The last stop on my African Big Tour – overland trip from Europe offered me a final retreat, before returning home.
• Dar es Salaam – the largest East African city with high growth offers a mix of African, Arabic, and Indian cultures, while the original nomination as heaven in peace is not valid any more.
• Zanzibar Island – the island of spices, sandy beaches, tropical ambience, but also the old Stone Town, that offers unique architecture that culminates in elaborately carved wooden doors.
• Another scary dentist experience in Africa.

Tanzania is home to many of the best and biggest national parks in Africa, magic island of Zanzibar, the tallest mountain in Africa – Mount Kilimanjaro and the second largest lake in the World – Tanganyika. Tanzania is also famous for having more than 30% of its land protected as national parks and being the largest country in East Africa.

In contrast Tanzania is one of the 15 poorest nations in the world, where two-thirds of the population live below the internationally recognized income poverty line.

Tanzania represented the last country on my long trip overland from Slovenia, through the Balkans, Middle East, North and East Africa – the African Big Tour.

After over a year of travelling, witnessing an extensive range of different sights and passing through various countries, landscapes, attractions and cultures, I had only one destination in my mind, when crossing the border from Kenya: Zanzibar.

I ignored wild animals’ safaris opportunities, since I visited Masai Mara NP and three other parks in Kenya, where I spotted the Big five game animals and majority of other African animals several times. I’m not really into mountaineering, so Mount Kilimanjaro was never on a bucket list. My finances had been in red for a long time.

Dar es Salaam – the largest city in East Africa, with a population of over six million, and the capital of Tanzania, was only a stopover for a boat trip to Zanzibar and flying back home to Europe at the end of my trip. One of the fastest growing cities in the world, an economic center with good sea connections, was founded quite recently in 1865 by the first sultan of Zanzibar, Majid bin Said.

Dar, as it is called, used to be a small fishing village that grew up into one of the biggest ports in the region, influenced by African, Arabic and Indian cultures. There is not much left from Heaven in peace, what would be the English translation of its name.

What does Dar offer to visitors?

Beside some museums, excursions to nearby island, beaches and shopping opportunities, fish market and Kariakoo market, it can provide vibrant, chaotic atmosphere to capture some colorful photos. Fabrics, baskets, fragrant spices, fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood are on display.

Especially in the early morning, when fishermen offload their catch, the auction to local restaurants, supermarkets and general public is at its height.

The ferry ride to Zanzibar main island was comfortable, straightforward and efficient. The island is separated from the Tanzanian mainland by a channel which, at its narrowest point, is only 36.5 km across.

The capital, Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja, offered me the first touch with Spice Island, which has recently been promoted as a prime all-year tourist destination with magical sandy beaches, friendly people and relaxed atmosphere. Beside tourism, the main industries are spices and raffia palm; cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and black pepper being the main products.

The historic center of the capital city, Stone Town, a World Heritage Site, was my first sightseeing destination on the island.

The name Stone Town comes from the ubiquitous use of reddish warm colored coral stone as the main construction material. Stone Town was a flourishing center of spices and slave trade in the 19^th century.

Its architecture, mostly dating back two centuries, reflects the diverse influences underlying the Swahili culture, with a unique mixture of Arab, Persian, Indian and European elements. A maze of narrow alleys lined by houses, shops, bazaars and mosques define the heart of the historic center.

Traditional buildings usually possess a baraza, a long stone bench along the outside walls, which is used as an elevated sidewalk that is very practical as a bench to sit down, rest and socialize. In case of heavy rains during the rainy season, when streets are impassable, barazas are used as sidewalks. The best-known feature of Zanzibari houses are the finely decorated wooden doors, with rich carvings and bas-reliefs, sometimes with big brass studs of Indian tradition.

Major historical buildings are found on the seafront or very close to it; former palaces of the sultans, fortifications, churches, mosques, and other institutional buildings. I visited the Old Fort, window-shopped at Darajani Bazaar, and mingled on Local Life at Jaws Corner – some kind of community square where locals meet in the early morning hours to socialize, play board games and enjoy a cup of black coffee.

In general, people are very relaxed, easy-going and far from being intrusive. In the town or on the beach, they offer products or services in a very discrete way, pleasantly smiling with charm.

The island is about 85 kms long and 39 kms wide. With an area of 1,464 km² it offers plenty of territory to explore. Public transport is inexpensive, easy to use, but rather slow. I rented a motorbike to reach more remote areas and have freedom to stop wherever I wanted.

The distances are actually not so small and some roads are not in very good conditions. Driving in soft sand could be challenging with unreliable scooters. I opted for and off-road bike, which was rather inexpensive, but assured me comfortable ride on all surfaces.

The main reason to visit the island of Zanzibar is to enjoy the natural beauties: sandy beaches, palm trees and tropical forest, combined with hospitality of locals and delicious food. One of the best places for traditional food tasting is an open-air food market in Jubilee Gardens of Stone Town, in front of its most famous buildings, Old Fort and House of Wonders. Vendors sell mostly Swahili and Zanzibari cuisine, with international touch, such as samosas, seafood and kebabs.

The only element that mildly diminished the fabulous experience of Zanzibar was my toothache. It is about the same tooth that was repaired months earlier during the same African Big Tour in Luxor (Egypt).

When I stepped through the office doors of the most prestigious dentist in Zanzibar, it never occurred to me to entrust myself to this magician for any procedure. I immediately let him know that I just wanted to ease the pain for the next 10 days until arriving home to my personal dentist.

No problem!

He gave me some painkillers and assured that everything will be OK soon. Since the pain did not subside even three hours later, I returned to his dental clinic for additional help. He immediately prescribed an injection for pain relief. When I wanted to sit down on the chair, he told me, all surprised, that he would not give me the injection. This is a task for a nurse in the neighboring surgery room.

I moved into the neighboring surgery room and two minutes later I get an injection in my buttocks!

I needed at least 10 minutes before I could even stand up and walk back to the hotel with my painful butt. The toothache stopped only three days later.

Another unique experience in Africa!

I was tired of Africa at the end of my long overland trip from Europe. Apart from seeking relaxation on the beaches of Zanzibar, my sole desire was to return home. As a result, I didn’t explore Tanzania in depth, as someone might do, when considering the country as an individual destination.

It is quite feasible for anyone to easily dedicate two weeks to visiting national parks, exploring picturesque villages, Tanganyika lake and other attractions. I expect to revisit Tanzania at some point to explore further and visit places that were not part of my journey in 2024.