Tanzania

Visited: March 2005

Duration of visit: 9 days

Capital city: Dar es Salaam

Population: 40 million (2005)

Tanzania travel blog 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 where the original nomination as Heaven in peace is not valid any more.
• Zanzibar Island – a highlight of Tanzania, known for its spices, sandy beaches, and tropical ambience.
• Unique architecture that culminates in elaborately carved wooden doors in Stone Town.
• Another scary dentist experience in Africa.

Tanzania is home to some of Africa’s best and largest national parks, the beautiful island of Zanzibar, the continent’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the world’s second-largest lake, Lake Tanganyika. It 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 more than a year of traveling and seeing so many places, countries, landscapes, and cultures, I had only one destination in mind when I crossed the border from Kenya – Zanzibar.

I skipped the safari trips because I had already visited Masai Mara National Park and three other parks in Kenya. I’m not really into mountaineering, so climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was never on my list. Besides, my finances had been in the red for quite some 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.

Dar es Salaam doesn’t provide many landmarks, attractive places to visit or interesting things to do besides the fish market, Kariakoo market, and a few museums. The markets have a lively, chaotic atmosphere with fabrics, baskets, fragrant spices, fresh fruits, vegetables, fish and seafood. Early in the morning is the best time to visit, when fishermen unload their catch and the auctions are at their busiest.

Dar es Salaam usually serves as a starting point for trips to nearby islands, beaches, and shopping spots.

The ferry trip to Zanzibar main island was comfortable, straightforward and efficient. The island is separated from mainland Tanzania by a channel that is just 36.5 km wide at its narrowest point.

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.

Zanzibar is famous for its carved wooden doors with bas-reliefs and brass studs.

I noticed that most of the major historical buildings and landmarks are on the seafront or very close to it: old sultans’ palaces, forts, churches, mosques, and other important buildings. I visited the Old Fort and did some window-shopping at Darajani Bazaar. Then I mingled with local life at Jaws Corner, a community square where people meet in the early morning 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 km long and 39 km wide, covering 1,464 km², so there’s plenty to explore. Public transport is cheap and easy to use, but rather slow. I rented a motorbike to reach more remote areas and have the freedom to stop wherever I wanted.

The distances aren’t very short, and some roads are in poor condition. Travelling on soft sand can be tricky with unreliable scooters. I chose an off-road bike, which was fairly cheap but gave me a 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 to visit 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 spend two weeks enjoying national parks, exploring picturesque villages, Tanganyika Lake, and other attractions. There are plenty of things to do and highlights to see. I expect to revisit Tanzania at some point to explore further and visit places that weren’t part of my journey in 2005.