ZANZIBAR…copyright Geof Prigge
geofprigge@yahoo.com.au
www.geofprigge.com
Zanzibar, the enchanting spice island off the Tanzanian coast, is home not only to a wonderful selection of spices, but also to palm-fringed white sandy stretches of beach and a turquoise sea, the waters filled with dolphins, manta rays, marlin and sailfish. To top it off, there’s a coral reef almost as spectacular as the world famous Great Barrier Reef in Australia.
As well, and perhaps because of these factors, it has become a home for ex-patriots from many European countries and beyond. The lesser known region of Paje on the east coast has in the past few years attracted a number of Italians, Swedish and British, keen to escape the cold of their homelands and able to establish businesses right beside the beaches of this near deserted region. Up until 1995, there was virtually no tourism as such here.
To the north, the popular resort area of Nungwi contrasts greatly with the laid-back Paje coast. Dozens of resort hotels, bars, restaurants and handicraft shops lure tourists from afar in much the same manner as the ivory and spice trade used to in the past. Nungwi is known as a backpacker haven, but the proliferation of hotels and bars and so on, built right next to and on top of each other, makes the laid-back Paje region much more appealing for a true getaway. There is a variety of accommodation, but for the young and young-at-heart, Paje by Night with its eccentric Italian owner Marco is the place to be. Bungalows with private facilities and the best music and pizza on the island make this the number one choice around Paje.
Slightly more up-market is the Paje Ndame Village +255 747 865501 www.ndame.info where hosts Lisbeth and Jan make everyone feel at home.
To the north the Pongwe Beach Hotel +255 748 336181 www.pongwe.com is a true oasis set in remote gardens and entirely on its own.
Further north at Matemwe Beach is the Matemwe Beach Village +255 242 238374 www.matemwebeach.com Their motto is no shoes - no news, and this sort of says it all. Once you’re there, the world seems a long way away.
The island has had a colourful history, much of it associated with the sea. For centuries dhows have sailed to distant lands with produce and returned with the goods needed for life on the island. In 1887 The German East African Company was established and began trading. Nowadays, dhows sail to Asia with grain and return with timber, fabrics and electronics.
As well as long trading voyages though, locals enjoy displaying their sailing skills by racing the dhow competitively between the mainland and the island. Some of the industrious sailors, in an attempt to earn good money, don snorkelling gear after the races and dive for octopus, using them as bait to lure lobsters which fetch high prices by the tourist hotels. Recently, 1500 year old Italian coins were found by such divers, and over the years Chinese ceramics too have been discovered lying on the seabed as the divers manoeuvre to catch their prey. Bringing such booty to the surface ensures the divers of a good bonus.
Zanzibar offers the visitor more than most people expect. From the labyrinth of streets and alleyways of Stone Town to the laid-back beach atmosphere of Paje, to the neighbouring islands of Pembe and Mafia, life here ranges from the culturally exotic to the simply stunning. Spice, sails and nature combine to make Zanzibar and her neighbouring islands a rich and heady mixture of history and culture in a setting of tranquil paradise.
Exotic wildlife is everywhere, in the sea and on land. The rare red colobus monkey can be seen not only in the Jozani forest, but elsewhere across the island as well.
Less than 10 kilometres off the shores of Stone Town, Zanzibar’s capital, lies yet another gem, Chumbe Island, home to the first marine park in Tanzania and the first privately managed marine park in the world. Phone +255 242 231040 and website is www.chumbeisland.com
By day, visitors can enjoy snorkelling amongst 200 species of pristine coral and over 400 species of fish, lobsters, turtles and dolphins. Ashore there are gardens of fossilised corals, giant baobab trees and lush mangrove forests. By night you can watch the antics of the world’s largest crabs, the giant coconut crabs as they climb the coconut trees to the very top.
Everything on Chumbe Island is designed to protect the island’s fragile nature. Beautiful palm thatched bungalows are constructed entirely of local materials and are eco-friendly. Each bungalow catches, filters and solar-heats its own water and has solar lighting. The park is a model for sustainability and has won several global tourism awards.
A visit to Zanzibar is not complete without a trip to Stone Town. Walk around the streets and alleyways and you’ll see two millennia of history unfold before your eyes. Architecturally the mix is stunning, with Arabic, Indian, European and African influences. At night the wonderful Taarab music is not to be missed. Traditionally accompanied by an orchestra of at least twenty five musicians, Taarab singers recite from memory poems on love and romance in poignant and subtle verses.
For a truly memorable evening, visit Emerson and Green for the dinner of a lifetime…book at least one week in advance and if possible stay there as well. They have ten suites, all of them with special themes, like fantastic views from sunken baths! Every night the restaurant features different music, including Taarab. The owner is Francesca Bensa, an Italian who has lived in Africa for 17 years, firstly in South Africa, then Zimbabwe, Uganda and finally here in Zanzibar. Her email is emerson&green@zitec.org and website www.emerson-green.com
Often referred to as ‘one of the most extraordinary eating venues of the world’, the restaurant is set above the rooftops of Zanzibar looking one way to the harbour and the setting sun and to the east the rising moon.
Zanzibar, the name says it all – haven of peace.
