Family Week in Zanzibar

  Notes from a Tired Dad: A Family Week in Zanzibar That Made Me Reconsider Everything

I didn’t think I’d write about this trip.

Not because it was bad ,far from it but because, honestly, I didn’t expect much to happen. I figured it’d be the usual: tantrums, sunscreen in the eye, running out of wet wipes mid-flight. You know. Parent travel mode.

But this one hit different.

Maybe because we weren’t chasing Wi-Fi. Maybe because no one was trying to make it a “perfect trip.”

Maybe because for once… we just slowed down.

The Lead-Up Was Messy

We almost didn’t go.

Thandi had work stuff piling, Nathi got a fever the week before, and I was deep in “maybe we should just stay home” mode.

But we’d already told the kids. And you know what happens when you tell kids something.

So we booked flights, found one of those Zanzibar packages for families that didn’t need ten spreadsheets to understand, and made peace with the fact that something probably several things  would go wrong.

 Arrival Was Nothing Like I Expected

We got there just before dark. The kind of light where you can still see everything but it’s all gold and slow.

When we stepped off the plane, the heat hit us hard and i mean not in a bad way. Just… thick, like the air was full. You could smell salt and something sweet.

The airport was small, easy. Someone met us outside with a little sign, tossed our bags into the back of a van, and off we went.

That ride up to Nungwi was something else.

Goats in the road. Kids waving at the car. Palm trees bent from wind. And that orange-pink sky just sitting over everything like a filter you didn’t ask for but love anyway.

Thandi looked out the window and said,

“This feels... real. Not like a holiday brochure. Just real.”

She was right.

 A Hotel That Got the Assignment

The place we stayed wasn’t huge. No marble floors. No welcome drinks with mint leaves floating in them.

But you know what they did have? Space. Clean beds. Staff that actually smiled at our kids instead of pretending not to see them.

There was a kid-friendly pool, hammocks under trees, and beach games hosted at my blue every afternoon you know the works, tug of war, beach bowling, even some weird shell scavenger hunt that Nathi absolutely dominated.

The kids made friends by the second day.

I made friends with a beach chair and a mango smoothie.

The Days Blurred Nicely

I can’t tell you what we did every day. That’s the beauty of it.

Some mornings we walked the beach before breakfast.

Some mornings we slept in and showed up to eat like zombies, hair all wild, kids still in yesterday’s T-shirts.

Afternoons were for naps or dips in the ocean.

Evenings were simple , simple island life the fried fish, rice, grilled pineapple and stories under the stars.

Nobody was rushing. Nobody was scrolling.

The kids stopped asking for YouTube. That alone was worth the trip.

 A Few Surprises

There were a few things I didn’t expect.

Like how much Ayanda loved snorkeling. She went from “I’m not going in there, Daddy” to “LOOK! A fish!” in five minutes.

Or how quiet Thandi became. Not sad-quiet. Peaceful. The kind of quiet you earn after months of holding it all together.

There was this one spice farm we visited with a guy named Juma who showed the kids how cinnamon bark peels right off like paper.

Ayanda tried to eat it like a snack.

Juma laughed so hard he gave her a clove crown made from palm leaves.

 Nights Were My Favorite

There’s something about Zanzibar sunsets. You don’t watch them. You sit in them.

We’d pull chairs into the sand, let the kids dig random holes, and just… breathe.

Later that night, Nathi looked up and asked,

“Hey… do you think the moon sees us here too?”

I laughed. Kinda caught off guard.

Didn’t even know how to answer. I just looked at him and nodded.

 It Wasn’t Perfect (And That’s the Point)

Look, it wasn’t flawless.

Ayanda got stung by something in the water. The baby pooped in the pool. I forgot sunscreen one day and came back looking like a tomato in flip flops.

But no one cared. No one judged. Even when we had to leave a restaurant early because Nathi wouldn’t stop crying, the waiter smiled and brought us takeout boxes without saying a word.

Sometimes the power flickered. Sometimes the towels were late. Whatever.

It wasn’t polished. But it was kind.

 I Came Back Thinking About Life

I work a lot. Too much, maybe.

Always telling myself “just need to get through this week” or “next month we’ll do something.”

But weeks stack. Months vanish.

This trip didn’t fix our life.

But it reminded me we still have one worth enjoying and not just managing.

And it reminded me that travel designed for all ages doesn’t have to be expensive, or perfect, or Insta-worthy.

It just has to be honest.

 So What Now?

We came back with dirty laundry, sandy shoes, and a suitcase that still smells like the ocean.

The kids have new words in Swahili.

Thandi’s smile lasts longer these days.

Me?

I’m already checking dates for next year.

Because once you’ve had a week where your family actually laughs together, not just eats together — you want that again. You need it.

And if you’ve been thinking of doing something like this, stop overthinking it.

You can keep waiting for the “right” time, or you can travel designed for all ages and make memories before your kids grow out of wanting to sit on your lap.

Just something to think about.