Real Stories From The island's Wild Side

 The first time I flew to Zanzibar, I thought I knew what I was getting into. Beach. Hammock. Pineapple juice. The usual. But two days in, I was barefoot in a forest, following a guy named Musa who insisted he knew where a colobus monkey nest was. (He didn’t, but we found something better: silence. The deep kind.)

Most tourists stick to the edges. They fly in, get their tan, maybe take a boat ride. Then they bounce. But if you want to really get into the bones of this place, you need to go off-script.

This is for the ones who pack running shoes instead of flip-flops. If you're that kind of traveler, welcome. You’ve just found your adventure base for East Africa.

Nungwi Mornings & Mnemba Magic

There’s this guy in Nungwi, everyone calls him Captain Juma. He’s probably 60, wears a faded Arsenal jersey, and commands a dhow like it’s an extension of his arm. No GPS, no apps, just the wind and his instincts.

We left at sunrise. The sky was orange, the sea calm like a mirror. By the time we reached Mnemba Atoll, the sun was blazing and the reef below us looked like a painting. I saw a pufferfish the size of a volleyball. And dolphins. Real, wild ones.

After the dive, Captain Juma pulled out mangoes from a crate and handed them around like medals. “Best breakfast in the sea,” he said, grinning.

Gold Zanzibar & the Forest Trail Detour

aerial view of gold zanzibar showing the beach


If you're staying at Kendwa, you’ll hear about Gold Zanzibar pretty fast. It’s upscale, sure. But what most people don’t know is that it’s walking distance from a little jungle path that locals use to get to the smaller villages inland.

I tagged along with Jamal, a bellhop who grew up nearby. We walked for about 40 minutes through green that felt like it had a heartbeat. Butterflies. Lizards. Even a shy mongoose.

That trail ends at a small clearing with a view of the coast that most tourists will never see. If you ever get the chance, don’t think twice. Just go jungle trekking from Gold Zanzibar doorstep and see what’s on the other side.

Spice Farms, No Tour Bus in Sight

Forget the staged “spice shows.” Head to Kizimbani and find Mama Asha. She runs a tiny two-acre plot with her grandkids, and she’ll show you what clove smells like when it’s fresh off the tree. Hint: nothing like your grandma’s kitchen.

She handed me a chili that made my eyes water before I even bit it. Then she laughed, said, “This one is for strong hearts only.” I took a nibble. Regret. Respect. Rinse with coconut milk.

At the end, we sat under a mango tree and had ugali with okra stew. No pamphlets. Just hands, stories, and spice.

Jozani’s Quiet Corners

Yeah, the red colobus monkeys are adorable. But here’s a tip: go after 3 p.m. That’s when the big groups are gone and the forest gets quiet.

I met an old man named Haji who walks the boardwalk daily. Not a guide, just... there. Watching. He told me the mangroves used to be bigger. Said he remembers swimming here when he was ten. “Now, the trees are older than me,” he laughed.

We didn’t say much after that. Just stood there watching crabs do their thing while the tide moved in slow.

Kites, Cuts, and Cold Beers in Paje

Paje isn’t polished. That’s what makes it awesome. The beach looks like powdered sugar and the wind? Constant. Perfect for kitesurfing.

I tried it. Didn’t nail it. Got dragged a bit. But the instructors at Kite Zanzibar School were legends. One of them, Ayoub, called me “Air Saeed” after my fifth faceplant. 

By the end of the day, I was nursing my pride (and a bruised hip) at a beach shack with grilled calamari and a Kilimanjaro beer. A stray cat fell asleep on my foot. That’s how chill this place is.

Build Your Own Zanzibar Trip

Don’t follow the script. Build your own. Start with our curated Zanzibar activity bundles — handpicked by people who’ve actually done this stuff. Whether you're into diving, forest hiking, village tours, or want a bit of everything, we’ve got you.

It’s not about checking boxes. It’s about coming home with a story that doesn’t start with, “We went to the beach…”

Final Thought Before You Pack

If you want the version of Zanzibar that talks back — that makes you sweat, think, laugh, and maybe even shut up and listen — you’ve got to meet it in the middle.

Don’t just float. Walk. Dive. Jump. Eat something weird. Trust a stranger. Chase the sound of drums.

Start with packing your bags and see where it leads you.

Then come back and tell the rest of us what we missed.

Location: Kendwa, Gold Zanzibar Beach House &Spa, Zanzibar 0000, Tanzania

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Zanzibar Food Exploration

Image
  We Didn’t Know How Hungry We Were Until We Landed We stepped off the plane in Zanzibar thinking about beaches and naps. But by the time we reached the first roadside vendor we found a woman frying cassava chips in a pan balanced on bricks and immediately we forgot all about sleep. She handed us a paper cone full of golden, salty pieces. No words. Just a nod. We sat on our suitcases and ate it right there. That’s how our food tour began which was unplanned, unscripted and unforgettable. Stone Town: Where Every Turn Smells Like Dinner If you’ve never been to Stone Town, just imagine a maze with curry in the air and mango peels on the ground. Kids play football in alleys while their moms stir pots on charcoal stoves a few steps away. We didn’t follow a map. We followed smells. One street led us to fried octopus. Another to sugarcane juice. We turned a corner and landed in a tiny restaurant with no name and one table. That meal? Coconut rice with grilled barracuda and mango ...
Read more

The Getaway That Actually Heals You

Image
Last month, after a borderline mental breakdown at the Nairobi airport (don’t ask), I knew I had to hit pause. Like, real pause . Not just a long shower or a weekend nap. I needed something deeper. A reset, not a distraction. My cousin Jameela, who now lives in Dar (and suddenly eats gluten-free everything), swore by this place in Zanzibar. She called it "a full cleanse for your soul." I laughed. But now that I’m back? Bro. She wasn’t lying. When Holidays Stop Feeling Like Breaks You ever come back from a trip feeling... heavier? Not just from the food (though, shoutout to Cape Town's gatsby rolls), but mentally. Like you spent your money and time going somewhere , but your mind never left home? That was me after back-to-back trips. Loud cities, rushed excursions, hotel rooms with curtains that never quite close. All that movement and still no peace. That’s why this trip was different. I didn’t want noise. I wanted air. Not air-con. Not bus-window breeze. Real, sal...
Read more