Here we are again, trying to live life, trying to escape the pressures of being a young professional, and most importantly trying to be in the same space with each other! Hello…it’s Barbie and Ken.
Why Zanzibar?
Zanzibar was never on the travel list but an opportunity came up that we could not pass up. Leading up to my brother’s wedding Barbie planned to travel to Tanzania to see her client. East Africa is close to my side of the world, so we planned an early reunion. Barbie suggested a weekend getaway to Zanzibar to celebrate her promotion. Like a good Ken, I obliged and next thing…flights, Airbnb, and excursions were expertly booked in a couple of days. Barbie and Ken were locked in.
How Zanzibar came to life
We picked the best of our Mombasa experience to plan Zanzibar. We knew what to look for and what to avoid to maximise our weekend; for example, we booked a cheap and tiny, but cozy Airbnb to balance our excursions with home comfort. Picking easily accessible adventures also helped us balance our ambition and time: we knew the clock would be against us so keeping the itinerary light allowed us to participate in the best activities without experiencing significant FOMO.
Barbie and Ken
How Barbie and Ken fared
Barbie and Ken reunited in Dar es Salaam. We made the stop to see Costa, one of my best mates from high school. It had been 15 years too long; such a thrill it was catching up for a couple of hours.
We crossed over to Zanzibar, landing in Stone Town before navigating poor roads to Paje. The rain and poor roads are a constant feature in East Africa – it takes some getting used to and does impact the mobility experience. We arrived in Paje and immediately went to bed in preparation for our sprint weekend.
Stone Town was a beautiful excursion, easily taking in beautiful views while learning the history of the island. Zanzibar’s colonial history does not fully resemble Africa’s colonial history; where the British were architects across Africa, they played saviour in Zanzibar, ceasing the Arab stranglehold as their only course of action for joining the island’s narrative late on. We thoroughly enjoyed the slow, calm nature of the excursion so we skipped out on the famous “Welcome to Zanzibar” chant and dive ritual.
Coastal views on Mizingani Road, Forodhani, Stone Town
As Barbie is a liker of things, we hurriedly toured the Jambo Spice Farm after leaving Stone Town. It was a fascinating experience learning the true, natural forms of the ingredients that occupy our daily culinary preferences. My favourite spice was cinnamon, immediately recognisable with a warm, sweet-spicy smell; it is a resilient plant with its entire form (leaves, bark, roots, etc) being usable.
Back in Paje, it was dinner at Shanga. The biggest missed opportunity for Barbie and I. Shanga is a hotel and restaurant-come-night-club after sunset. We could not stay for the late night vibes and dinner was underwhelming; Shanga definitely needs a redo. The exciting part of the trip was beach day the following morning; we both love the beach, even if it is to stare at the waves and daydream. Barbie had the time of her life, making friends, jetskiing, and the likes. I was stuck at home, working from holiday. By afternoon I had switched up the vibes, I went to join Barbie and the rest was history…
We capped off our beach excursion with a late lunch at Mr Kahawa. It was our moment to pause, fall into each other’s arms, and take in Paje (and Zanzibar) one last time.
Cozy beach views at Mr Kahawa
On the finances side, Zanzibar is generally a more expensive holiday destination [compared to Mombasa]. Cash is king on the island; it is important to convert your currency into the local currency ideally before your trip. It is possible on the island, but the exchange rate might not be favourable. I did not keep an accurate tally of all costs but here is a rundown of the main costs to budget for:
| ZAR currency | USD currency | |
| Visa | ZAR 0 | USD 0 |
| Insurance* | ZAR 750 per couple | USD 44 per couple |
| Flight tickets** | ZAR 5,500 per person | USD 320 |
| Accommodation | ZAR 6,000 | USD 350 |
| Transportation | ZAR 600/trip (between towns) ZAR 75/trip (within town) | USD 35/trip (between towns) USD 5/trip (within town) |
| Restaurant & Food | ZAR 2,000 | USD 115 |
| Activities | ZAR 600/activity | USD 35/activity |
| Additional | ZAR 1,000 | USD 58 |
| Total | ~ZAR 24,250 per couple | ~USD 1,410 per couple |
* One way flight from Riyadh; FlySafair offers direct flights to Zanzibar at ~ZAR 4,000 (one way flight); ** Mandatory travel insurance required by the Zanzibar Government; Zanzibar insurance application
A comparison to Mombasa
Mombasa will always be top two and not number two. It was a smashing first time holiday for Barbie and Ken; amazing villa, natural attractions, and vibrant night life. Because Zanzibar has a similar style of beach and culture, Mombasa is still number one. To be fair, Zanzibar was a sprint, we did not have enough opportunity to indulge in the Zanzibarian flavours of life. If you do Zanzibar well enough, it can be a good contender for top three holiday destinations – globally. One thing we realised is our unusual preference for sprint holidays – stay long enough to leave a mark but not so long to keep the idea of a revisit fresh.
Kite surfing at Paje beach
More adventures await…
Zanzibar was a much needed break. It was function over form, giving Barbie and Ken more magical moments to fall in love. Paje represents the eastern side of Zanzibar so there is definitely more to explore in the north or south of Zanzibar; more worthy adventures to unlock when the time comes for a revisit.
While we give East Africa a moment to catch its breath, Barbie and Ken are keen for North Africa, South East Asia, the Far East, or somewhere obscure. We do not think too deeply, we take the travel opportunities as they come. This is a reminder for you to do the same.
Follow Global Ville on social media for more travel and lifestyle inspiration. Stay tuned to discover and live new destinations with Barbie and Ken.
Bye…
