Zanzibar is an island where less is more. When the water is so turquoise that it looks photoshopped, or you just can’t wipe that smile off your face every time you share a ‘Jambo!’ with a local, then you know you are closer to understanding the meaning of life.

[Jambo = ‘Hello’ in Swahili, the language spoken on Zanzibar island]

Here are some important tips for traveling to Zanzibar:

1. You can get your visa at a Tanzanian consulate prior to arriving, or receive it at any of the following border points:

• Dar es Salaam International Airport
• Zanzibar International Airport
• Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA)
• Namanga Entry Point (Tanzania-Kenya boarder point)

You can find detailed visa information here. The visa fee depends on your nationality. 

Zanzibar | © 203Challenges.com

2. Consider the seasons before you plan your trip to Zanzibar:

• The dry season or ‘winter’ in Zanzibar is from June to October – the weather is sunny and dry, and the temperature hovers around 25ºC (77ºF)
• The peak rainy season (with long rain storms) – from March to May
• The lesser rainy season (with shorter rain storms) – from November to December or the beginning of January
• The short dry season or ‘summer’ in Zanzibar – January to March

3. What clothes to take to Zanzibar: Take light clothes, but remember to pack long sleeves and trousers/skirts. These are a good idea because Zanzibar is a Muslim state, and you should take care to dress modestly. Another option is to get a large shawl (or kanga as it’s called Zanzibar) to cover your shoulders or wrap around your waist.

4. Every hotel on the island offers more or less the same tours to the best attractions in Zanzibar. If you’re traveling in a group of more than three people (or if you can make friends with other people in your hotel), feel free to negotiate with your tour operator to get a cheaper price.

Zanzibar | © 203Challenges.com

5. Take the Safari Blue tour if you are into boats, snorkeling, swimming in lagoons, hugging huuuge baobabs, feasting on seafood on the beach or basking on a sand dune in the middle of the ocean. We haggled the price of this tour down to $60 per person, but later we heard that we could have got it for as little as 50$.

6. Visit the house where Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar City. Be warned though, that this is a place for true worshipers, as there is not much to see. The house has been turned into a hotel and there’s only a small sign and a few posters for decoration. After you’ve payed homage to the Queen vocalist, continue to the old part of Zanzibar’s capital, known as Stone Town. Sit down for a cup of coffee on a terrace with an ocean view and you’ll be rewarded with a memorable sunset.

Here’s the address of Freddie Mercury’s House in Zanzibar City:

7. The fish market in Zanzibar City is one of the main attractions on the island, but this is no place for the fainthearted. The stench is horrible and some of the sights are hard to swallow (we only recommend swallowing them after they’ve been cooked). If these lines make you cringe, you’d better head to the spice stalls and skip the fish area.

8. Speak with the locals. Those who work in the tourism industry speak English fluently and, more importantly, are very friendly and open-minded. It’s a good idea to take a few small souvenirs from your country and give them to locals you’ve befriended. This is something very few tourists do, and I can assure you it will bring a broad smile to the face of your new friends.

Zanzibar hammock life | © 203Challenges.com

9. What to eat in Zanzibar: Zanzibar is a foodie’s heaven, especially if you like fresh tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, coconuts, passion fruit, etc). Fish and seafood dishes grace menus everywhere and are always delicious, but you might struggle to find proper meals if you don’t eat fish. Local beers typically consist of drinkable lagers, while the wine is usually imported from South Africa and is suitably tasty. I can thoroughly recommend trying a cocktail made of Tanzanian vodka and fresh mango juice.

Zanzibar beers | © 203Challenges.com

10. A packing list for Zanzibar:

– water shoes

– antibacterial gel or wet wipes

– mosquito repellent (but double check if it’s specially formulated to ward off tropical mosquitoes)

– beach towels

– snorkeling mask and flippers

– sunscreen with the highest available factor

– sunglasses (according to research, this is one of the most common items for travelers to forget at home)

– enough money in cash, as ATMs are scarce on the island and, due to some sketchy technology, better avoided altogether

– yellow fever vaccine (although this is not obligatory for Zanzibar)

– malaria prevention medication (there are pills you can take in advance)

Fun fact:

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania. Its name is composed of zengi (the name of the local people) and barr (meaning shore). Back in 1964, the states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form one country, Tanzania, whose name is a clipped compound of the two former states.

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If you have traveled to East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar) , there’s a good chance you’ve heard the catchy Jambo song, and an even greater possibility that you know the lyrics by heart… But do you know when and where it was created and what inspired the lyrics? Read on for the full story.

Jambo Bwana in brief

Year released: 1982 (but it was written two years earlier)

Singer: Them Mushrooms, a band from Kenya

Title translation: Jambo Bwana (“Hello, Mister”)

Song covers: The song has been covered by numerous local and international artists, including German pop band Boney-M.

How the song became popular

The song was created in 1979 when the band leader, Teddy Harrison, was performing in a hotel in Mombasa. At the time, the band was playing covers of European hits to entertain the tourists vacationing on the Kenyan coastline. One night, while taking a break between two songs, he heard tourists trying to learn to speak Swahili and practicing words like Jambo (“Hi”), Habari gani (“How are you?”), and Hakuna matata (“No problems”). That gave him the idea to write a song with simple phrases in Swahili, which would help visitors learn the language while dancing to the band’s music. Teddy explained the story in an interview with the BBC.

The song was such a huge success that the band had to play it 20 times per night, until eventually they were offered the opportunity to record it. It became widely popular in Kenya and Tanzania, reaching platinum status in just five years.

Today, “Jambo Bwana” is a song you will hear in hotels around Kenya and Tanzania, with “Kenya” often being substituted by the name of the country you are in.

Play the song and sing following the lyrics below:

Jambo Bwana lyrics and translation

Jambo – Hi

Jambo bwana – Hi sir!

Habari gani? – How are you?

Mzuri sana – Very fine

Wageni mwakaribishwa – Visitors are welcome

Kenya yetu – Our [country] Kenya

Hakuna matata – [There are] no worries

Kenya nchi nzuri – Kenya is a nice country

Nchi ya maajabu – A beautiful country

Nchi yenye amani – A peaceful country

Kenya yetu – Our [country] Kenya

Kenya wote – All Kenyans

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Get inspired…

Matt Green – He sets himself the goal of walking every street in New York. He also keeps a blog to write about the little surprises and interesting people he encounters as he walks. It all began in 2011 and the challenge has continued for several years. More on imjustwalkin.com.

Graham Hughes – Graham managed to visit 201 countries and territories in the world, without even once taking a plane. His adventure has gone on for almost three years and included a short stay in a Congolese prison, an arrest in Russia and running in Iraq with a gun in his hand. Graham was given a Guinness World Record certificate as a record holder for visiting the most countries in a year without flying (130). More on theodysseyexpedition.com.

Dixe Wills set himself the goal of visiting every place in Great Britain whose name begins with the letter “Z”. The total number is 41. He managed to do it within a year. Then he wrote a book, entitled “The Z-Z of Great Britain”. After he completed this challenge, Dixe traveled Great Britain’s entire sea coast by catching local buses only – 196 buses in six and a half weeks. More on dixewills.com.

Other ideas: Climb every peak on the nearest mountain. Visit all villages that begin with the letter of your first name and take a picture with the village sign. Eat fresh pasta in every town in Italy.

Create your personal crazy challenge: …………………………

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Here are our favorite picks of local wisdom:

Pura vida in Costa Rica

Pura vida simply translated in English is “pure life”, but the phrase actually has a far deeper meaning. Costa Ricans use it to say hello, to say bye or as an answer to the question “How are you?”. Pura vida is in fact a way of life, where you accept that no matter how difficult, your life is not that bad at all.

>>> Read more about Pura vida.

Dolce far niente in Italy

Dolce far niente literally means “sweet doing nothing” and the Italians, especially in the southern part of the country, know how to turn idleness into a happy occupation. This philosophy of life contains a number of important prohibitions, such as no haste, no taking problems to heart and no paying attention to the surrounding nuisance.

>>> Read more about Dolce far niente.

Hakuna matata in Africa

Thanks to the animated film “The Lion King” everybody knows a bit of Swahili. Hakuna matata means “no problem”, “no worries”. The phrase is used mainly in Kenya and Zanzibar and is mentioned in the famous “Jambo Bwana” song.

Tri Hita Karana in Bali

If harmony means happiness, then this philosophy of life from Bali will help you achieve it. In English, Tri Hita Karana means “three reasons for well-being” – being in harmony with people, in harmony with God and in harmony with nature.

Aylyak in Bulgaria

Aylyak is an untranslatable Bulgarian word which can be roughly translated as “the art of doing everything at a relaxed pace without worrying about anything”. The Aylyak lifestyle is mainly typical for the residents of the city of Plovdiv famous for taking long, leisurely walks back and forth along their main pedestrian street.

>>> Read more about aylyak.

Fernweh in Germany

English doesn’t have an antonym of “nostalgia” but in German it’s Fernweh. It means a strong desire for traveling, dreaming of far and unknown lands and new experiences. So give in to your Fernweh and hit the road.

Friluftsliv in Norway

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. True to this principle, the Norwegians are fans of Friluftsliv or life in “free” air (“open-air living”). The northern country’s inhabitants appreciate the benefits of spending time in the open for health and well-being, regardless of weather conditions. Whether it is running, cycling or just going out to the park nearby to take some photos – the important thing is to breathe fresh air.

Wabi-Sabi in Japan

Salvador Dali once said “Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it”. This is exactly what the Japanese idea Wabi-Sabi tries to convey. In English it means “accept imperfection” and applies to the individual body and character, friends and life in general.

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