This northern part of the island is noted specifically for its beaches, white fine sand and consequently the numerous sprawling, gated resorts. It seems that most of the tourists are from Northern Europe, probably similar attraction for them as Mexico is for Canadians… The vibe on the long uninterrupted beaches is so different than that up in the actual town where we’re staying (not too surprising, but interesting just the same). Kendwa locals (and real estate investors from wherever) are putting a lot of energy in developing the town’s infrastructure, power and drinking water sources, and ensuring locals are being included in the labour force required. This area will be very different in the near future as everywhere we see construction. Yesterday we took a walk up to the next town north - Nungwi, almost to the northern most point on the island. It too is under a major transformation. We were able to access the beach and walk all the way back to Kendwa before the tide came up too high. This is when we became aware of how much of a resort area this is! The beaches flow one right into the next without obstruction and it’s amazing how many people can be swimming, strolling along without feeling crowded. The sun was very hot, but to our surprise the sand wasn’t (we learned because it’s made up of so much coral…). 
   Today we wanted to explore away from the beach and hot sun. Even though we’ve began to wear hats our skin needs a reprieve! The air temperature today was in the low thirties and the ocean temp in the high twenties. We arranged to go to the east side of the island and take a ‘tour’ of a mahogany forest and an adjacent mangrove forest. It was a good diversion for today, exposing us to another type of environment here on Zanzibar.

   Last night was the beginning of Ramadan. We’ve been pleasantly surprised today that the religious observances of fasting from sunrise to sunset don’t have to apply to everyone! Being such a tourist oriented place food and drink have been available to us with no problem! 

   Tomorrow the tide will be very low in the morning so we plan to make our way down to the beach early. We have yet to actually get in the ocean and swim, wading as we walk along doesn’t count! 
  



Kendwa and surroundings 

Oh my, I’m losing track of the days! It’s crazy how this happens, you’d think having a set itinerary would keep us totally focussed on our calendar, but apparently not! Actually, the feeling of not caring what day it is is rather liberating. We had better just not miss our flight next Tuesday though!
  We just spent a day and half in Zanzibar City in the historic area of Stone Town. What a busy place with a fascinating, exotic history full of drama. It’s situated in such a strategic place where the trade winds brought ships in easily. The island had lots to offer. The Swahili culture currently dominates after having endured trading of slaves, spices, textiles, etc… The Arabs, Turks, Indians, British and who knows who else, all have played a huge role in the diversity that has formed the culture we see in Zanzibar today - colourful and intriguing . Our hotel was small, in ‘boutique’ style, that had been built by a princess over a hundred and fifty years ago. Great attention was paid to the fine detail and charm. It was one of many properties she owned - this one to house her precious artwork (long gone!) and entertain guests. 
This morning Jim arranged for a car and driver to take us further up the island to the town of Kendwa. It’s become quite a resort area for tourists, it’s renowned for its ‘pristine’ white sandy beaches. The  drive took about an hour and half on a road mostly lined with various small businesses, schools, fresh fruit stalls and vegetable markets.  One town seemed to blend into another. We finally arrived at the northern most point of the island, got out and searched for our guesthouse. Jim had plotted it on his phone so we were able to find it - out of the vehicle, up a narrow walkway on foot  and to the top of the hill. So here we are! We’ll explore the small town and surrounding area and hopefully swim on the Indian Ocean while we hang out over the next three days…

The temperature today in Kendwa was 31 degrees.

Zanzibar City to Kendwa 

   Today we left Kendwa. The four day stay was a real ‘beach’ experience with shoreline both north and south that seemed to go on forever. The air temperature hovered around the low thirties, while the ocean in the upper twenties. We were impressed the beaches were remarkably litter free, not so up in the town or along the highway, but on the beach little rubbish.  We saw evidence in town of a slight effort to contain the nonorganic waste but there’s definitely no infrastructure in place to manage it, remove it. Being an island makes it especially difficult and with drinking water being supplied exclusively in plastic containers the empty ones get scattered everywhere. Hopefully someday there’ll be a solution  and an alternative.

  We really have had a wonderful visit here in Tanzania. The experiences we’ve had have been quite varied and unique. We’ll go home with more open minds and some great memories. 

  We fly out of the Zanzibar airport tomorrow morning heading for Dubai. We’ll stay there overnight, then Wednesday afternoon fly to London first, then on the Vancouver. It’s pretty crazy - we leave Wednesday morning from Dubai and arrive in Vancouver the same day! 



Where the path takes us!

Last day in Zanzibar…

More Stories

Kendwa and surroundings

Zanzibar City to Kendwa