The spice-scented, magical island of Zanzibar with turquoise waters and white sands on the shore of the Indian ocean. The island of Zanzibar is a beautiful island that makes its visitors wonder whether it is a dream or a reality.. Away from the chaos and traffic of the city you live in, stepping on the white sands and reaching the depths of the turquoise sea, step by step, takes all the tiredness away from you.. Zanzibar island with its unique sea is not limited to this, of course. Apart from swimming, you can do water sports, stroll through the narrow stone streets of Stonetown, the largest settlement on the island of Zanzibar, join a spice tour to see the plants grown thanks to the fertile soil of the island, swim with dolphins and do many other activities listed below.
Is it Necessary to Get Vaccinated Before Going to Zanzibar?
Those who are thinking of going to Zanzibar or who do research before going know Yellow Fever vaccinate. There is information on the internet that the Yellow Fever Vaccine is mandatory.. Based on this information, we made our appointment by calling 444 77 34 and went to the Travel Health Center right next to the Karaköy pier and talked to the Doctor.. When we heard that the yellow fever vaccine is not compulsory for Tanzania, we did not get our vaccine.. When the information that the doctor said and the information we got from the internet was different, we thought that we would learn the best by sending an e-mail to the tour company we agreed in Zanzibar, and they said that we should get vaccinated in response.. We got our vaccinations by making an appointment again.
“As the doctors at Travel Health Center say about Yellow Fever Vaccine, do not get vaccinated. Before we left, we had our vaccination because we couldn’t find definitive information on dozens of sites and forums.. But neither in Tanzania nor in Zanzibar, nobody asked about our vaccination certificate.”
We have read in a few places that malaria drugs are provided free of charge, but not free of charge, with a prescription that the doctor will give you. You can get it from the pharmacy. Free malaria medicine was given for our trip to Africa in September 2016. Information about when to start using and for how long is given by the doctor.. We did not use malaria drugs just because we were going to Zanzibar.
Is a Visa Required for Tanzania ?
Tanzania applies visa to Turkish citizens. You can get a Tanzania visa in 3 working days from Istanbul, or it is possible to get a visa at the door.. Right in front of the passport control at Dar es Salaam Airport, the police collect everyone’s passport and the visa fee of 50 usd and hand them in.. Then begins a long wait. After the passports are collected, the police are called in order and fingerprinted and then waited again.. After completing the procedure inside, the police call out to the passport holders and hand out their passports.. This system has now completely changed.. As you get off the plane and go to the terminal, the attendant at the entrance of the terminal gate wants to see your vaccination certificate.. Since we forgot it in our suitcases, we went beyond this part without needing to show it again
The tricky part of the real work begins now. If you throw a needle at the terminal, there is a mess that will not fall to the ground.. You fill out the forms at the entrance immediately and pay your visa fee of 50 usd to the cashier on the left with your passport and get your receipt.. Right after you pick it up, your visa is issued at the police checkpoint after fingerprinting and retinal scanning.
How to Get to Zanzibar Island?
There are direct flights that take 7 hours from Istanbul to Dar-es-Salaam.. You have 2 options to go from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar. The first is of course the most comfortable and expensive 20-minute flight.. Zanair and Precisionair are preferable. The other option is to take a taxi from Dar es Salaam airport to the ferry port and reach Zanzibar island Stone Town in 1.5 hours with Azam Marine or Sea Star company.
Zanzibar island Stone Town should be the first place you start exploring. Stone Town, the island of Zanzibar, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.. 95% of the people are Muslims and the remaining 5% are Christians and Hindus, and people can easily practice their faith without being pressured.. Stone Town has 51 mosques, 6 hindu temples, St.. Joseph’s church and Anglican cathedral.
The construction of the first stone house in Stone Town, also known as the stone city, dates back to 1830.. In 1832, Sultan Said Muscad came here with his dynasty from Oman and made Stone Town the capital.. During this time Stone Town was quite advanced in trade.. It is especially known for its reputation in the spice and slave trade.
Slavery was abolished in 1873 and Zanzibar came under the auspices of the British in 1896, the shortest war in the world (38 hours).. In 1964, as a result of the popular uprising, Zanzibar was liberated from the British Colony and gained its independence.. Today, Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania.
The doors are quite famous in Stone Town.. While walking around the narrow streets of the city, you should definitely see the carved, embossed, artistic wooden door details made with rich workmanship.. While the number of doors was 800 in the 1980 census, the number of doors decreased considerably due to the fact that those coming from abroad were collecting these doors and theft.
Places to See Around Stone Town
Fish-Meat-Vegetables Market (Darajani Market) : The most important feature of the vegetable market is that men come to the market, not women, and shop.. You can’t really see a single woman inside.
All restaurants and hotels do their shopping at the fish market to meet their food needs, FYI! It is a very dirty market where you can see different landscapes like the fish, flies flying around like crazy, octopuses bathing in sparkling water, and nothing in the name of hygiene inside.. Don’t come this far and fail to enter.
Africa House Hotel : Africa House Hotel’s terrace is an excellent choice for relaxing with a view of the Indian Ocean.. We have no words for the ambiance of the terrace. This is where every tourist who comes to the island of Zanzibar comes to watch the sunset.
Former Slave Market : What happened now is Human Shame on the paradise island of Zanzibar for us.. You should definitely visit the cells where slaves were kept in Zanzibar, which hosted the slave trade.
The narrow and short cells consist of 50 men in one room and 75 women and children in the other room. the person is being held together. They were making their toilets in the empty space between the two cells.
The chains inside the cell almost give you goosebumps.
Those who can endure torture for 3 days, as well as hunger and thirst, are sold to Europe and America as slaves, and those who remain have already lost their lives.. It would be wrong to say that the British had a role in the end of slavery, but it had a great effect.. As a result, the system is changing and slavery is slowly ending naturally.
Do you say that slavery is abolished? No!
For them, slavery no longer exists. But when we see the working conditions and lifestyles, the modern slavery system still functions.
Anglican Church : The wooden cross in the middle of the church and its story are very interesting; Livingstone’s life ends in Zambia. His heart was taken out of his body and buried under a tree where he died, and then a cross was made from this tree and placed in the church.
The marble at the entrance of the church and the cylinders on the right of the entrance are also It was brought from Italy.
The stone sculptures in the garden on the right side of the church were made by Swedish sculptor Clara Sörnas in 1997 as a symbol of slavery.
Arab Fortress : It was built by the grandfather of Arab Sayyid Said for the purpose of protection from the Portuguese. There is an open-air theater inside.
Bey-tül Acayip (House of Wonders) : It is the building right next to the castle. The people called this most magnificent and ostentatious house on the island the “Weird House”.. The reason is that electricity and elevator are used in this house, which is the first on the island.. The house was built by the Sultan of Oman and used this house. Today, the Sultan’s belongings are exhibited in Bey-tül Acayip, which has been converted into a museum.
Peace Memorial Museum: What is needed is the museum.
Forodhani Night Market : A market is held in the open air in the evening in the Forodhani garden in front of Bey-tül Acayip. All meals in the market are pre-cooked and arranged beautifully on the counters.. Do they heat it and give it to those who want it? Even the roasted corn was precooked by the men.. We drank sugar cave juice alone for 1000 shillings. We like it, but we do not recommend you to drink it.. The tool they used to extract the juice of the cane was rusty.
Historical Dispensary Building : It is a very ostentatious building built by Indian merchant Tharia Thopan.
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Freddie Mercury House : The house where Queen’s frontman Freddie Mercury was born.
Daily Tours in Zanzibar Island
Dive to see the colorful reefs and fishes of Mnemba Island,
Swim in the ocean with dolphins in Kizimkazi have fun,
See the Red Colobus monkey species you can see for the first time in your life in the Jozani Forest
Learn how spices and herbs are grown in the spice gardens of the island of Zanzibar, which produced the largest cloves,
Home to giant tortoises Go to Changuu Island and feed the Giant Aldabra Tortoises (Geochelone Gigantea), which was gifted to the Sultan of Zanzibar by the Seychelles government in the 19th century.
Zanzibar Island Beaches
There are more than 25 beaches in Zanzibar. Some of them are:
In the East: Matemwe, Pwani Mchangani, Kiwengwa, Uroa, Pongwe, Bwejuu and Jambiani
In the West: Mangapwani, Paje
In the North: Nungwi and Kendwa
Paje Beach : It is the best area to surf on the island.
The most popular beaches: Nungwi, Kendwa, Pongwe, Paje, Matemwe
Climate on Zanzibar Island
The average annual temperature on the island, where the tropical climate is dominant, is 32°. The wettest period is from mid-March to the end of May.. June – October is the dry and less rainy period and the average temperature is 25°.
December – March is the best time to visit.
Important Phones That May Be Required While On Zanzibar Island
Zanzibar Tourism Office: +255 24-223 34 85
Turkish Embassy in Dar es Salaam : +255 22 292 34 13 +255 22 292 34 14 Emergency Hotline: +255 758 818 118 (out of office hours)
Quick Memos :
Stone Town can be visited in 3 hours. Browse slowly, taking pictures of everything you see, without rushing. People are so biased towards the camera, it’s better to get permission before taking a picture.
Take a coined dollar with you. Notice that your dollars are new mints. They do not accept the old edition ones.
Although the dollar is everywhere, you will be more profitable if you convert your dollar to Tanzanian shillings as you land on the island.
Have a hard bargain while you shop. I’ve discounted 9 pieces of souvenirs that cost $225 to $50.. Consider the size of the bargain.
Everyone in Africa greets, whether or not they know each other, by saying “Jambo Jambo”, so we find it strange that there are not many greetings in our country anymore.
A few words in Swahili
Jambo : Hello
Habari : How are you
Ahsante : Thank you
Karibu : Welcome
Duka : Store, shop
Beigani : How much money?
Hakuna Matata : No problem
Hoping to be on your waySummaryArticle NameZANZİBAR TRAVEL GUIDEDescriptionZanzibar island travel guide All the must-know information about Zanzibar