Let me start by saying that I truly enjoyed my time on Zanzibar and am happy I went. The ocean water is clear and perfect for swimming, Stonetown is a maze of beautifully eclectic streets, and the people were lovely. That being said, I wasn’t quite prepared for the level of tourism and all that brings to a place. And I was there during OFF season!
I flew from Arusha to Zanzibar late afternoon. The Arusha airport was small (only 3 gates) and our flight was 2 hours delayed. Add to that my usual flight anxiety and I was bushed by the time I got to my hostel. So, the first night consisted of me showering and sleeping. I also had an excursion I had booked with my roomy from the Intrepid Safari tour who had come to the Island a couple days ahead of me, so I needed my rest for a long day of sun and sea.
Sleep accomplished, my first day began with a delicious crepe breakfast at the Stone Town Cafe, conveniently located just around the corner from my hostel. It was only 8am but I was already sweating. I had grown so used to the cooler temps in higher elevations where I was previously in Kenya and Tanzania, I wasn’t ready for the hot and humid Island climate. But, it’s the trade off you make for paradise I guess. Once I was feeling fat and happy, and still very sweaty, I headed down to the beach to meet up with my Intrepid Roomy and the rest of the tour group for the day. And it was a large group, probably about 20 or so. Once everyone was accounted for and entrance tickets to Prison Island, our first stop, were collected, we all piled in the boat and were on our way. The sky was cloudy, but given my tendencies to immediately lobster in the sun, I was perfectly content with that.
A little backstory about Prison Island, locally referred to as Changuu Island, a Swahili name for the fish that inhabit the waters around it, the Island has worn many faces over the decades. It was uninhabited until the 1860s when the 1st Sultan of Zanzibar gave it to Arab slave traders to use as a prison for rebellious slaves before selling them at the market in Stonetown. Once slavery was abolished the Island was sold to the British 1st minister, Lloyd Mathews, in the 1890s who intended to also use it as a prison. However, that was never to be as the concern over spreading diseases in East Africa, specifically Yellow Fever, became top priority. So, for the next few decades it was turned into a quarantine Island. Since the ships carrying the infected only arrived between the months of December and March, the rest of the year the Island became a resort, where guests could escape the hustle and bustle of the main town 3.5 miles away. Today it is mostly just a major tourist attraction where people can come and look at the old buildings and hang out with some Tortoises. Did I mention the tortoises? No?
Well, Changuu is home to the Aldabra giant tortoise, but they aren’t actually endemic to the area. They first arrived on the Island as a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles in 1919. They thrived in their new home and by 1955 the population was over 200. However because humans be loving them some exotic pets, people began to steal the tortoises so that by 1996 there were only 7 left. Seven! At this point the government created a compound to protect them and help revitalize the population, which today is back over 100. Yay! I’m sure it also helps that it brings in lots of eager tourists who want to see and feed them.
Now, when I had first heard about this I thought they would be behind fences, where people could see and admire, maybe give some lettuce over the rails, or whatever they eat. Imagine my shock when we walked in and there are tortoises EVERYWHERE. Yes, fences exist, but only to keep people from leaving the paved path. It sure aint keeping the tortoises from walking amongst humans. Literally, the walkway was lined with these guys, just moseying along, looking so…sad. And of course because tourism can bring out the worst in us, people were touching them, scratching their necks, and the guides were encouraging it! I was honestly so torn internally. On the one hand, it was really cool being so close to them. On the other, these are wild animals who deserve a safe place and shouldn’t be manhandled by dirty humans. I did my best to keep my distance, as much as the crowds would allow, and avoided touching them at all costs. No “coochie coochie coo” from this girl. Nope. And once again, while certain aspects of the experience were cool and I did enjoy seeing the place, I would not go back and I hope that eventually the local management will change the operation to help protect the animals more. Then again, something’s got to be working with the population soaring like it has.
Once our visit was complete we hopped back in our boat and headed to Nakupenda sandbank for lunch and beach time. Other than the sun doing its utmost to burn me alive, this was my favorite part of the day. We got to spend a couple hours on a beautiful sandbank, with soft sand and crystal clear water that was the exact right temperature. The guides cooked up a seafood lunch that was insane. At first I thought it would just be some shrimp and rice. Simple, but good. And at first it was. They came by with rice, then fries, then shrimp. They piled the food onto our plates and I dug in. Little did I know the food would keep coming. Next was squid, tuna, and octopus. The octopus was my favorite, excellently seasoned and just the right amount of chewy. Then came more fries, then more shrimp. Then to my utter amazement they showed up with lobster! Like full on cooked lobster. Mind you, this whole tour cost $63, that meal alone would have cost the same or more in the states. So, from that perspective, couldn’t complain too much. Actually the only downside was that they just kept filling our plates, even when we were full to bursting. I understand the reasoning – do not waste the food. But I eventually had to throw away my plate just to keep them from putting anything on it. Although, they did try to put a lobster directly into my hands at one point so I had to sit on them to avoid potential death by seafood.
Anyway, by about 4pm we were packing up to head back to the main island. My roomy and I decided to get a quick drink and dinner at a restaurant, Livingstones, right on the beach. It actually ended up being one of the best meals we had so far. And by meal, I mean I just got an appetizer since I ate my weight in seafood earlier in the day. And as we watched the sunset I reflected on a day of contradicting emotions. On the one hand, I had booked a tour so naturally there would be tourists. I just wasn’t prepared for how “touristy” it would feel. There were so many moments that I absolutely loved what I was seeing and learning, yet at the same time I was annoyed by how many other people were there. Ridiculous, I know. I guess I had gotten so spoiled with how remote other parts of my trip have felt thus far. Sure, I know there were tourists all over the Serengeti and other places, but other than a few pile ups of landcruisers when wildlife was spotted, you just didn’t see a lot of it. And you certainly weren’t watching people go up and scratch a lions neck. Although, that would have been interesting to watch. I guess that’s a part of travel we all have to swallow, especially when traveling to places that are big vacation spots, such as Zanzibar. This wouldn’t be the only day I felt a bit stifled by the tourist industry while here, but when you want to visit a beautiful Island and swim in beautiful waters sometimes you have to take the chaos that comes with it.
