Beaches and snorkeling in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Please read my previous post on how the trip started 😊

While I was looking for a hotel, one of the things that caught my attention was the fact that the owner has a private boat and the reviews I saw talked of how much it was a delight to have a private boat which would provide the flexibility the guests needed.
I mentioned this to the other ladies and everyone was happy with it + there was a variety of options of things to do. Snorkeling was top on the list, then an evening boat ride to watch the sun set.

This watch tower was in between our hotel and the turtle aquarium

Our amazing guides

Pure joy!

I was so eager...I jumped right in

We went to the shallow part first for those who could not swim to familiarise themselves with the water and snorkeling gears.
I just played around :-)

Oyibo had to protect her skin from getting burnt

Tosin needed tons of encouragement

I was so proud of Tosin for snorkeling...she had never done this and panicked at some point. The guide had to catch her and take her back to the boat. Emily and I had to reassure her and get her to relax into it. The moment she looked under and saw how beautiful everything beneath the water was, she wouldn't stop.

Ogba was also a star! She relaxed so quickly and got a hang of snorkeling even though it was her first time.

Hilary and I...Emily had gone far off with one of the guides

After snorkeling, we headed to this beautiful spot for lunch. Lunch was included in the package we paid for.

Clear water - this is just so beautiful

Odachi is conspicuously absent! She wanted to just rest + her fear of water won't let her be great.

Happy Hilary

Ogba picked a star fish while Emily and I went chasing birds

On our way back to the hotel we saw a whale. That was amazing. Our guides tried to follow it so we could get a full view but it didn't come out fully so we turned around and continued our journey back.
The boat ride from Mnemba to the hotel is about an hour and thirty minutes.

The day after, we stayed around Nungwi exploring but first, we took a few photos...

We rep Naija

Our momma hooked us up with this flag 😄

Sister squad

Our typical breakfast table right outside our cottage

We ate in different places and of course, a lot of seafood. I don't want to make this post about food so let's stick to the subject 😆One place we all loved was Gerr'y bar.

We had some time to be vain around the compound

View from the roof

 

Some of the dishes we had in Nungwi

This was lunch when we went to Mnemba Island. There were lots of fruits, drinks and then this. As Emily said, any food after snorkeling is always delicious. This was indeed a feast.

Pasta....

Chapati wrap and fries...even though the fries were burnt, the dish was great

Rice, veggies and fish

 We didn't take many photos of food but we had a lot of seafood, save for Odachi who is allergic.

This hammock was always nice to come back to

Melanin popping!

Tips to bear in mind for a visit to Tanzania:

•  If you fly into Dar es Salaam, have all your necessary documents available as the officers would like to see them and sometimes would ask to see proof (money) that you can sustain your stay in Tanzania.

• You can get visas for Tanzania on arrival and it costs $50. My sisters and friends got their visas from Abuja and were grateful they did as there was such a long queue when they arrived. They arrived at 3:40am and beat the queue since they already had their visas

• The peak period for visits to Zanzibar is from the end of July to September,  the cost of accommodation is more expensive than at other times

• Snorkeling is a must do. I would recommend Mnemba Island, but there are other Islands you could try

• We stayed in Nungwi and it was at least an hour from the airport and ferry terminal. The ferry terminal and airport are in Stone town

• There are no ATMs in Nungwi so if you must do any withdrawals, that will have to be in Stone town. Some places accept card payments. It is just easier to have cash which I would recommend

• If you would like to visit Stone town, be sure to do so at a time of day when you can visit museums if that interests you. We packed so much into one day that we got to Stone town when the museums had closed so we saw only one   

• I hear there is a good night market in Stone town but we didn't have the chance to see it. You should probably check it out if you spend a night there.

• There is so much to do in Tanzania beyond visiting Zanzibar 

We had a great time in Zanzibar, we all needed a break from our busy lives and it was such a great idea to spend the time with these amazing women. We already have an idea of where we might be going next year 😉