THE EAST AFRICAN SERIES, DAY 27&28
Ngorongoro Crater – Arusha – Zanzibar
Arriving into Zanzibar. We awaited another long ass travel day, but hopefully, the effort would be worth it as we were now headed for guaranteed nice weather in Zanzibar.
THIS HAD TO BE THE BEST AIRPORT LOUNGE IN THE WORLD
Unlike the other times when we went between lodges, we would not have a safari drive, and if I am honest, I think we were glad because it meant we would be on a properly paved road after just a few hours.
Mt Kilimanjaro
WHERE IS ARUSHA?
Arusha
4-HOUR DRIVE
It’s amazing how you can forget how driving is meant to feel when you have done nothing but drive on dirt roads for the past week, but getting on that tarmac felt like an absolute privilege, which I suppose it is in this part of the world.
Knowing we wouldn’t arrive at the airport coated in dust helped us settle down and enjoy the ride.
DAILY INFO….
- FLIGHTS – Arusha – Zanzibar
- HOTEL – Breezes Beach Bar
- ATTRACTIONS – Beachtime
- STEPS – 9,500 & 3,100
- MILES COVERED – 597.1 miles
CULTURAL HERITAGE CENTRE
We arrived earlier than expected and had 2 hours to kill before check-in, so we headed to the Cultural Heritage Centre in Arusha. When we arrived and realized it was pretty much just an art exhibition, I didn’t have high hopes since I’m not one for museums or art.
But…it was surprisingly very good to see some wild and wacky pieces, some as expensive as $200,000! If you ever do come, make sure and check out the bottom floor, I think that’s where they put all the mad shit that would freak you out.
ARUSHA AIRPORT LOUNGE
Back to the airport which was basically just an airstrip and marquee but had the best lounge I have been to. Ok it didn’t have any facilities but you were about 3 metres from all the action and it was absolute organised chaos. Seeing planes coming and going, refuelling, cleaning, it was great to see the logistics of a small airport.
Arriving into Zanzibar
OUR PLANE
As you might have known by our route, we avoided contact with any light aircraft because mum and sister just can’t face it. They promised us a sizeable plane, but that didn’t stop Vicki from looking at every plane that landed with absolute apprehension. As far as she was concerned she would be assuming we were flying in a 1 seater until she seen otherwise. Then look of relief when she spotted our plane coming into land from 200 miles away!
Arriving into Zanzibar
RELATED READ: HELD FOR 5hrs IN AN ALGERIAN POLICE STATION
ZANZIBAR
Thankfully, the plane matched the promise; otherwise, I have no doubt Vicki would have happily made the drive (or walk) back to Nairobi.
We didn’t see too much of Zanzibar as the sun was setting as we arrived but it was off to Breezes for a quick bite and an early night. 12hour travel days are underrated!
Arriving into Zanzibar
ABOUT ZANZIBAR:
- Zanzibar is not an island but an archipelago. There are two main islands Pemba and Unguja, which is often referred to as Zanzibar.
- It is often assumed that Stone Town is the capital of Zanzibar. However, the capital is Zanzibar City, in which Stone Town is situated.
- Second only to tourism, spice farming is a major part of the island’s economy. People often refer to Zanzibar as the Spice Islands because of the cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper grown there.
TODAY’S YOUTUBE VIDEOS
If you want to see today from a different perspective, and catch a few different stories from the front row, then check out today’s YouTube videos below.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Great to finally get to a place and know you aren’t on the move for a while. Day 28 was spent doing blog chores and work, always good to have a catch up day.
NEXT UP
Dining at the famous rock restaurant!! Click to read.
SAFE TRAVELS, DS x
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This post is part of The East African Series, for the entire series click here or for episode 1, click here.
To watch the video of my trip, head to my highlights on my Instagram.
