I admit it, I'm a true island girl, as from all my travels in the past 26 years I generally enjoy island trips most! There’s just something about those pearly white stretches of sand, lined with palm trees, surrounded by turquoise waters.
And in my opinion the locals are just a tad more friendly on islands as well!
I've seen many an island around the world already, but unfortunately due to Covid and big projects at home, have not been able to travel abroad at all the past 6 months. But last week I was finally able to travel freely again and visit a new piece of paradise.
African paradise island
This time I had the pleasure to discover Zanzibar, a tropical island just off the coast of Tanzania-Africa, which turned out surprisingly beautiful and diverse.
If you like white beaches, bright blue sea, fresh sea food, boattrips, tropical landscapes dotted with authentic villages, super friendly locals and Unesco heritage, then Zanzibar should be on your holiday bucketlist for sure.
I saw all that and more during a 5 day trip to this African island with Corendon and 8 travel journalists/ tourism colleagues.
And not only did we explore almost every corner of the island with one of the best local tourguides, we traveled to Zanzibar in style too!
In my next blog I will share all authentic spots we saw and the fun things we did, but first:
How to get there?
From the Netherlands there are not many flights offered to Zanzibar yet and hardly any that fly directly, except KLM. That's why I feel that Corendon's Zanzibar trip packages are quite convenient and offer great value for money.
Corendon has 16 different hotels to choose from, ranging from small-scale with breakfast, to all inclusive 5 star hotels, like the Kiwengwa Beach Resort, where we stayed during our trip.
And to top it all off we flew there Business Class with Turkish Airlines, which is truly a unique experience and highly recommended for the 12 hour flight incl. stopover in Istanbul.
Get an impression in this gallery (swipe);
Besides the convenient seats that fold all the way down, the extra space and high quality food certainly make it worth upgrading.
And as this flight arrived in the middle of the night we were happy that our pick-up was already arranged, as it was still a 1 hour drive from the airport to our hotel on the eastside of the island.
An important tip to save you time upon arrival is to get your Visa online in advance through: Zanzibar-Evisa. This way you can check into the much shorter E-Visa queue upon arrival!
Where to stay?
Kiwengwa Beach Resort is located directly on the beach with all the facilities you might need:
3 pools, of which 1 with saltwater
Several bars and 3 restaurants to choose from
Kids club
Extensive wellness center with Spa facilities & fitness
182 different rooms, from family to sea view
And plenty of sunbeds, either by the pool or on the beach
Get an impression through this gallery (swipe):
Find out more, incl.the best package rates for your preferred dates on: Kiwengwa Beach Resort. Although I usually prefer smaller boutique hotels, the location and facilities of this hotel were very convenient and the beach white and spacious.
East Zanzibar
Due to its location on the eastside of the island you will be treated to a stunning sunrise every morning.
And because Kiwengwa is a public beach many locals pass by every day, providing interesting scenes and potential meetings with friendly Masai and other locals.
There are also plenty of hammocks, swings and other photogenic spots around the hotel, like the pier right next to it, for those Instagrammable shots.
There’s a themed buffet every night, and for a really unique dining experience I can recommend a dinner in the traditional dhow boat on the beach, housing a lobster & beef restaurant!
Or have your dinner served at one of the romantic private tables on the beach.
Northwest Zanzibar
On our last day we visited the northwest of the island where a somewhat smaller Corendon hotel is located: Sunset Bungalows Kendwa.
We had lunch here and enjoyed the stunning beach, which is also quite wide, with many watersports facilities nearby, plenty of sun loungers and sunsets every night. This hotel is a bit smaller, with just 1 pool and can also be booked solely with breakfast.
When to visit?
The best time to visit Zanzibar really depends on your own preference, as high season here are also our own summer months and of course it will be more busy then too. The temperatures on Zanzibar stay high throughout the year, ranging from 27- 35 degrees Celsius.
And although the winter months are great to catch some winter sun on this African island, do note that rainy season starts from September-November and from March-June, during which it will be more hot and humid.
We however did not have any rain during our visit in March and when it does it will not rain all day.
I hope that I was able to inspire your next island visit and that you will put Zanzibar on your list, as it is certainly worth it! Especially if you want to combine a tropical holiday with an African safari visit, in Tanzania for example, which is easily arranged.
On the island itself there is however also plenty to see and do, if you want to stay a full week, for which I will share plenty of tips in my next blog!
For more info about this unique island destination you can find all details at: Corendon.nl-Zanzibar. And stay tuned for my next blog coming soon.
Love to hear what you think of Zanzibar, do let me know via the comments below or find me on social media via the buttons at the bottom of this page.
