Our first Evening – Stone Town

We decided to treat ourselves to a Zanzibar 5 star experience by spending our first night at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar located on the water’s edge in the heart of Stone Town. Having just completed a safari, the Hyatt was exactly what the doctor ordered. Although elegant and stylish the history of Zanzibar was evident throughout its design & décor. And if that isn’t enough, the uninterrupted sunset over the ocean with your favourite thirst quencher will definitely blow your mind.
The evening was spent wondering through the towns’ labyrinth of streets and alleys, finally settling down for some traditional Swahili cuisine. Having learned Swahili during our time living on Zanzibar, communication was so much easier.
Staff and people are friendly, vibrant and always willing to try and sell you something. Trading for survival is a ‘way of life’.

You are awakened by the sounds of the ocean coupled with local fisherman either arriving from a night out on the ocean returning with their catch and those preparing their vessels for tourist charters. Island morning life at its best. With breakfast done and bags packed it was time for our trip north to the region of Nungwi.

Island Golf Done – Nungwi here we come.

With breakfast done we loaded ourselves into our taxi for the next step of our whirlwind tour of Zanzibar. The coastal town of Nungwi was our next port of call. Known by some as Zanzibar’s own African style Riviera. Lined with its white beaches, hotels, bars & restaurants’.

Heading off the main road you venture through the local village lined with housing, craft shops and food stalls. The roads let you know you’re in Africa. Dusty, bumpy, and narrow but hey, that’s why we love Africa. It is imperfectly perfect.

Our choice of Hotel for our next stop-over, Z-Hotel. Bang in the middle of the Nungwi strip with its uninterrupted ocean views and close proximity to all that Nungwi has to offer. While you settle into an island cocktail watching the sunset you are reminded of the song, ‘Sail Away’ by David Gray. You find yourself leaving all of life’s worries behind. As you spend the evening on the water’s edge embracing the cool breeze whispering the Indian Ocean’s sound of silence. It’s then that you realize your ‘soul’ is at ease with the world.

Our 1st morning was spent wandering around the markets and stalls of Nungwi bartering ourselves in and out of everything local before we headed off to our next hotel, the well-known resort, namely La Gemma. Perched on top the cliff with a myriad of pathways winding their way down to their private beach and beautifully designed Jetty jutting out in the ocean. With their large choice of restaurants’ and bars La Gemma definitely has the ‘wow’ factor.

Farewell Matemwe – Bweju in the south here we come

With a good 1h 30min drive ahead of us we settled back, windows open and took in the sights and towns as we ventured through, Kiwengwa, Pongwe, Uroa, and Chwaka Bay with a detour inland en-route to Jozani Forest to witness the famous Colobus Monkey’s before heading to our final destination.

Three hours later including the Jozani forest tour we arrived in Bweju and the amazing Zawadi hotel, part of the Zanzibar Collection. Arriving at Zawadi you are immediately left speechless. The hotel is nestled on a cliff with uninterrupted almost transparent sea views. If you are in need of five-star privacy then go no further. Zawadi has it all. Our private villa situated on the cliff edge could not have offered more than it did. Besides the pool and bar area, Zawadi’s key ingredient is their own private & secluded beach with amazing low-tide walks into the ocean and all day swimming.

Midnight blues? Never. The only blue you will experience is being surrounded by the azure blue Indian Ocean. It screams out, ‘just help yourself’, I’m yours for the taking. You are constantly reminded that there is heaven on earth. As the day the ends, you are treated to the most amazing dinner one could ever imagine in their main restaurant. A combination of local and international dishes found anywhere in the world. A truly world class experience.

With a heavy heart it was time to say ‘Kwa heri Zanzibar’, thank you for your amazing and unforgettable African hospitality.

‘We will be back’.

Beyond excited as we are flying to Tanzania, a country which until recently, we called our second home. 

Tanzania, a true African masterpiece. A country of natural splendour, amazing wildlife, enticing beaches, charming ancient cities, archaeological sites and geological wonders and not forgetting their most famous landmark, Mt. Kilimanjaro. Africa’s highest mountain rising from lush, grassy plains towering above the country with its snow-capped peak. A sight to behold.

An ideal bush2beach destination where guests can watch the mighty herds of the Great Migration thunder across the Serengeti plains, ending their unforgettable safari with a quiet beach holiday on the island of Zanzibar, the exhilaratingly beautiful and exotic Spice Island.

We hit the ground running with a game drive

The Ngorongoro Crater on the edge of the Serengeti was formed when a volcanic mountain collapsed. The crater floor is at about 1,700 meters above sea-level with a diameter of 17 to 21 kilometers and the crater rim has an altitude of 2,300 meters. Due to the different altitudes and the dynamics of the air masses, the climate varies greatly. The altitudes are mostly humid and hazy, the lowlands are subject to strong temperature fluctuations. The crater edges are covered with bush and remnants of mountain forests. The crater floor is covered by short grass savannah, waterholes and acacia forests. About 25,000 large mammals populate the crater, including the highest predator density in Africa.

We were blown away with sightings of zebras, buffalo, wildebeest, eland as well as Grant and Thomson gazelles which are constantly preyed on by lions, spotted hyenas and leopards. The crater is also home to elephants, hippos and to the endangered black rhinoceros, with around 10 to 15 animals left.

A quick Flip over The Great Rift Valley

With a small plane we were treated to the mind-blowing scenery as we flew high above the Great Rift Valley and Serengeti before returning for that all-important Gin & Tonic which had to wait as nature does not wait for you. Excitement and anticipation as we witnessed a cheetah in full flight after its prey and within a few seconds it was all over. Cheetah successful, antelope not. This made our G&T even more enjoyable.

On game drives you can expect to see large prides of lions and clans of hyenas of up to a hundred animals following Tanzania’s annual Great Migration. Every year masses of wildebeest and zebras in search of fresh grazing cross the waters of the Grumeti River, which is home to some of the largest crocodiles in Africa. Seeing these huge animal herds as far as the eye can see is difficult to explain unless you’ve seen it first-hand. After an evening of true African Hospitality, shut-eye beckoned.

One Austrian, one South African, one African Indian Ocean Island, two hotels, one owner.

It was far from love at first sight, however, 5 months later our relationship blossomed and our love for travel within Africa was born.

We spent five wonderful years together living and working on the island of Zanzibar. We called it our “African Indian Ocean heaven”. The mystery, intrigue, warm tropical climate, blue ocean, diverse culture and most importantly, “Less is more”.

Travel2DreamDestinations started out as Travel2Zanzibar.
A hobby travel page showcasing our island living, safaris, accommodation, food, culture, people and so much more.
An on-line platform where family and friends could be a part of daily experiences.

We realized then that this was more than just a hobby. It was a calling, our passion for adventure and travel.

We had both enjoyed wonderful corporate careers, where annual leave happened once a year. We were now on the other side of the coin, hosting, sharing and selling travel into Tanzania, Zanzibar Island and neighboring countries.

.

As the sun rises in one destination, it sets on another.

Follow us as we share more exciting Dream Destinations and their stories.