Zanzibar! It sounds so exotic and yet it is also a spiritual place. Although we heard a Muslim chant or two throughout the day, there is no main religious genre that you must ascribe to in order to enjoy the ambiance that Zanzibar offers to you. Every person that we encountered was kind, calm and considerate. So if that is your vibe then Zanzibar is a welcoming place to be.

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While in Zanzibar, our hotel was not directly on the beach. In this case, it was easy to forget just how amazing the island waters are. So we took a tour which was about two hours long one way around the island. Our tour guides were native of Zanzibar, who told us that they had not been anywhere else outside of the island. It was good that we had taken the tour, with knowing guides, because the streets of Zanzibar lacked signage. 

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On our way around the island, there was a fixed roadblock that was monitored by police officers. One of the officers, a woman, stopped us and checked our car. Upon clearing us for departure to continue on, she made sure to collect a few shillings from our driver. That was the first time we experienced a shake down by law enforcement while in Africa, but it would not be the last.

 

In the photos below we were on our way to the outskirts of the island to the stunning serene beaches that you will see in a glimpse below. Boats align the ocean awaiting the tides and there are a few neat houses on the ocean. I have also included a few of the houses that we passed by on our way to the shoreline and beach goers enjoying the views.