Zanzibar – HAKUNA MATATA (no problem)
Zanzibar archipelago consists of several smaller islands and two main islands: Unguja and Pemba. Turquoise clear water and fairytale white sand, coral reefs with over 600 species of fish, three different kind of dolphins, green turtles and the largest fish on the planet – the whale shark. Pleasant equatorial climate throughout the year and friendly locals. It is Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous state off the east coast of Africa, which has been forming the state of Tanzania since 1964 with the former mainland stateTanganyika. There are more than 1 million inhabitants on the island and the capital is Stone Town – a UNESCO World Heritage Site also known as the birthplace of the famous Queen singer Freddie Mercury. The state has its president and parliament, which has 50 deputies. The country’s largest source of income comes from tourism, seaweed and pepper cultivation (cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and black pepper).
You can find more information about Zanzibar at Wikipedia
Zanzibar comprises two large islands:
- Unguja with an area of 1,658 km²
- Pemba with an area of 984 km²
English is official and Swahili is the local language. The locals are nice, incredibly extroverted and willing to help. They try to meet everyone. Their main motto and almost life philosophy is the phrase: “hakuna matata”, which means “no problem” 🙂
The weather
The ideal time to visit Zanzibar is more or less all year round as this tropical island lies close to the equator and the average temperature during the European summer is around 27 ° Celsius. From December to March, the air temperature rise up to about 30 ° C. This not applies to the mainland, where temperature may be affected by and altitude, and for example, in March during safari in Ngorongoro you can be surprised by cold evening.
Climate conditions in Zanzibar
Entry visa
To travel to Tanzania, an EU citizen needs a passport valid for at least 6 months after the planned return from Tanzania and an entry tourist visa, which is available on arrival for a fee of US $ 50. Card payment is required. For the cash payment of the visa fee at the airport is used an conversion USD : EUR at a rate of 1: 1
Vaccination and Zanzibar - are there any mandatory before enter the country?
No vaccination is required to enter Zanzibar. Yellow fever vaccination is only required if you come from a country where yellow fever is present, which means that if you are flying from UK or any European country, you are fine.
Nor is a vaccination certificate required when going from Zanzibar to the mainland of Tanzania and back.
If you come from another African country – for example, if you were first in Uganda and were flying from Uganda to Zanzibar or Tanzania, you need a vaccination card. This vaccination is valid for 10 years.
Malaria - do you need to buy antimalarics for a holiday in Zanzibar?
Basically in Zanzibar, malaria is considered sporadic. Beforehand vaccination against malaria may be ineffective, but they are many very effective medicines available. Interesting article on the topic: “Malaria and antimalarics – who takes them and who doesn’t” find HERE
