When you think of Zanzibar, you immediately picture dreamy, endless white sandy beaches lined with gently swaying palm trees. But can you really have the holiday of your dreams on this tropical island? After spending two weeks at the TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar, I can confidently say: yes! In my experience report, you’ll find all the essential information for getting there, what the hotel has to offer, and tips for the perfect holiday in Zanzibar.
Table of contents
Where is Zanzibar?
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, located off the East African coast in the Indian Ocean. The Zanzibar Archipelago consists of the main island of Unguja (commonly referred to as Zanzibar) and the neighboring island of Pemba, along with many smaller islands. The island is renowned for its stunning beaches, pleasant climate, friendly locals, and vibrant culture.
Important: Before You Travel
To enter Zanzibar, you’ll need a passport valid for at least six months after your trip, as well as a tourist visa, which can be easily applied for online for around €50. You can also obtain the visa at the airport, but I recommend applying in advance to avoid delays after a long flight. Starting October 2024, compulsory insurance must be obtained through the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, regardless of any private international health insurance you may already have.
From the UK, Zanzibar can be reached with a one-stop flight from London, typically with a layover in cities like Nairobi or Doha. The total flight time, including the layover, is around 12 to 14 hours. Given the length of the journey, it’s best to plan at least a week for your holiday to make the most of your time there. Fortunately, there’s minimal jet lag, as the time difference is only three hours.
There are no mandatory vaccinations for Zanzibar, but it’s advisable to have a travel medical consultation with your doctor beforehand. Tanzania is a malaria risk area, so individual precautions, such as prophylaxis, are recommended. However, the likelihood of contracting malaria on Zanzibar itself is very low.
Our Stay: TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar
About the Hotel
The TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar is a 5-star hotel located in the village of Kiwengwa on Zanzibar’s east coast. It’s about an hour’s drive from Abeid Amani Karume Airport. Upon arrival, you’ll be welcomed to this tropical paradise with a cool drink and a refreshing towel in the lobby.
The entire complex exudes warm African flair and luxurious comfort. The rooms, spread out over exotic gardens, feature large four-poster beds and terraces or balconies with cozy hanging chairs. For an extra treat, you can stay in a beach villa with its own pool. We stayed in a deluxe room, which was very comfortable and offered a lovely view of the tropical plants.
You can choose between half board and all-inclusive. The main restaurant, The Restaurant, offers extensive buffets with delicious dishes, some of which are cooked live. There are also four other restaurants to explore. More about that later.
A long staircase leads down to the gorgeous white sandy beach, the large pool, and the restaurants. For those with walking difficulties, there is the option of a quick and easy ride up and down in a golf cart. It should also be mentioned that we were very pleasantly surprised by the hospitality and warmth of the staff in the hotel – and actually of everyone in the whole of Zanzibar. Wherever we went, we felt like we were visiting good friends who could read our every wish from our faces.
What can I experience at the hotel?
We’re not the type to spend two weeks just lounging on the beach or by the pool; we love exploring. However, the TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar offers so much within the complex that there’s no chance of getting bored, even if you don’t leave the hotel! We particularly enjoyed the reef hike on the beach right in front of the hotel, which takes about two hours at low tide and offers a close-up view of the flora and fauna. Remember to wear sturdy shoes, bring plenty of sunscreen, and stay hydrated!
The tour of the hotel was also very interesting, with fascinating information about its history and several glimpses behind the scenes that guests don’t normally get to see (e.g. the laundry or the restaurant kitchen). An absolute highlight for us was the wine tasting with the hotel manager, who, after an informative presentation – including drinks, of course – about red and white wine, still took time to talk to the guests.
If you want to delve deeper into the language of the locals, beyond ‘jambo’ and ‘asante sana’, you can do so with a Swahili language course, at the end of which you learn a song and perform it. During coconut leaf weaving, small works of art such as crowns or ties are created, which you can then adorn yourself with.
Every evening, entertainment takes place by the pool or on the beach; whether it’s music from live bands, breathtaking acrobatics or the classic show of the Maasai, who perform their cultural dances and songs – entertainment is always provided. The weekly film evening under the stars on the beach is particularly romantic.
For bookworms, a reference to the wide selection of books in the hotel is a must: a large number of literary works can be found in both the lobby and the TV room. There are also three charming little book exchange shelves in the garden, sorted by language. Although I had brought plenty of books with me, I took two more and put the ones I had finished on the shelf. I was very happy to see my Stephen King novel in the hands of another guest by the pool the next day. ?
BLUEf!t and BLUE Spa
Sports fans can let off steam with the extensive BLUEfit programme: we took part in aquafit almost every day, let ourselves be tortured with functional training and trained our core and back. The small gym offers all fitness studio fans the most important equipment and a number of dumbbells and barbells. Jogging is excellent early in the morning right on the beach – at low tide, of course.
There are also regular table tennis tournaments, volleyball matches and many other activities. If you want to learn more about healthy eating, the BLUEf!t manager is on hand to advise you. And speaking of eating and drinking, cooking and cocktail-making courses are also on offer.
After a workout, relaxation is of course a must: you can either simply enjoy yourself on the beach, in a luxurious daybed or by the pool – or you can treat yourself to a treatment or massage at the BLUE Spa. We booked a back massage on the last day before departure and can highly recommend it: we have rarely been so relaxed!
Catering
A sumptuous buffet is served daily at The Restaurant for breakfast and dinner, offering international dishes as well as many local specialities that you should definitely try. Once a week, the buffet is served in the evening around the pool or directly on the beach. We were at Bahari Zanzibar over Halloween and, in addition to delicious food, were treated to a spooky show – the whole hotel was also lovingly decorated with little ghosts and other spooky things!
In addition to the main restaurant, The Restaurant, you can also dine in four other restaurants: as well as an Asian and an Italian restaurant, there is the Green & Grill, which offers delicacies throughout the day, and the speciality restaurant Breeze, where you can also enjoy a candlelit dinner right on the beach. The four of us ate at Breeze one evening and the food was fantastic! Another highlight is the weekly Swahili breakfast, where you can get a huge selection of typical local breakfast specialities for an extra charge. Definitely recommended!
No matter when or in which restaurant we dined, the food was consistently excellent and among the best we’ve had on holiday.
What can I experience in Zanzibar?
Even if you don’t get bored in the hotel, you shouldn’t miss out on Zanzibar’s attractions, because there is a lot to discover! We went on a total of three excursions with a driver and a local guide who showed us the highlights of the island.
Spice plantations
Zanzibar is also called the ‘Spice Island’ – and rightly so, because it is one of the world’s most famous exporters of high-quality, exotic spices. Accordingly, there are countless spice farms on Zanzibar, many of which can be visited on a tour. On site, we received a lot of information about the various spices, but also about the many types of fruit that were grown; including samples, of course! It was really very exciting to see the trees and shrubs on which vanilla, pepper, cinnamon, turmeric and much more are grown and for what purposes they can be used. After a little shopping afterwards, we were well equipped to cook up the delicacies of Zanzibar at home!
Zanzibar City, Stone Town and Changuu Island
Zanzibar City is the largest city on the island and definitely worth a visit. The Stone Town district has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000 and is an absolute must for a holiday in Zanzibar. When walking through Stone Town, you should see the old fortress, visit the Freddie Mercury Museum, stroll along the promenade with a view of the sea and definitely visit the Forodhani market! Another highlight in Stone Town is the House of Wonders, which was the first building in Zanzibar to be equipped with electricity and a lift. Today you can admire an exhibition about the history of Zanzibar there. You can spend hours walking through the narrow streets, haggling with the vendors and buying pretty souvenirs, marvelling at the Arabic architecture and soaking up the atmosphere. You should also definitely visit the slave market, which commemorates Zanzibar’s dark history as a centre of the slave trade and the suffering of the people.
A small boat takes you to Changuu Island, the prison island, in about 20 minutes; slaves were held there in the 19th century before being sold on in Zanzibar. In addition to a small museum with information about the history of the island, it is now known primarily for its giant tortoises and the opportunity for snorkelling.
Nungwi Beach and feeding turtles
Nungwi Beach is probably the most famous and perhaps most beautiful beach in Zanzibar, where you can do everything from water sports to sunbathing. Particularly popular are the boat trips on traditional dhow boats at sunset here at the northernmost tip of the island; we didn’t want to miss that either and can only recommend this experience! If you’re lucky, you’ll even be accompanied by dolphins.
Before our boat tour, we made a detour to the Baraka Aquarium. There, giant tortoises that have become entangled in fishing nets or have been injured are nursed back to health and released back into the ocean when they are fit again. Visitors can swim with them or feed them; we just watched the impressive creatures and limited ourselves to feeding. Very meditative!
Kiwengwa Caves
We reached the Kiwengwa Caves in the middle of nature, only accessible via a bumpy, unpaved road. Equipped with flashlights, helmets and safety instructions, we set off into the caves, where the guide showed us the impressive underworld of Zanzibar. We did not expect the stalactite cave, in which the roots of the trees growing above us could partly be seen and where our guide could even play music on the stalactites, to be like this! However, you should wear sturdy shoes here and not be afraid of bats, centipedes or spiders – the latter in particular were much larger than I had expected…
Jozani Nationalpark
Jozani Forest is the only national park on Zanzibar, located in the centre of the island and covering an area of almost 50 km². It is one of the most popular destinations. We took a short walk on a trail through the forest, where a guide told us more about the flora and fauna of Zanzibar. The forest is also home to various species of monkeys, which – since they are not shy at all, but very curious – can be observed up close. These include the endangered red colobus monkey, which is found only in Zanzibar. In the mangrove forest, which is part of the national park, we also saw a variety of tropical trees, different species of butterflies and small crabs.
Many holidaymakers in Zanzibar also take the opportunity to go on a one- or multi-day excursion to the mainland for a safari. Unfortunately, we didn’t manage that anymore – so unfortunately we’ll have to come back… ?
You can read about all the other things you can experience in Zanzibar and which beaches you should definitely visit in the articles The top 8 things to do in Zanzibar and The 5 best beaches in Zanzibar.
Conclusion
Wow, what a dream holiday! We were sure even before we arrived that we would have a great time in Zanzibar – and were pleasantly surprised every day. The warmth of the people, the beauty of the resort, the picture-book beach and the diversity of the island made the two weeks fly by far too quickly. We are quite sure: we will be back.
Book your dream holiday in Zanzibar now!
Questions and answers about Zanzibar
Climate and best time to travel to Zanzibar
Zanzibar has a tropical climate all year round. During our holiday in October/November, the temperatures were over 30° every day and it didn’t get colder than 24° at night. There are two rainy and two dry seasons; the latter are more suitable for travelling to the island and are in January/February and June to October.
Where is the most beautiful place in Zanzibar?
It depends on what you want to experience. ? For a swimming and snorkelling holiday and water sports, the north with Nungwi Beach is ideal, as the tides are not as pronounced there as, for example, in the quiet, relaxed east of the island, where the TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar is located. The south-east around Paje Beach, on the other hand, is known as the party mile. Those who want to immerse themselves in the culture are best off in the vicinity of Zanzibar City.
How much time in Zanzibar?
We were there for 14 nights, which was the perfect amount of time for us to relax, go on a few excursions around the island and take advantage of the wide range of activities on offer at the hotel. You should spend at least a week on Zanzibar.
Catering at the TUI BLUE Bahari Zanzibar?
Half-board worked very well for us, as we usually had a good breakfast in the morning, were out and about during the day or sat down for a small snack in the beach restaurant.
Who is Zanzibar suitable for?
For all those who want to experience a mixture of beach holiday, adventure and culture. You can spend your entire holiday at the hotel and on the beach, but it would be a shame not to explore the colourful world of Zanzibar in more depth. Zanzibar is also an exciting holiday destination for children, the people are very child-friendly. As a member of the LGBTQ*+ community, however, you should be careful; homosexuality is unfortunately a criminal offence in Tanzania.
What should you definitely take with you?
Sun protection: It’s best to bring a large pack of sun cream and a sun hat or cap; you underestimate the sun enormously!
Mosquito repellent: e.g. Nobite and light, loose clothing for twilight and the evening
Sturdy water shoes: A reef hike is a must, but lots of sea urchins and stones in the water can be painful