2nd Anniversary in Zanzibar

After Addis Ababa, we flew to Dar Es Salaam and, after a chaotic run through the airport, we took a 15 minute flight to Zanzibar. We settled in at an all-inclusive resort on the Northeast side of the island. The first night, I intentionally left the curtains open so that we could see an Indian Ocean sunrise... it didn't disappoint. Not a bad view from bed.

We spent one afternoon by the hotel pool, one afternoon at the private beach, and our last full morning on a snorkeling excursion off of Mnemba island. The snorkeling was amazing. Unfortunately, it rained most of the time we were in Zanzibar and the snorkeling excursion was no different. It was actually very interesting how you could have your head above water and see the waves, feel the wind and the rain on your face and then you put your face into the water.... and it's so quiet and incredibly clear and there are fish everywhere. The biggest challenge is not touching the reef because it's quite shallow. You could position yourself in a deeper spot but the current could carry you quickly so you had to be vigilant of what was beneath you often. Luckily, no one got attacked by spiky sea urchins so we consider it a victory. I wish I had brought some sort of underwater camera because it was truly beautiful.

Hanging out by the pool

View from our Room

The food was really good, especially for an all-inclusive resort. The main restaurant had a different cuisine offering each evening which we thought was nice and a good way to keep guests from getting bored of the same fare all the time. There was also a pool bar, a beachfront restaurant, and a separate restaurant which had really nice grilled seafood. One of my favorite spots was the Jetty bar. They served tapas and drinks and it was a really nice spot to watch the "moonrise" since the sunset was actually completely behind us by that point.

Jetty Restaurant

Despite the weather, we had a great time and the hotel was really nice. After a few days of rest and relaxation, it was time to start our way back home with a quick stopover in Dar Es Salaam.