I Have Never Been to Zanzibar

I have never been to Zanzibar.

But I have spent an embarrassing amount of time looking at pictures of it.

The beaches. The blue water. The little streets. The old buildings. The boats sitting on the water at sunset.

And every time I see another picture, I think the same thing:

I really want to go there.

But my interest in Zanzibar did not actually start with travel pictures.

It started in a classroom.

As a student of History and International Studies, I remember learning about Zanzibar and thinking about it as this distant place somewhere on the map. An island with a history that somehow felt much bigger than the island itself.

At the time, it was just something I was studying for school.

Now, years later, I find myself looking at pictures of the same place and thinking:

What would it actually feel like to stand there?

That is the part about travel that fascinates me.

Sometimes you can know a place academically for years before you ever become curious about experiencing it.

And Zanzibar is one of those places for me.

So what is actually so special about Zanzibar?

For starters, Zanzibar is not just one tiny beach destination.

The Zanzibar archipelago sits off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean, and the main island is commonly called Zanzibar or Unguja.

Then there is Stone Town.

And this is probably the part I would be most excited to see.

Because if I am being honest, I do not think I would want to spend my entire trip lying on a beach.

I want to walk through the old streets.

I want to see the doors.

The architecture.

The markets.

The old buildings.

I want to walk around with absolutely no idea where I am going and then pretend that getting lost was part of the itinerary.

Stone Town has layers of African, Arab, Indian and European history, which makes it especially interesting to me.

It is not just beautiful.

It has stories.

And I think that is what makes a place unforgettable.

Then there is the beach.

Obviously.

Because you cannot talk about Zanzibar without talking about the water.

There is something almost ridiculous about those photographs.

Clear turquoise water.

White sand.

Traditional dhow boats.

Palm trees.

And those sunsets that look like somebody turned the saturation up too high.

But I also want to know what Zanzibar looks like when you take the Instagram filter away.

What does the morning feel like?

What do people actually eat?

What does it cost to spend a few days there?

Is it easy to get around?

Which places are actually worth visiting?

And most importantly...

Would I still want to go after finding out what the trip really costs?

So that is what I am going to find out.

If I went to Zanzibar tomorrow...

I already know there are a few things I would want to do.

Explore Stone Town.

Walk around the markets.

See the old architecture.

Spend at least one day doing absolutely nothing near the ocean.

Try the local food.

Take a boat trip.

Watch the sunset.

And probably spend an unreasonable amount of time taking pictures.

Because if I finally make it to Zanzibar after years of looking at pictures, I am taking the pictures.

Sorry.

😂

But there is something else I want to do.

I want to understand the place beyond the postcard.

Because sometimes we spend so much time looking at beautiful destinations that we forget there are actual people, cultures and histories behind the pictures.

And maybe that is why Zanzibar caught my attention in the first place.

The beach made me want to visit.

The history made me curious.

And now I want to see what happens when those two things meet in real life.

So, Zanzibar...

I have not booked the flight yet.

But I am putting you on the list.

And until I actually get there, I am going to keep doing what I have been doing:

Looking at pictures.

Reading about the place.

Finding out what it would cost.

Imagining the trip.

And wondering what it would feel like to finally arrive.

Maybe one day, I will write another issue from Zanzibar itself.

Until then...

Zanzibar is officially my first imaginary trip. 🌍

And I have a feeling it will not be the last.