22 Incredible Things to Do in Zanzibar, Tanzania

…markets, and more. I loved it. Zanzibar has so much to offer its visitors and you could spend weeks here without getting bored. Today, I’m excited to be sharing all of my favourite things. Explore Stone Town Stone Town wanderings made me so happy! Zanzibar’s history goes back over 20,000 years. It’s vast and rich. But the most tangible part of its history began with explorers and traders, who journeyed between East Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent….

Ten Days in Zanzibar: An Itinerary for First-Timers

Located just off the coast of East Africa, Zanzibar is an archipelago with a fascinating and colorful history. Today, Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous zone within the nation of Tanzania, after having experienced several different periods of colonization by a number of different world powers. Throughout this time, however, Zanzibar was a major hub for slavery in the African Great Lakes region, as well as Stone Town being a busy port city.  Today, this history is reflected in the extensive cultural…

Lake at Ovita Wildlife Restcamp

The Perfect First Day in Namibia

I don’t know what I’d been expecting from Namibia, but it wasn’t that it would be so easy. I felt as though I had rocked up at an airport in Germany rather than a lesser-known country in Southern Africa. Windhoek’s Airport was clean and modern; everybody spoke English; we bought a SIM card and exchanged our money with zero hassle; picked up our rental car within a few minutes. “Damn,” I commented to Dave. “I feel like we’re in the U.S. or…

giraffes in front of kilimanjaro

The Cost of Travel in Tanzania: My 2024 Budget Breakdown

…budget… but the bad news is that I don’t recommend doing so. In Tanzania, your money can go a hell of a long way when it comes to food, transportation and, in some cases, accommodation. But if you’re going to be flying to the east of Africa from any other continent on the planet, you’re probably going to spend a lot of money on flights. Plus, all of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences can quickly eat up your budget. That being said,…

berber village in the sahara desert morocco

The Cost of Travel in Morocco: A Detailed Budget Breakdown

…European readers: you’re in luck! With a plethora of budget airlines across the continent, getting to and from Morocco will likely cost under €150 each way. If you’re all about overland travel, you can travel down to Tarifa, in Spain, then take the ferry (€38.70) across to Tangier. For anyone in North America, Oceania, Asia, Africa, and elsewhere, my first recommendation is Secret Flying and my second is Skyscanner. Secret Flying is my number one flying tool and it’s rare…

Why You Must Take a Spice Tour in Zanzibar

…spice trade truly thrived. The Sultan transported 50,000 slaves through Zanzibar each year, forcing a third of them to work on the spice farms in Tanzania — 30% of whom died every year due to the terrible conditions. These spice and slave trades combined to make Stone Town one of the richest cities in Africa. These days, the production of cloves is declining while tourism is skyrocketing, resulting in much of the spice industry turning towards plantation tours as a…

Exploring Kolmanskop: Namibia’s Ghost Town in the Desert

…carats worth of diamonds were extracted. That wealth translated into some seriously luxurious living: Kolmanskop was home to the first tram in Africa, as well as the first X-Ray machine in the southern hemisphere. Water was transported in for miles by train, and used solely to keep the residents’ lush gardens flourishing. The ice factory was built to allow the town to produce their own fresh lemonade. The mine paid for opera companies to ship performers from Europe out to…

Dhow construction in Nungwi, Zanzibar

The Cost of Travel in Zanzibar: My 2024 Budget Breakdown

Zanzibar is one of my favourite destinations in Africa. This beautiful island is the definition of paradise and home to some of the best beaches in the world. My name’s Lauren and I’m fortunate to have spent the past 13 years exploring this planet as a travel writer, specifically focusing on world-famous paradise islands. Bora Bora? The Maldives? They have nothing on Zanzibar. Trust me: these really are some world-class stretches of sand. It’s kind of unbelievable, then, that it’s…

How to Spend 10 Days in Tunisia: An Itinerary for First-Time Visitors

…go to what is purported to be North Africa’s oldest amusement park along this slice of coast, dubbed Carthage Land (of course). If you’re traveling with kids, bumper cars, log flumes and roller coasters might be a welcome addition to your trip.  Day Ten: Tunis Revisited Catch the train from Hammamet back to Tunis. There are infrequent direct trains into the city center, but you may also have to change at the suburban railway town of Borj Cedria. Either way,…

riding a camel in the sahara

Why You Must Take a Tour of Morocco’s Sahara Desert

…Before you get worried about having to deal with an inordinate amount of time inside a minivan, I want to reassure you that there’s actually tons to do on your journey out to the dunes. We were making stops all the time to take photos of beautiful viewpoints and explore interesting places. The first place you’re going to experience is the excellently-named Tizi n’Tichka, which is the highest mountain pass in all of North Africa. It’s regularly described online as…

Dead Vlei Namibia

The Cost of Travel in Namibia: My 2024 Budget Breakdown

…end up spending half as much as I did within the country. Where’s the most expensive country you’ve ever travelled to? Related Articles on Namibia 🇳🇦 What’s it Like to Travel in Namibia? 🦛 The Perfect First Day in Namibia 🐘 Desperately Seeking Elephants in Etosha National Park 🏜 Finding Paradise in Vingerklip: Africa’s Monument Valley 🦭 Seals, Swakopmund, and the Skeleton Coast 🥾 Climbing Big Daddy: An African Travel Highlight 🏚 Exploring Kolmanskop: Namibia’s Ghost Town in the Desert…