A white Christmas... in Zanzibar

After a rather troubled period, with flu viruses going around the house and even an unexpected surgery, God willing, we're setting off for another vacation... Despite everything, despite the cursed economic crisis, just like the good old days we're about to embark on the third trip this calendar year and we're going to spend Christmas in the Zanzibar archipelago, in Africa, off the coast of Tanzania. We set off a quarter past three in the afternoon, on a grey winter day, with fog raging over our dear Po Valley. We get on the highway at Faenza and at 15:50 we're in Bologna, then, past the Emilian capital, we take the A1 and less than half an hour later we're in Modena... On the Autostrada del Sole we cross the whole of Emilia and ten minutes after 17:00 we cross, at Piacenza, the course of the Po River. In this way, with the first lights of evening, we come in sight of Milan.

We drive the whole Tangenziale Ovest following the signs for Malpensa Airport and at 18:15 we arrive at Park to Fly, where we'll leave our car in storage for the next eight days. A little later we also pass through the entrance of Terminal 1, belonging to the first Milanese airport, and get to the Groups Area, where the Zanzibar Viaggi counter is (the tour operator we turned to for this vacation). At the appointed time they give us the travel documents and with those we then face the long line to check in our luggage. So, after also passing the security checks, we wait for the flight at gate B13. (Our unexpected travel companion will be the well-known host of Striscia la Notizia: Enzo Iachetti).

A few moments before 22:00 the boarding operations begin on the large Boeing 767-300 of the Meridiana airline, so, a bit behind schedule, at 22:41 flight IG 3264 takes off, turning immediately southward. We pass almost right over our house and, following the eastern profile of the Italian peninsula, we set out on the route that will take us to our destination... Meanwhile I move the hands of my watch forward two hours, to the Zanzibar time zone, and in an instant it's already...

We try to sleep a bit, while Leonardo, with his overly red cheeks, doesn't look good at all and, touch wood, we hope it's really just tiredness... The first light of dawn arrives while we're flying over Kenya and right after we begin our descent toward Zanzibar, where we happily land at 8:31 local time. As soon as we're off the plane we feel on our skin the pleasant tropical warmth of the place. Zanzibar, in fact, is located six degrees south of the equator and is an archipelago (not an island as one is mistakenly led to believe) situated 35 kilometers off the coast of Tanzania (of which it is part), made up of many islands, sometimes uninhabited, but in particular two main ones: Pemba and Unguja... It's on the latter (extending for about 1600 square kilometers) that the capital Stone Town is located, and it's on this one that we've landed to spend our vacation.

We get through the customs formalities: very expensive visa (fifty euros each!) and Police check... all in all quick, considering what was being said about it... Meanwhile the suitcases also arrive, unloaded by sheer arm power, and with those in hand we exit the airport, where we find waiting for us the local representative of Zanzibar Viaggi: Massimo (or at least that's what he calls himself). Together with his colleague, Mario, we get on the minibus that will take us to our resort and right after we set off along the island's roads, lined with modest, sometimes dilapidated, dwellings: Zanzibar is also Africa, despite being a very touristy place. Just after 10:00, and after about an hour of travel, we reach the locality of Pwani Mchangani at the Coral Reef Resort, which will host us for the next seven nights...

At first glance the resort is nice, though a bit dated (but we already knew that), however it's also, practically, empty... and about this they tell us it will fill up in the next two days. They give us the keys to our room (114): a generous quadruple, or rather, a small apartment with a living room, kitchenette (which we won't use) and two bedrooms... Without wasting time we put on our swimwear, while Leo appears fit and his unpromising appearance really seems to have been just tiredness... better that way! We run straight to the resort's beach, with the Indian Ocean in front of us, or rather, in the distance, since it's low tide... The tidal phenomenon, in fact, in this part of the world is very pronounced and greatly affects the days, with a very precise rhythm, of which we are perfectly aware.

In no time I'm enticed by some Beach Boys (guys who illegally offer excursions wandering around the island), among them the one who calls himself "The Mayor of the Sea": a good young man (from what you read on the internet) who can be trusted... From him I find out about the prices charged, with the understanding that I'll let him know later. While local women in traditional dress pass along the beach with all sorts of things on their heads, in the company of Federico and Leonardo, I take a short but original walk on the dry seabed then, at 12:30, I go to the appointment with Massimo's briefing on the possible excursions organized by the resort, so, there, I inform him about the proposals I got from the Mayor and he, about this, promises me a big discount, which he'll tell me about in the afternoon. At 13:30 we go to lunch, consumed with a pleasant sea view...

A sea that meanwhile is rising at a dizzying rate. Later Massimo actually offers me great prices, so I organize with him practically every day: from tomorrow to the end of the vacation. Back at the beach, having ascertained the not exactly excellent quality of the sea (rather rough and full of not very pleasant algae), tiredness from the trip begins to set in, so we all fall asleep on the sun loungers and in this way we laze around almost until dusk. Back in the room we treat ourselves to a refreshing shower and then go to dinner... Afterwards, though, there's really nothing to do at Coral Reef and soon we find ourselves again within the four walls of the room, where we surprise wandering calmly, besides geckos, cockroaches and centipedes (bearable), also a little mouse, which we try in vain to catch...

It holes up under a piece of furniture, which we carefully stuff with beach towels, and we, with a hint of apprehension, take refuge between the sheets, waiting for the kindly light of morning.

The accumulated tiredness was really a lot, so, despite the mouse, we wake up when it's already past 9:00 and afterwards we're forced to do everything in a hurry to manage to have breakfast in time. Having satisfied our palate we devote ourselves to our beloved rodent and with the help of some people from the resort we set out some poisoned food in plain sight, then we free the piece of furniture from the stuffing, which we find abundantly chewed, and we head toward the beach, even though there are many clouds in the sky and the sun comes and goes. We take a walk during low tide, then we have to run for cover because, suddenly, a small downpour hits us... Afterwards we return to the beach and amid more chiaroscuro we reach lunchtime.

Duly refueled, in the early afternoon, we get ready for the first excursion of the vacation, with the sun which meanwhile, fortunately, has returned to shine high in the sky. On board a minibus, accompanied by Mario and other tourists, we reach the interior of the island, where the vegetation is thicker and more luxuriant. There we are guided, within a sort of agricultural cooperative, to discover the many spices cultivated in Zanzibar (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, pepper, citronella, etc...) and some botanical curiosities like the carambola, the jackfruit and the rambutan fruit, with unexpected cosmetic properties (in practice a natural lipstick).

Once the arboreal experience is over we get back on the minibus and in no time we reach Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar (with its over 200,000 inhabitants) and a city rich in history, so much so that in the year 2000 it earned its inscription on the Unesco World Heritage list. First of all we stop at the great Anglican cathedral Church of Christ, built in the late nineteenth century, during British rule, in neo-Gothic style, with unusual Arab details... Inside it, rather bare, stands out a small crucifix which is said to have been made from a branch of the tree under which the heart of the famous explorer David Livingstone was buried.

The religious building is then located near the site that was the last slave market in Africa (closed in 1873), so we can see, in the basement of the former hospital, the chilling cells in which men and women were crammed in conditions such that they couldn't even stand up... The place, naturally, is of an infinite sadness! With a short walk we then reach the Central Market of Stone Town (also called the Darajani Market). The area involved, which unfolds around the building of the Seyyidieh Market (inaugurated in 1904) is quite real and genuine, especially as regards the foul-smelling fish area, but also the colorful fruit and spice stalls. Afterwards we venture among the narrow streets of the old town: a chaotic labyrinth made of houses, sometimes dilapidated, shops of every kind and mosques.

Here are the famous wooden doors of Stone Town, whose massive panels with bas-relief decorations are often characterized by large ornamental studs and can be in Indian style (with the rounded top) or Omani style (with a supported lintel). We pass by the Catholic cathedral of Saint Joseph and, walk, walk, we reach the seashore, right in front of the so-called House of Wonders, one of the most representative buildings of the capital, built in 1883, which was in its time the residence of the sultans and the seat of the colonial government, with its facade adorned with cast-iron columns and the large clock tower... all of it though rather decadent and in need of a copious restoration. Beside it there's also the old Arab Fort, or what remains of it: a massive defensive structure built by the Omanis in the 18th century.

While the sun rapidly descends toward the horizon line we walk along the Stone Town seafront teeming with life, then we stop to pay homage to the birthplace of Freddy Mercury, the unforgettable singer of Queen, who first saw the light here on September 5, 1946, finally we go up to the terrace of the Africa House Hotel to admire the sunset... which however has already happened and we missed it... what a pity! Now tired we find our minibus again and with it, in the by now total darkness, we face the hour of road that separates us from the Coral Reef Resort, then later we go to dinner and spend a quiet evening, putting an end to an all in all positive vacation day.

It's Christmas Eve and a magnificent sun is shining... We get up calmly and go take our seats on the beach, then to have breakfast. We spend the whole morning in tranquility and relaxation, then toward noon we take the usual walk during low tide, in search of interesting perspectives... so we go to lunch and right after to the room to get ready for the afternoon excursion. At the appointed time, in the company of Massimo and a driver, we set off toward the far north of the island. A couple of kids try to do the same, but by renting a scooter... and soon they find themselves in a sea of trouble, stopped at the first police checkpoint. So our escort has to intervene to sort out the situation, and after paying a small bribe he manages to get them going again... All this is proof that in certain places it's always better to rely on a local guide.

Around 15:00 we come in sight of the northern cape of Unguja, in the locality of Nungwi, a humble fishing village. Here, laid out on the shores of a small inland lagoon, is the Mnarani Natural Aquarium: a tiny reserve established in 1993 to preserve and raise green turtles, a marine species at risk of extinction. We make a brief visit of the place, which particularly excites the little boy, then we walk along the beach, bathed by a beautiful sea, to go see where, with still very rudimentary tools, dhows are built: the traditional boats of Zanzibar. Before getting back on our minibus we also explore a small fish market, then we head toward the seaside part of the excursion. We drive back a handful of kilometers heading south and then turn right along a bumpy dirt road, which reaches the sea at Kendwa beach, according to many the most beautiful on the island...

Indeed it's a very long stretch of blinding white sand, bathed by a stupendous sea, which certainly does not disappoint... What's more, given the shape of the coast, at this point the tides are almost non-existent or much less invasive. The place is certainly not wild, in fact it's dotted with holiday resorts, which I had also considered, but which weren't within the vacation budget. Nevertheless the beach has a particular charm, which today we can literally enjoy and first of all we run into the water to bask in the splendid waves with crystal-clear reflections. Afterwards we go back to the water's edge and look around... Tomorrow is Christmas and we are immersed, body and soul, in this tropical wonder! The feeling is so special that, by association of ideas, I voice to everyone my original thought: this is our "White Christmas"...

in Zanzibar, though, where what's white is certainly not the snow, but the sublime sand that laps its blue sea! At Kendwa, given its orientation, we also wait for the sunset and, while the sun before us sets the sky on fire, we eat fresh fruit, which Massimo kindly prepared for us, peeled and cut... a worthy epilogue to an unforgettable afternoon! We return to Coral Reef again wrapped in darkness and we immediately rush to the room to get ready for the Christmas dinner. We eat well, especially excellent shellfish, though with somewhat drawn-out timing, then we run immediately to bed, because Santa Claus must arrive... or rather, no... maybe he'll arrive at home, in Italy, for little Leo... Actually we run to bed because tomorrow morning a little early rise awaits us to take part in another excursion, to discover the wonders of Zanzibar.

The alarm is at 6:00 on this hot Christmas of 2014. We go have breakfast and at 7:00 we're at the reception, ready to set off for a new adventure. The minibus with other participants shows up to pick us up when it's almost 7:30 and today too Massimo will accompany us. Under a cloudless sky we cross almost the whole island of Unguja, from north to south, and shortly after 9:00 we reach the fishing village of Kizimkazi, which is located almost at the tip of the southwestern coast. The bay facing the village, which on our arrival is full of local boats and offers splendid contrasts of color, is famous for dolphin sightings and it's precisely for this reason that we've come. After various ordeals we get on a motorboat and with it, plowing through crystal-clear waters, we go a few hundred meters offshore...

After a few minutes the first, unmistakable, dorsal fins appear among the waves: they're two dolphins, which we patiently begin to follow. The likeable marine mammals now and then surface, then dive and disappear, then resurface at a certain distance, so we chase them for over an hour. Some excursionists even throw themselves into the water to swim with them, but the dolphins are rather elusive... To tell the truth we were hoping (given the reviews) to meet a larger pod more eager to be with us, but that wasn't the case, so we had to settle and, in any case, we had a fine experience. Before returning we stop to do a bit of snorkeling on a small coral bank, then we return to Kizimkazi where, meanwhile, the low tide has left all the boats stranded. We quench our thirst and refuel with a bit of fruit, then we leave the place...

not before, however, having noticed some large baobabs and several palms completely full of Weaver Bird nests: small passerines with a bright, entirely yellow plumage. We follow back part of the road traveled in the morning and arrive near the Jozani Forest, the last stretch of tropical forest that once covered a large part of the island, included in the Jozani - Chwaka Bay National Park, the first established in Zanzibar, in 1995. At the edge of the forest a large troop of monkeys of the Red Colobus species finds refuge, and some of the Diademed Monkey. In a few minutes we spot them and they're a spectacle the way they chase each other up and down among the branches... what's more they aren't afraid and easily let you approach and photograph them.

Afterwards we're also led along the nearby Pete-Jozani Mangrove Boardwalk, a path that unfolds over some comfortable wooden walkways in a typical mangrove forest, highlighting all the characteristics of this marshy environment. Noon has already passed a while ago when, having also absorbed the last interesting experiences, we get back on the minibus and head speedily toward the Coral Reef. We arrive at the resort around 13:30... just in time to have lunch, then in the afternoon we laze shamefully on the beach, amid the chiaroscuro of passing clouds, dragging ourselves until evening and dinnertime... In this way another beautiful Zanzibari chapter comes to a close, but, above all, a truly special Christmas day.

The alarm is at 7:00 and after breakfast we're ready for the daily outing, the first lasting a full day. It will be an all-sea excursion, known as Blue Safari, which will take place in the area off the southwestern coast of the island. Even though there are a few too many clouds in the sky we don't despair and with the usual minibus we reach in a little over an hour the small port of Fumba, located on a peninsula south of the capital, while as hoped the sun comes out. At Fumba, in the company of other tourists, we get on board a dhow and with it we set out into the facing Menai Bay. In this stretch of sea, whose colors are to be appreciated right from the start, there are some islets, among them the one of Kwale, where we're headed. Along the way, however, we stop on an incredible sandbank, which at low tide, in turn, turns into a small island.

Here we camp out, for about two hours, and take unforgettable swims, in the limbo of the Indian Ocean, in thin layers of crystal-clear water and tongues of the whitest sand... then we taste fresh fruit in the shade of the awnings improvised by our escorts, among them the ever-faithful Massimo. Shortly before noon we leave the sandbank and with our dhow we move to a stretch of sea with some coral to do a bit of snorkeling (all in all satisfactory), then we set course for the nearby island of Kwale, where we're scheduled to have lunch. We disembark far from the main bay because it's low tide, so we have to walk a good stretch on foot along the coast, including several dry reefs, among which stands out a beautiful natural rock arch, normally submerged among the waves. Once we reach the beach we settle under the canopy reserved for us...

The place is much visited and besides us there are many other vacationers, mostly Italians. While the preparations for lunch are being completed we go see, among the vegetation in the immediate vicinity, an enormous, centuries-old baobab, knocked down many years ago by the weather and regrown in an incredible shape (an upside-down T)... The great tree, for the local population, is wrapped in myth and legend, not for nothing is Kwale also called "The island of the giant baobab." We have lunch, among other things with excellent and abundant shellfish, when it's already past 14:00, then we rest on the beach of Kwale, while we notice among the fronds of some small trees, above our heads, many enormous and beautiful yellow-black caterpillars, which however, according to some, are stinging... and therefore to be avoided. Toward 17:00 we get back on our boat and leave the island of Kwale...

The return to Fumba, however, against the wind, is interminable and the sea spray (fortunately very warm) forces us into an unplanned soaking. Having also regained the minibus we then set course for Pwani Mchangani and the Coral Reef, while Leonardo, extremely tired, collapses and falls asleep after a few hundred meters. We arrive at the resort in complete darkness and immediately rush to the room to take a restorative shower, then we go to dinner. In this way we conclude an unforgettable day, spent in the stupendous sea of Zanzibar... the only negative note being Federico's health, undermined by some typical tropical ailment, which we hope won't deteriorate beyond measure...

While the vacation inexorably draws to a close we, undaunted, continue with the program of excursions that will lead us, as far as possible, to the discovery of almost the whole island of Unguja. At 8:00 we're already at the reception and right after with the minibus (this time on time) we head toward Stone Town. Once we reach the capital, from the beach adjacent to the main port (where the ferries from the mainland dock) we set sail, in the company of other tourists, on board a traditional dhow. A beautiful sun is shining in the sky, but the sea this morning is rather rough and a brisk breeze is blowing, so the navigation against the wind, like yesterday afternoon, forces us to start the day with an unplanned shower. After about half an hour battling the waves of the Indian Ocean we disembark on the island of Changuu, also known as Prison Island.

Here in the nineteenth century a sort of prison was built (hence the island's name), to be used in the slave trade... a prison which, however, was never used, because in the meantime slavery was abolished. Today, however, the island's main attraction is a large colony of giant tortoises (changuu), direct descendants of the four specimens (still alive) from the Aldabra atoll, in the Seychelles, and given in 1919 to the English regent of Zanzibar. We enter the small reserve with Leonardo impatient to meet the specimens and in no time he gets his wish. The large tortoises have in fact reproduced over time and currently there are more than a hundred, many of them over a century old... They have their ages painted in paint on their shells and our eyes widen as we see in succession 130... 157... and even 191 years!!!...

And they wear it very well too! After the tortoise colony we see what remains of the prison and then we return to our boat to devote ourselves to the seaside part of the excursion. We set course west and after plowing through another fine stretch of sea we come in sight of the sandbank called Nakupenda (which in Swahili means "I love you")... another little wonder of the Zanzibar sea. As soon as we disembark I devote myself to exploring the place, which is relatively small. You have to walk briskly indeed to reach its end, where there's a large colony of seagulls that perch facing the wind until the tourists arrive to disturb them. I take beautiful photos and savor stupendous views, with the blinding white of the sand, the green-blue of the sea, the intense blue of the sky and on the horizon the outline of Stone Town, which seems farther away than it actually is.

At Nakupenda we take an unforgettable swim, then under the awnings, improvised to shelter from the insidious sun rays, we have lunch with lobster, mantis shrimp, octopus, rice, potatoes and lots and lots of fruit, thus reaching the orgasm of the vacation... With full bellies we allow ourselves a bit of rest then, later, another swim and also a bit of snorkeling (not exceptional), finally we have to leave, reluctantly, the delightful Nakupenda sandbank, whose name we now fully understood... At 16:00 we're already in Stone Town and sixty minutes later at the Coral Reef... Thinking about it, there wasn't really such a hurry to get back since, to complete the afternoon, we're forced to go, for over an hour, to the resort beach now all in shadow and whipped by an annoying wind.

A bit chilly we then move to the bar, where we wait for nightfall and the time to go back to the room to get ready for dinner... Later then, as usual, there isn't much to do at Coral Reef and soon we retire to our apartments, nonetheless happy with the succession of events that have so far delighted us.

And so the last full day to spend in Zanzibar has come and while back home, in Italy, it seems to be snowing, we're at over thirty degrees and ready to set off for the last excursion of the vacation too. Shortly after 8:30 we find a minibus waiting for us just outside the reception and with it, together with two local escorts, we head north along the coast. At a certain point the road becomes a dirt road, so we follow the track that leads to the remote village of Matemwe. There, from the beach facing the village we set sail on a dhow, while the weather isn't exceptional, with quite a few clouds in the sky, but a good wind is also blowing, which we hope will come to our aid. As soon as we've set out the island of Mnemba appears before us, a small tropical paradise, inaccessible unless you're a guest of its exclusive lodge, which is said to be owned by Bill Gates.

All around, however, its atoll is located and that's precisely where we're headed, to snorkel. The sea is a bit rough, but near the reef it's much calmer, so we can get in the water... and judging by the many people around us, who've come for the same reason, it really seems worth it... Indeed we find lots and lots of fish, of every shape and color (puffer fish, surgeonfish, triggerfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, parrotfish, etc....), only the corals are a little scarce. Amid sun and clouds and after a couple of all in all fruitful and satisfying explorations (Leonardo took part in the first one too) we move to another area... less rich in fish life than the first, but which offered me the chance to capture the legendary Nemo, or clownfish, among the tentacles of its inseparable anemone.

Since the low tide hasn't come yet we can't land on a beautiful spit of sand that forms in that case, so shortly after noon we get ready to return to Matemwe. For a long stretch we sail along the coast with beautiful views of the surrounding beaches and cliffs, then we have some difficulty returning because, meanwhile, the water level has begun inexorably to drop, but in the end we regain our minibus and with it the Coral Reef by lunchtime. In the early afternoon, given the low tide, I venture on foot, from the resort beach, toward the coral reef, which is several hundred meters away, and an improvised local guide accompanies me through rocks, pools and myriads of sea urchins with insidious spines... It takes me over an hour and along the way I also see two small moray eels and many starfish, then I return to shore, among the palms, to laze until evening.

We do some shopping, starting with the traditional Swahili game of Bao, consisting of a wooden board with 32 holes and 64 seeds (called kete), which involves a contest between two players, then I settle the hotel bill, because tomorrow we leave. At 19:00, with complete darkness now, we go to freshen up and pack our suitcases and later to dinner... We're now at the home stretch: I go to the beach once more to hear the lapping of the sea, under a beautiful starry sky and then we retire to the room to sleep a bit, in anticipation of the imminent early rise... that will take us away from Zanzibar.

The return operation begins early: at 5:30 the alarm goes off, we slip on (alas!) our long pants, close the suitcases and go have a premature breakfast. The appointment is at 6:30 at the reception and there we find waiting for us the vehicle that will take us to the airport. Massimo accompanies us, as usual, but this morning we won't stop (unfortunately) at the market to buy fresh fruit for the rest of the day... We arrive at the airport and immediately begin to stand in the inevitable lines: first at the luggage check, where a mommy in uniform asks us for a small bribe to let some innocent seashells through, then at check-in, then at customs and at the end we wait for boarding time in the departures hall... there seems to be a bit of a delay, but nothing shocking. Toward mid-morning the plane arrives. The new arrivals get off and a little later we get on (including Mr.

Enzo Iachetti, as on the way there)... So the Boeing 767-300 of Meridiana, at 10:45, taxis on the runway of Zanzibar international airport and takes off, identified as flight IG 4444, turning immediately northward. The landing in Milan is scheduled in just over eight hours... and everything goes smoothly. In this way after about five hours of travel we look out over the Mediterranean Sea and at the same time I set my watch back two turns. Then we also regain the Italian coasts and begin to work our way back down the peninsula. When we're more or less over Florence the plane begins its descent and at 16:57 we happily land at Malpensa airport... They deliver all our luggage safe and sound and around 18:00 we're already at Park to Fly to pick up our car.

We then take the road home and an hour later we leave the Milanese capital behind us, while along the roadside we can't help but notice the remnants of the recent snowfall. In Bologna it's 20:10 and half an hour later we exit the highway at Faenza... In this way, at 20:53, we positively conclude the trip in front of the gate of our sweet home, with Leonardo running off at once to see if Santa Claus really left the presents under the tree... and from the shouts of joy it really seems so! We're tired and soon we go to sleep... but already we miss the tropical wonders of Zanzibar and then its rhythm to the tune of "pole pole" (slowly slowly) and its "hakuna matata" (no problem)... From tomorrow, but above all from the end of the Christmas holidays, we'll go back to battling with the frantic everyday life and its (unfortunately)... much matata!