In the Heart of Africa

Let me say right away that if you need information we're available and I can also send you the file I gathered browsing the internet: didodandan@fastwebnet.it

We booked our flight-only to Zanzibar in January with Todomondo and since then we've been tormented by the doubt of whether or not to do the safari in Tanzania… In February, during my browsing and my usual gathering of information, I found a site that briefly listed all the characteristics of the various agencies that organize safaris and their email address… With the help of my automatic translator, I sent my email requesting prices and info for a 5-day/4-night safari to all the addresses on the list.

Almost all of them replied and I was overwhelmed by their proposals… Together with our travel companions and very dear friends, Andrea and Jael, we started to think it over… They talked about a considerable expense and the idea of the tented camp seemed too much of an adventure to us, so much so that for months we set aside the idea of being able to afford a safari in Tanzania… We even thought we could hope to organize one on site, saving something…or to sleep outside the parks to spend less…but every idea immediately fell apart and we kept giving up the safari more and more… To me and Diego, having this year had the luck to find good prices for flight-only to Mauritius in December and flight-only to the Maldives for May, the idea of doing only beach in Zanzibar didn't appeal… In June we made up our minds: let's do the safari…but the second question is with whom? You read around that ther

e are phantom agencies, that take the money you send as a deposit and then vanish, or other agencies that quote you a low price but then cut corners on the vehicle or the cook etc…or where you spend a lot of time trying to repair a broken jeep… I was really in crisis, I wanted to spend little but I didn't want to regret it for a long time afterward… I started my search on the internet again, digging deeper and deeper… I found a very kind guy, and you can find him online too, who has been to Tanzania at least a dozen times…Living nearby, he kindly opened his home to us and shared with us the basic information we needed…he showed us some wonderful photographs he took on his last safari (February 2008 in the calving season) and managed to convey to us his love for safari…he advised us to do almost only safari, fifteen days… It was impossible as an expense and we were convinced we would get t

ired… He explained over and over that there are so many wonderful things to see and do that the bare minimum, so as not to regret it later, is at least a week. In Arusha he has a trusted friend who organizes safaris. We accept that he organize the safari for us, or at least we ask him to structure it and let us know the cost… His quote is rather high for our pockets and we decide to cut one day and do only two nights in lodges and the rest in tented camps…we're talking about seven days and six nights of safari. If there were four of us the cost would be lower because certain expenses are shared, like the vehicle, the driver and the cook…but our friends feel like relaxing and getting a good dose of sea, they're organizing a week in Mafia…it's just us. The price is good but it's still high.

In July I dig up some of my addresses from my old February emails and send out again to a lot of them a new email with my new itinerary…they reply and they're all kind. We choose three quotes that are lower but not too much, we ask for further info, and even though we're sorry to have "wasted the time of the Italian guy and his Tanzanian friend," we decide to take the risk and spend a little less, while still ending up with a significant price. We do it ourselves. I write an email to the Tanzanian tourist office (Tourist Information Centre - Dar es Salaam" ttb2@ud.co.tz cotcord@intafrica.com ) or (Tanzania Association of Tours Operators" tato@cybernet.co.tz ) stating the name of the chosen agency and saying that I want to know if it exists and is reliable since I have to pay half the safari price in advance. They reply that it is known and reliable. We chose:

CORDIAL TOURS

info@cordialtours.com

We dealt with John but they're all available and ready to help you.

I'll write you some email addresses of other agencies that we met on the safari and to which you can ask for info...I can also send you the complete list

We, from personal experience, recommend CORDIAL TOURS 100%…we had a great time, or if you want to be 100% safe, look online for the guy I'm talking about and ask him for info, and if he organizes the safari for you.

HERE IS OUR TRIP:

STONE TOWN

Lunch at: PLAZA (Shangani area near the Italian restaurant la Fenice) Run by locals, nice, clean and tidy; it's on three floors: the top one is open-air, with a lovely view of the ocean. Typical cuisine, we ate almost decently if it weren't for the sauces we're not used to. Not the cheapest, mid-level. Be careful because if you only have dollars they, like the majority, use the exchange rate 1000 Tsh = 1 $, so we, not having local currency, lost $8 on it. Dinner at: DOLPHIN RESTAURANTE ( halfway down Kenyatta rd, Shangani area) Nothing special, typical cuisine, not very fast service, low prices but very skimpy portions. They have a fantastic parrot that likes to stick its head out of the cage and have it petted.

To finish and fill the hole left by the Dolphin: LA FENICE (Shangani area) Typical Italian restaurant, run by an Italian couple. Their daughter organizes safaris in Arusha. We only had a fruit salad with a scoop of good ice cream (6000tsh) And the dessert Tiramisù (superb, just like you'd eat it in Italy). A real Italian restaurant, you notice the European touch, the owner is kind, ready to chat and willing to help, he gave us the chance to join him the next day to visit the local market. Excellent espresso coffee for which we paid 2000tsh ( 1€ = 1800tsh).

Slept at: ANNEX COCO DE MER (Vuga district) $50 per night per room with breakfast. Basic rooms, spacious with a ceiling fan, bed with mosquito net. Bathroom? There's just the bare minimum for it to be called that.. All slightly depressing. It would be an excellent accommodation if it cost at most $20 (maybe since it was the fifth hotel we tried and the others were all full, we even got the doubt that it normally costs less and that, in agreement with the taxi driver, they raised the price…) Value for money practically nonexistent. Breakfast very impersonal, neither good nor bad.

- Mediocre breakfast at the Annex coco de mer - Excellent coffee at the Fenice - Rain coming and going… - Quick lunch at the Plaza (giant sandwiches but deep deep fried) - Coffee at the Fenice after lunch -While waiting for the plane, a relaxing break on the terrace of the restaurant: AMORE MIO (Shangani area after the Fenice and the Plaza) Run by Italians but keeping the Zanzibari style… At the Fenice it feels like leaving Africa and returning to Italy..in this restaurant you stay in Zanzibar We had a fruit salad (3000tsh), 1 spiced tea (1500tsh) and 1 coke (1500tsh) lulled by the waves of the sea…Excellent view, and a truly clean place. The people around us ate pasta, pizza and sandwiches…they looked good… Maybe for a possible lunch or dinner they don't have a huge choice or variety of dishes like they have at the Fenice…but the guide says they make excellent ice cream…

WE LEAVE FOR OUR SAFARI

FLIGHT STONE TOWN – KILIMANJARO taken with AIR TANZANIA We chose a direct flight to make the best possible use of our time. Departure at 19:55, arrival 21:00 At the airport we found waiting for us one of the guys who works for the agency chosen via the internet that organized the safari for us.. Transfer of about an hour to Arusha.

Slept at the IMPALA HOTEL Excellent, it's a big nine-story block, with 4 types of restaurants and a huge crowd of people. Excellent room, large bathtub and hot water. Good bed with mosquito net. Chilly climate, so much so that as soon as we arrived in the room we asked to turn off the air conditioning…the answer?..there is no air conditioning, that's its normal temperature… Continental buffet breakfast, available from 5:30 in the morning, good and with a huge choice.

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

Beautiful park. Savannah, full of Baobab (some are truly big and beautiful). Sightings are very easy, we saw lots of zebras, elephants, giraffes, impalas and the like… From afar and in two different situations we also saw two lionesses… Let the photos tell the rest..also because every safari and every day is different from another.. Highly recommended!!!

Slept at: TARANGIRE SAFARI LODGE

Nice, I'd say luxurious The accommodations can be in tents or in bungalows with thatched roofs. We slept in the fixed tent (as big as a hotel room) with the back in masonry where the bathrooms are, the shower has hot water but since it's not completely enclosed, with the drafts you get a bit cold. Everything lit up, the tent also has a veranda with a small table and two chairs. It has an excellent location, and you enjoy a beautiful panorama, it's situated on a cliff overlooking the Tarangire river, and we were able to see a herd of elephants drinking… Dinner served, with a menu of the day, not varied: a hot soup and you could choose between two types of single dishes, then a buffet of fruit and desserts. Not very generous portions: rating decent. Buffet breakfast free and consequently plentiful both in quantity, but more importantly varied in choice.

Cold temperature, you're fine with two layers and a nice sweater, a thought: if we were cold, surely sleeping in a real tented camp and dining outdoors is definitely much colder.

LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

Truly beautiful park, I read that it's sometimes underestimated, but for us, precisely because of the diversity and variety of environments in such a small space, we really liked it a lot... You enter the almost rainforest...and right after you find yourself in the savanna and then in a lake environment... There are so many elephants and we even saw them from a truly close distance... Then zebras, giraffes (seen in the distance), impalas, hyraxes and lots of baboons and various monkeys... Hippos, flamingos and pelicans. We even managed to see two lionesses climbing down from the tree where they had taken refuge to rest... Thrilling!!!

The town of MTO WA MBU

It's definitely worth taking a walk to breathe the African air... There's a beautiful Maasai market, with their crafts, too bad that everyone asks you to come in and look, then bargain and buy...as a result you quickly lose the desire to look and walk around...

Slept outside the park at: TWIGA CAMPSITE LODGE twigacampiste@hotmail.com Fenced campsite, lots of cooks at work, we arrived in the morning, the guide and the cook unloaded the car with everything needed for cooking and sleeping and then we set off again to visit the park...On our return we found, as everyone does I believe, our tent set up and the table laid...dinner? It depends on your cook and the agency you chose!!! We were lucky, he was good, diligent and responsible...and an excellent cook... The campsite I'd say is equivalent to an Italian campsite (not a luxury one), the bathroom is basic and gets cleaned often...The shower is hot!!!

LAKE NATRON

Today we marked on our schedule a visit to Lake Natron... We didn't research this day very well...it had been recommended to us and we followed the advice...we thought it would be a safari very similar to Lake Manyara... The transfer to the area and first to the tented camp Movido Camp takes a good three hours on a practically non-existent road...(we cross roads made only of rock, ford streams etc...we see lots of Maasai villages, lots of dust and hundreds of children with their various herds grazing, many are dressed in nothing but rags. We arrived at our destination around midday, the guide tells us we'll wait three hours before setting off again because it's too hot and the lake can be visited in a very short time...we're perplexed but we obey...

At three o'clock we're ready for our usual safari, we're unaware of everything, and like a "rascal" our guide Rama doesn't warn us about anything... As soon as we leave the camp a Maasai boy gets in the car with us, who knows why? He must feel like going for a car ride, maybe...I conclude...sucker!!! After fifteen minutes they left us at the foot of a mountain and the Maasai transforms into the guide to reach the waterfalls...excuse me, nobody told me there are waterfalls, let alone that I have to reach them on foot...initial trauma...the guide immediately adds: "it will take you about fifty minutes to go and as many to come back and you'll also have to cross small streams..." I would have disintegrated him on the spot...but put on a brave face and accept the bad luck...

The road or the path practically doesn't exist, you climb up the mountain alongside a stream between ups and downs and rocks that crumble a little...watch where you put your feet...then you cross the stream several times... If like us you arrive a little unprepared, at the beginning it can be traumatic. You just have to adapt...we were in sneakers and long pants and fording a river without wanting to get wet is quite an adventure...but if you're reading this diary, you'll arrive fully prepared, like the other group of Italians who were even in their swimsuits ready for the final swim...

Our guide Jhon was fantastic, we took off our shoes and did the last stretch barefoot in the middle of the river and on the stones (my feet hurt so much!!! but it made no sense to put your shoes back on only to take them off again three minutes later...) In the end you arrive at a cave where this waterfall falls from above (nothing huge or amazing) but you can swim in it and after the waterfall plunge, entering the cave after about ten meters there's another lower but more powerful waterfall that acts as a hydromassage...Everyone was happy and felt at one with nature! Diego swam with his pants on.

The return journey practically like the way there, thank goodness the sun is setting and you're often in shaded areas...Waiting for us at the jeep are some Maasai girls and women who have their little stall on the ground, with typical bracelets and necklaces...(Just one question I couldn't find an answer to: They're so isolated from the world...but where do they find the corals or the beads to make their ornaments?) We bargain with a girl named Maria (?) and she sells me a Maasai necklace for 4000tsh...at least it's a souvenir... We reach Lake NATRON in a very short time, then since it's the dry season you walk in the dry lake but in some points muddy and slimy to reach the part of the lake where the flamingos are.

It's completely pink, the dream is that they all take flight for a fairy-tale photo but you can't get that close, without getting stuck...you can still get close to small groups in small outer pools and see them well. Beautiful!!!

Back at camp we asked ourselves would we do this day again? It's a strange day, in the end between going and coming back you spend about eight hours in the car on roads that don't exist, and you cross mountains, you don't see animals except the flamingos and a few giraffes or impalas or gazelles roaming free around Tanzania... We still haven't found a definitive answer, one thing is certain: as a day we liked it and it allowed us to see different landscapes, to breathe in the Maasai spirit and that of other tribes like the Sonjo.

If we did the same route again we'd make sure to be able to stop in some local village and off the tourist trails...Moreover when we booked the safari we said to ourselves that seven days of safari, from our point of view, were too many and that we'd get bored...this day allowed us to relax and completely detach our eyes from the animals and created an even greater anticipation for the Serengeti.

Slept at: MOVIDO CAMP

Absolute peace, being off the usual tourist routes, there are very few people and the few there are don't sleep in tents but in bungalows...it's just the two of us, the guide and the cook and the Maasai who run the camp. It's shaded, the 2 western bathrooms and 2 showers are ok, very clean, then there are the outdoor ones for the braver ones or for the Maasai...It's very hot during the day and the climate is ideal in the evening...very few mosquitoes... There's no electricity, so no lights, even in the bathrooms. Only room-temperature water! We slept under the typical African tree, with the tent practically open, there was only the mosquito net lit by the full moon, it was very romantic! We were woken around three in the morning by the various donkeys grazing the grass near the tent, almost making the ground tremble...

Just before leaving I was called by a Maasai woman outside the camp fence who wanted to sell me her bracelets...I bought one for 2000 tsh, she was very happy...

TWO DAYS IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

We had read that the Serengeti is the place where legend meets reality, where you can touch the mystery, the harshness and the power of Africa... We can't help but confirm what you've already read around...it's fantastic! We saw part of the Lobo and Seronera areas and I assure you we liked it very much, it offers beautiful, varied landscapes with impressive expanses that the eyes can't take in. And the animals? So many...I can't imagine what it must be like before the great migration, towards the Maasai Mara. There are enormous herds of buffalo, zebras and Thomson's gazelles, impalas etc...elephants, giraffes, dik-diks and they're clearly visible, since it's the dry season even the felines!!!Wonderful! In one day we saw more than 15 family groups of lions: as many as 4 lionesses with cubs, 3-4 lions and some young lions...and the rest groups made up of 2 to 4 lionesses...

They were often resting and like cats struggled to wake up, despite the noise of the cars. They camouflage themselves very well in the dry yellow grass and sometimes even when you know they're there you can't see them anymore once they lie down. We saw for the first time and in total freedom and with lunch nearby (a gazelle): a CHEETAH. We thank the other three jeeps stopped nearby but despite them telling us it was there, it took us more than ten minutes to find it... Then thanks to its ears moving it was located...you could only see a few spots and then it graced us by lifting its feet and taking the typical pose of cheetahs. Wonderful landscapes...hippos in crystal-clear rivers or in muddy pools full of their own excrement...green grass and lush palms near the water or very dry grass in the plains.

What strikes you are the endless spaces, where on the horizon you see the silhouette of an elephant or a giraffe wandering alone. On one hand I understand those who organize very long safaris, having more time allows you to see and observe the animals calmly in all their phases of life or of the day! I saw giraffes drinking for the first time, baby elephants suckling milk... They're wonderful sensations that enrich your life.

In the LOBO area we slept at: LOBO CAMP

I'd be tempted to say that there practically isn't a camp: it's an open clearing, behind you there's a big rock and in front a large expanse where at night the buffalo slept (I didn't sleep very much, I could hear the buffalo snorting and previously I thought there'd be a bit more protection in this kind of camp, at least if not a fence they had told me there were Maasai as guards...instead everyone fends for themselves and you hope you don't have to go to the bathroom at night. Cold, cold and very, very windy! There are two hut-like structures with a base of about a meter in masonry and metal mesh serving as walls, straw roof. They serve to protect the food from baboon attacks...in the evening you don't see them but once breakfast is over they come down in groups to steal what can be stolen.

Bathrooms? Who said anything about a bathroom??There are four sheet-metal walls and a deep hole in the ground...the important thing is that anyone "playing the game" has good aim, otherwise after a while you don't know where to put your feet anymore... With a bit of courage and a plugged nose everything works out fine. There's practically no water anywhere except from the little tap of a large tank that the cooks use for cooking and washing dishes...The only thing you can do is wash your hands!Bring wet wipes...and luckily it's cold so you're not even sweaty! Eating outdoors was really tough both in the evening and in the morning, too much icy wind, the clothes weren't enough to protect your face.

In the Seronera area we slept at: PIMBI B/CAMPSITE

It's an open camp.Completely open in the middle of the savanna, but we neither saw nor heard any particular animals (lucky or unlucky depending on your point of view...) There are always the two fenced enclosures I already mentioned, closed with nets and straw roof.One serves as a kitchen and the other is set up as a dining area with the little tables and chairs brought by each group of tourists. There's no light and no electricity, but there is water! The bathrooms were built very recently in a small house at the side of the camp, with water and shower. I think it's a well-kept camp in the process of improvement, not abandoned to itself as the Lobo one currently is.

In the morning safari in the Serengeti and in the afternoon transfer to the last stop NGORONGORO with the visit to the Maasai village. In the morning we beautifully saw the Leopard sleeping "perched" in the tree with the freshly hunted gazelle not far away. Once again we saw lionesses with their cubs. In short: doing a safari in the Serengeti is a special thing and I believe you can't be disappointed, if in August, a period described as the time when you see few animals because many are in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, we saw so many, I can't imagine the park when it's full.

Anyway, let me summarize what Lonely Planet says about when to visit the park: "In the park the concentration of animals is highest between December and June and relatively lower in the dry season between July and October. But the Serengeti is worth visiting all year round. It depends a lot on what you want to see! Are wildebeest your main interest? Then in the rainy season (December-May) you'll find the herds scattered in the southern Serengeti area. In the calving season, around February, more than 8000 wildebeest calves are born every day, although 40% of them die before reaching four months of age. If on the other hand you want to see predators then the best period to spot a greater number is certainly the dry season (July-October)." Get informed and make your own assessments.

After lunch we headed towards the Ngorongoro, in the large spaces at the sides of the beaten path that serves as a road we start seeing all the Maasai children again herding their flocks, of sheep or goats or cattle. Often when they see the car they run towards you holding out their hand...this happened on any road we traveled...they ask....they always ask. It's easy for a conversation to arise between: IS IT RIGHT TO GIVE OR IS IT BETTER NOT TO GIVE? Should they see the tourist as someone to "fleece" or as a benefactor? Getting them used to receiving means that over time you can't even take a step without being surrounded by children or people asking you...and asking you... It's quite a dilemma! Regarding these children I thought they were asking for money or maybe clothes, since some have only a rag knotted on their shoulder and that's it.

Our guide, Rama, explained to us that their main request consists in asking for WATER, indeed often you find them alone with their animals, in the middle of the savanna surrounded only by scorched, hard earth and a few small trees as shelter from the scorching sun. Giving a bottle of water to one of them means that twenty meters further on you'll find another asking you the same thing and so on... Or you think he's alone, but as soon as you reach out your hand to give, others pop out running from semi-hidden places. You can't please everyone.

We had a bag of apples and this afternoon we gave one to every child we met: they ran out quickly! Whatever we do is a drop in the ocean! Let me add a reflection that could be called mean: they as a tribe reject progress and on one hand it's right because traditions and culture are sacred and must be respected...so why do you have to beg from the tourist? Why did my guide and my cook, despite having food or water with them, never make the slightest gesture of solidarity not even towards one of them? Why is all this demanded of us tourists? It's their life choice! The only regret is that the children have no choice and that as little ones they suffer their parents' decisions and that when they're grown they're so deep in the mechanism that maybe they don't know or don't have the courage to get out of it.

We did however see young Maasai dressed in their typical colorful cloths walking happily with a spear in one hand and a cell phone in the other, or with fashionable sunglasses. In conclusion: everything is not always as it seems. There will certainly be isolated and truly poor villages, but we didn't see thin or starving people, they have their sheep and their cows; even if this doesn't mean there aren't any. There will certainly be people who have left their isolated village and moved closer to inhabited areas to also take advantage of the comforts. Near the inhabited centers we saw many Maasai on bicycles. It's true that on topics like this you can open debates for days and days, even though I've only expressed my doubts and I don't want to argue with those in favor of giving or those against giving. Slept at: NGORONGORO WILDLIFE LODGE

It enjoys a beautiful position on the edge of the crater. Enormous structure with at least four terrace floors, with a large balcony to enjoy the beautiful view. Buffet dinner of excellent quality and variety, same for breakfast. Highly recommended!!! We had chosen it precisely because everyone had warned us that it was the coldest area of our safari and sleeping in a tent and eating outdoors when outside it gets close to zero isn't the best, at least in a room you can defend yourself better...In the central hall there's also a fireplace that gets lit although you only warm up if you stay very close... We were therefore prepared for the cold and didn't find it worse than what we suffered at Lobo, of course being in a tent could have been tragic. At sunset and early in the morning the thermometer measured around 12°.

VISIT TO THE MASAI VILLAGE

I believe it's not worth it, certainly I wouldn't do it again! Cost per car of $50, duration of the visit: maximum one hour. We went to one of the villages near the Ngorongoro. Let's say it's the only way to take photographs freely of people to whom I can apply two definitions: 1) They sold their face for money. 2) They got clever and exploit the suckers who pay to see their little show.

As soon as we arrived a young Maasai with excellent English comes towards us and takes the money from the guide and introduces himself to us as our companion inside his village. Immediately I'm annoyed by the amount of gold he wears (rings and bracelets, one even made with white gold woven with yellow gold). He has more than me! You have to wait, for at least twenty or thirty of them to come out of the village to do their welcome dance for you. Some make an effort, more convinced than others. I, perhaps I'm biased, and I see it as a tacky display, very far from reality. $50 to enter isn't little (we later learn in Zanzibar that the average salary is at most $100 a month...I don't know how much they normally earn in Tanzania...). This village certainly isn't poor and although they want to appear a certain way, in my eyes it all seems the opposite.

We enter the village...many small huts, where "our" young Maasai explains with what materials it's built and then seats us inside... Our eyes aren't used to the dark and once inside we can't see anything...then after about ten minutes I realize my eyes have adjusted and I can make out the shapes. It's very small: a cowhide serves as a bed for the parents and a hide as a bed for the children;there's a tiny corner with embers, used as a kitchen. He explains their life to us and we can ask all the questions we want, too bad that caught off guard none come to us...moreover my English is practically non-existent and Diego's is very basic. He explains that they're polygamous and that they don't eat vegetables (certainly a bit complicated to grow). Their diet is only meat and blood, sometimes they mix blood with milk, they eat goats, cows and sheep.

The donkey is the only animal they raise only as a means of transport and that isn't eaten. Now while I'm writing my diary, I would have liked to ask him: does each wife have her own hut?how many wives or children did he have?how do they choose them? Are they jealous of each other?What do they do when one of them dies? Buried or burned? What is the role of the man or the woman? it seems the woman works and toils much more than the man, is that true? Etc..etc.. In the center of the village there's a kind of circular palisade with all their ornaments (necklaces, bracelets, decorated sticks etc..) They give Diego a stick and me a necklace...they divide into two groups, one of only men and the other with only women: they sing and we in the center have to jump as high as possible...they tell us that this way they're marrying us according to their tradition...

Diego plays along and follows what he's told to do...I feel like a circus monkey, completely extraneous to their environment..I jump a bit but I'm too embarrassed... It's a show for the tourist. Afterwards you're warned that you have to choose what you like among all the objects and then buy it.. I, as I already recounted, at Lake Natron had already bought a necklace for 4000 and a bracelet for 2000 Tanzanian shillings... I had an idea of the prices luckily... We choose a necklace and four bracelets: they quote us $50!!! Are we crazy??? We refuse to be fleeced like that, stupid maybe but definitely not idiots...

Stupid for not having bought outside the tourist circuits from people who actually need it and who are satisfied...We leave everything...they insist...I'm for paying a fair price...maximum 15000tsh, asking for $50 is really highway robbery...considering that I just gave another $50 just to enter... He wants to make us believe that $15 is little and that they lose out...ok no problem...we don't want them... So they take us to visit their school: A hut with benches where about twenty children are seated with torn t-shirts full of dust...in the center there's a little box where the offerings for the school are then put...we donate something... The children sing us a short song and a little girl from the group introduces herself by translating into English what her teacher says in the local language.

The children seem truly poor! There are two very small ones, they're at most two years old, who took a liking to me and follow me, laugh and eat sand, they have flies on their faces and seem not to notice...they don't shoo them away...I do it for them but after a moment the fly returns to its initial position...I'm sorry I have nothing for them.. But then I think: why are the adults all well dressed (you can see for yourself from the photos I put online) and well washed, I'd almost dare say, with gold on their wrists while with a crazy contrast the children are dressed in rags and with flies on their eyes?I don't find them suffering, in fact they're quite chubby...

I can't understand...certainly that particular village that opened up to tourism isn't poor...maybe the children are left like that to make the tourist feel even more pity...or maybe even within their group they divide into rich and poor...To find an answer you'd really have to enter their culture, not as a tourist but as a friend...it takes years and a lot of trips to Tanzania. The visit is over and our young Maasai guide plays the bargaining card again: three bracelets for 15000tsh. We accept even though we're sure they're expensive. We see that 5000 the young Maasai puts in his pocket and 10000 is given to the woman who maybe made them.

End of the visit! Up to you to decide whether to do this visit or not, we certainly wouldn't do it again but we'd like to stop in the real villages, and if I have to leave money, I prefer to give it to them, and see their life firsthand, not just people who sing and dance when the tourist arrives, no one washing, toiling, cooking...those not in the show are sitting and waiting for the next arrival of another couple of foreigners.

We resume our journey... Again little shepherds looking for handouts... we give what we have, a few packets of biscuits and such,water we have little of for ourselves and it's not so easy to find a "shop" that sells it... We've almost reached our destination, we stop outside, on the rim of the crater, tomorrow morning we'll descend inside. We take a few photos at a panoramic point and I'm immediately surrounded by 5-6 twenty-year-old Maasai guys selling necklaces and bracelets...I ask how much the same necklace costs that I wanted to buy in the village where they asked me $15...the guy asks me 5000 tsh (a little more than $4) I don't even have the courage to bargain, I accept immediately. I get even angrier when I think of the tourist-fleecing village.

Having bought one the other guys immediately start saying: "two necklaces for 5000tsh"...ok I satisfy them but everyone assails me, talks and holds out their necklaces...they ask for so little that I choose two from the pile...I have no idea who I should give the money to..a hand reaches out and indicates to me that one is his and one is the other guy's... I give them the money...they're agitated,they'd like me to take them all but in the end they're very calm among themselves, today a tourist chooses yours,tomorrow another will choose mine...

DESCENT INTO THE NGORONGORO CRATER

We begin the descent around seven thirty... The crater appears to us empty, dry and desolate...but it's truly enormous and much is hidden from our view. Indeed the further we go different environments appear before our eyes. We find ourselves in the middle of a forest, there are rivers with their lush vegetation and further on very dry savanna. We see some elephants, lots of zebras, a group of hyenas with cubs, jackals gazelles, impalas and various birds...we see not far away a lion with a black thick mane with his harem, three lionesses, and then in the distance an enormous black patch...we approach and make out the shapes..they're wildebeest! There are so many, they cross the road in front of us, cautious and careful, we witness a small migration...they're just moving from one pasture to another. They're beautiful sensations.

And when you think...seven days of safari is the right compromise,if you did more maybe I'd start to get tired...here you go a cheetah is spotted (the various guides alert each other by radio) and then your adrenaline starts rising again...beautiful and off we go again with a barrage of photographs. It's a beautiful specimen, it's very calm, it rolls in the sand, like my cats and even does its business...Fantastic, it's in no hurry to leave... Time passes inexorably and now the hour of exit and getting back on the road for the end of the safari is approaching. We spot about ten jeeps near the area designated for the picnic stop.

We approach: two splendid lionesses are in the tree...off again to immortalize this moment,but the majority of the jeeps are stationed a little further ahead on the other side of the road and look in the opposite direction to ours,what's so special? We see positioned in the middle of the tall grass a third lioness and 4-5 meters away there's a procession of zebras... She's certainly in hunting mode,but only she knows when the right moment is...we wait a bit...but she's still motionless...maybe it'll take her three, four hours,who knows? She doesn't have to go anywhere,just get food,maybe the jeeps coming and going slow her down or distract her...we can't wait any longer.

1:30 pm our return journey begins;the safari is over! Only regret is not having managed to see the rhino, the only hope was right inside the crater, but there are only very few specimens so seeing them is really a rarity.But there's always someone lucky.Good luck to the next ones! We ask Rama, our guide, to be able to stop and buy some t-shirts as souvenirs... About halfway he stops and points out that in a stall-shop in addition to the very typical paintings and pictures he also sells t-shirts. We ask the price: 1 x $25,excuse me have we gone back to the Maasai village? I don't think so...I say I'm willing to give you $5,he drops to 20 and I walk away...I'm tired of people who just want to take advantage because since we're traveling we seem rich,with money to throw away...

I get tired quickly and stop bargaining,we're not suckers to be plucked,maybe there are people who sell themselves off like that,I don't!Diego coins the phrase "I'm a Chiken?" I just ask for a fair price...he has to have his profit of course,he's not a sucker to be plucked either. As we're walking away he says: ok for $6. But by now he who wants too much gets nothing!I can do without t-shirts too. When we arrive in Arusha the guide stops at a shop run by Indians,I don't know if they have more business sense,but the price for the same t-shirt is 5000tsh that is less than $5. We buy.What's fair is fair. We stop by the agency to fill in the comment book (all truly positive!) and then they accompany us to the starting point:at the HOTEL IMPALA where we already slept on the way there.

We go up to the room and a nice hot bath restores our spirit.Dinner at the Italian restaurant (which maybe has only the name Italian) and straight to bed,tomorrow at six,Rama, is coming to pick us up to take us to the airport!

KENDWA

Kilimanjaro airport is beautiful, brand new and very well organized. One wonders why an airport where far fewer tourists land should be so modern, while the one in Zanzibar practically doesn't exist. Maybe political issues between Tanzania and Zanzibar...they don't want it asking for independence,or maybe there are many more people on the island who "eat up" all the money we tourists pay to enter and to leave...Another mystery... Flight slightly delayed but perfect. Being a domestic flight the Zanzibar airport is practically empty and looks different. No one yelling, asking for handouts to not open your suitcase etc... We have a couple of very dear friends waiting for us in the Kendwa area. We left Italy together and while we did the week of safari they were on the ISLAND OF MAFIA they'll be happy to be able to help you,and maybe you'll find their story online.

They went diving and subsequently described it as a paradise. They did everything with the help of an Italian guy Mario who opened a diving center on the island and who also has three bungalows on the beach. They were enthusiastic. Back to us...we bargain to find the taxi to Kendwa,in the north,it's practically on the tip of the island near Nungwi The taxi quotes us $60 and in the end takes us right in front of the resort chosen by our friends for $40,it takes about an hour by car.

We sleep at: DUNIANI LODGE

dunianilodgekendwa@gmail.co Tel +255 776 034 845 + 255 777 239 494

The place and the atmosphere you breathe inspire us from the start. It consists of at least eight bungalows about thirty meters from the beach. Cost $60 per night with a very abundant breakfast. Maybe it's a bit expensive for the standards we're used to (the Asian ones where with $20-30 maximum you get an amazing room) but Africa is expensive and this has a good quality-price ratio for what we saw around. The room isn't anything super luxurious,but it's comfortable,large and above all spotlessly clean!!

I must however point out that the management has just changed, about six months ago; before it was called:MALAIKA and now everything is in the phase of improvement and renovation,so maybe when you go you'll find it even more beautiful. The desire to do and improve exists and you can feel it in the air. Just consider that when we arrived they inaugurated the new kitchen,clearly visible to anyone,always kept very well and spotlessly clean. They created the menus before our eyes instead of telling you everything verbally and they were creating a really nice restaurant venue by the beach.

They have an enormous thatched-roof hut where at the beginning there's the brand-new kitchen and in the center of this enormous space (it could also be a dance hall) there's the bar, very well stocked and carefully looked after almost as if it were a child that must see the light every day, in an almost maniacal way, by a very nice local guy,at least I think, named JOB!!! Every morning we found him arranging, moving and dusting the bottles that at the end of the evening he would put back on his shelves.Precise and always ready with a smile and to help you. At the sides of the bar there are the tables where breakfast, lunch or dinner is served... The staff is truly nice and easygoing,with the only desire to please the customer.

If you leave the key to Job or Bertha who is the manager of everything (she's the one who ultimately takes the money when it's time to pay...) they clean it for you,if you don't leave it,no cleaning. We ate really well,abundant breakfasts consisting of a plate with a bit of fruit (two or three types) fruit juice,tea,a large slice of bread with butter and jam,scrambled eggs:better if you ask for the omelette and to finish a plain crepe to fill with jam or honey.All included in the room price.

The sea is very,very,very beautiful...look at the photos... Kendwa is the only part of the island according to those who've been around a bit, that isn't strongly affected by the tides,you can swim at any time. The only downside of the area is the nearby Italian village: Eden village Kendwa Beach Resort Maybe the Italians on vacation in this facility also liked the entertainment done by these guys dutifully but from the outside you could call it slightly invasive.

You often hear everything they say, because the volume is slightly high,although it must be said that for the good of their customers (because they don't care about the others) they respect the quiet hours,so until ten in the morning and four in the afternoon you can sleep peacefully...and in the evening by midnight they stop...This is the only downside but I advise you to spend a few days at the Duniani anyway because everything is fantastic and you breathe the real air of Africa, not the fake one inside the villages.

DIVING

The SCUBADOO diving center is a five-minute walk from our lodge (the Duniani) and if you say you're staying at the Duniani you get a 10% discount... not bad!. It's a highly recommended PADI diving center,it's located at the Sunset bungalows.

SCUBADO

do-scuba@scyba-do-zanzibar.com Tel +255 777 417 157 +255 784 415 179 Apart from the fact that they're all very nice and beautiful young people,something even more important: they're very precise and attentive. We book the dive the day before,but the time and place are decided only in the evening after carefully checking the tide table. We do the first dive,with a strong surface current and poor visibility, almost all of us immediately lose the line held by the divemaster and each begins their descent with their buddy,convinced we'll regroup once below. Some of the group manage to descend,but the other half of the group,not having descended quickly due to equipment problems or waiting for their buddy,are forced to go back up to the dinghy because due to the current,they were pushed away from the group's descent point...it would be impossible to meet up...

Honestly the girl who closed the group stayed with those who didn't dive,while below we lost the girl who opened the group due to poor visibility. Below, after waiting a few minutes and not finding the group,we decide to go back up,convinced we're lost and that the rest of the group has started the dive without them... Once we surface we find the dinghy waiting with everyone on board. We all get back on and again prepare for the dive. This time,we keep an eye on the line and there are no problems... We return for the break and to change tanks. We set off for the first one at 11:00 and return after the second one at 17:00. We did some beautiful dives,saw three frog fish and two leaf fish,so many nudibranchs! Too bad about the poor visibility. We return to the lodge happy but tired. Cost of 2 dives: $110 each +$10 for equipment rental.

DIVING AT MNEMBA

We wake up to cloudy skies so much that we're in doubt whether the dives will happen or not,not so much for the sky but for the rough sea and yesterday's story of the currents,we'd like to avoid it. We set off at 9:00 the closer we get to our destination,the Mnemba marine park,the sky opens up and the sea calms. It's a private island so you can't set foot on land,but every day dives or snorkeling excursions are organized since it's a paradise. There are wonderful colors,breath-taking,a wonderful sea,nothing to envy compared to some colors I saw in the Maldives. We descend hoping it's as beautiful below as above. Underwater indeed there's much more visibility but unfortunately we don't see all the turtles or the big fish we expected. Dives anyway

Today is a day dedicated to the most complete relaxation, since we left we haven't had a day where doing was doing nothing! We have a very abundant breakfast, just to give you an idea, last night while we were buying some postcards in the nearby little shops (they have almost everything) we found and bought THE original NUTELLA. This morning we asked for and got some ciapati (like flatbread) and with nutella I can guarantee you they're excellent...we ate a ton and consequently skipped lunch. We know that in theory after Nungwi there's a fishing village where boats are built and repaired and a little further on there's a place dedicated to rescuing turtles. We set off but without any precise information...just hearsay and we don't read the guides we have with us.

DO-IT-YOURSELF TOURISTS? NO LONELY PLANET? BAD, BAD!!! There's a very strong sun and it's high tide, so we decide not to go by sea or beach but to take the road, after about twenty minutes of walking we no longer know which road to take and we're forced again to go down towards the sea, it seems there's no other road. We're almost back at the starting point...but with the high tide we can't continue, we have to wait about an hour. We're at the Gemma dell'est (mega village for tourists not for travelers) While waiting we fall into temptation in front of the bar: two espressos. We pay € 3 for it, I say three euros! What thieves! And even though it wasn't too bad, it wasn't anything special, actually... The tide is going out, we venture forth..but again we arrive at a point where the beach hasn't emerged yet, it's up to our waist and we have the cameras.

We call a "taxi", a tiny pirogue that as soon as we four get on board, immediately starts taking on a bit of water. Nice, at least a bit of excitement on this vacation. It's a very short trip but it was a nice experience, made for a few laughs, we pay 6000tsh. We continue on foot, cross Nungwi, see the various hotels by the sea and the little shops, but of the village and the turtles no trace, just a lot of heat and a lot of sun. We walk for almost two hours, total, and in the distance we start to see many boats anchored in the sea...it's certainly the fishing village, but it's really their village, there's absolutely nothing touristy about it, no one sells anything. They haggle for their food and we're immediately approached by children who ask us for money in exchange for a photo...we refuse...

Now we're back at the starting point, we don't have the faintest idea where the turtle place is and we don't even know what it's called..we're dead tired and the only thought is to go back..but we wouldn't be able to walk the same road again under this scorching sun. We don't see any taxis...there's no classic civilization...but we see a bus...we ask for information...we negotiate and for 20000 tsh total he's willing to take us to our hotel. We just took a bus all to ourselves, we go back and it's already four in the afternoon. As already mentioned the breakfast was so abundant that we skip lunch, just a fresh pineapple juice made by Job.

We decide to throw ourselves into shopping and the classic little gifts-souvenirs to bring home to friends. On the beach there's an exaggerated number of little stalls, some run by locals and others by Masai. They're small shops and they broadly sell all the same things (little animals or Masai figurines in wood, bracelets, necklaces, sandals, t-shirts and mainly their typical paintings...with paintings of animals, landscapes and Masai... They're very beautiful, one must also note the fact that globalization unfortunately means that in every area you go to you find the same objects and sometimes you even find them at home without needing to travel. These paintings are still typical of the area, I haven't found them around yet, outside of Tanzania; which cannot be said of the batiks or the paintings made on banana leaves...already bought in South Africa and Mozambique.

The paintings representing the Masai catch our attention, they're very beautiful and they're not all the same, each painting has its own style. I want to make you smile by telling you what happened to us: Let me start from the beginning...Thursday evening we had already decided that we would buy a painting with the Masai, we fell in love with the way a guy stylizes the Masai and even if we look elsewhere, we like his technique. We commission the size because the one we chose is too big and we fix the price. We have three days available, so he can make it just as we want and we're sure it will dry in time. Friday evening we stop by to check the work, but he hadn't started it yet, we postpone to the next day.

Saturday evening we go to pick up the painting...just in case he made even two of them, but instead of having made it with the Masai side by side horizontally, like the big one he had displayed, he made them all vertically packed close together because it had been decided that there should be about eight of them... We're slightly disappointed, it wasn't a complicated thing, but it's becoming one... Thank goodness we have time until Monday morning and he can make another one. We repeat again how we want it, exactly like the one displayed only instead of being two meters it's one meter...it's not difficult right? He repeats to us but how many Masai do you want? Those that fit...he says eight...Ok, for us no problem. We agree on picking it up Sunday evening... So here I am on the evening of my story... We set off for our shopping and our first stop is precisely to check our painting...

He shows us his work...and I would have burst into tears...it was becoming a nightmare... The size was ok, the Masai beautiful, but try to imagine...he had started by painting the eight Masai...the first ones he made packed close together...arriving at the middle he realized that on the right side of the canvas he had too much space left and instead of adding two more Masai for a total of ten...what did he do: he started spacing them out..and so we have the first ones close together and the last ones far apart... The proportion didn't exist and not even if you wanted to was it an acceptable thing. We were very sorry, but we wouldn't have bought it...he kept repeating to us: "no problem I'll make another one..." there is a problem, tomorrow we leave, thank goodness I started Thursday evening...

He says that now there isn't good light, tomorrow morning he'll paint it right away and with the sun in an hour it dries...we have no other choice but to trust him...or else we'll buy another one in Stone Town. We do the round of the other stalls, so many speak Italian and beg you to come in to look, but there are so many and they have roughly the same things that after the first ten you're already exhausted... We buy a little something...we buy a soccer ball for a group of kids who asked us for a gift...5000tsh (less than €3) is nothing to me if it can give a smile to some kids...let's hope at least it lasts... We're so happy at Job's and at Duniani's, we're very torn about whether to cancel the reservation made for Monday night and stay in Kendwa or to follow the plans and move closer in the afternoon to Stone Town and consequently to the airport... We decide to stick to our plans.

Tomorrow at ten we have to leave the room. Around on the beach there are a lot of guys who, in competition with the various villages, organize the various excursions of the island for you..We found a very nice one, though it's better to say that he found us, he calls himself Zambro like Zambrotta he says, and he talks like Ariel the character of the Filipino waiter by Marco Marzocca and we negotiate the transfer...Having paid $40 on the way there we don't want to spend more for the return...we negotiate and in the end he accepts. Last exaggerated dinner at Duniani's, so much so that Bertha is scandalized by the fact that we all order two courses...but after all Tuesday we go home and so we celebrate well aware that at their place you eat really well, without spending an exaggerated amount.

In all these days that we've had lunch and dinner at their place we've never paid, they wrote everything down and tomorrow will be payday, for them...

MORNING IN KENDUWA AFTERNOON IN STONE TOWN

After another hyper breakfast and giving Job the rest of the nutella that we couldn't finish, we're ready to leave our rooms and since we agreed to leave in the early afternoon, they let us leave the backpacks and everything else in the house of the top boss, (behind Bertha and Job there are those who finance everything and are the official owners of the place and they are a guy whose name I've forgotten and a middle-aged lady who comes from the United States and who lived six years in Arusha, before moving to Zanzibar, both are very kind and helpful). We pay for the rooms $240 for 4 nights and settle the bill for everything we ate and drank, paid to give you an idea 149000tsh ($124 = €86 for two) for two drinking juices or sodas and eating truly a lot with 4 main meals.

Diego and I are curious to go pick up our painting and we don't know whether to prepare for another disappointment or hope for the best...Finally it's exactly what we wanted. It's very beautiful, the only flaw is that it's still wet, we have three hours to dry it before rolling it up and putting it in the tube that he provided for us...we pay $15 for it and give him a t-shirt and a pair of flip-flops, he needs them more and then tomorrow we go home...With the same thought Jael and I gave Bertha all the beach towels and the shampoos, body washes or creams we had because we want to lighten our load, and because she's truly delightful and instead of leaving them in an unknown place in Stone Town it's better to leave them with her, with a big smile. We spread the painting in the sun and wait for departure time with a lot of nostalgia and happy to have been there.

At 13:45 sharp Zambro arrives with the taxi driver, the painting is practically dry and everything is ready. Bye bye, we'll keep in touch by email... It takes us again an hour to get to the hotel booked before leaving for the safari, to be sure we don't have to wander for hours looking for two rooms and to not pay too much for a dive... We immediately leave the backpacks in the room and head to the "center" to finish the last purchases and maybe find something original or special. Again everyone assaults us and invites us into their shops...we go around, we stress ourselves out and we buy...always trying to negotiate as much as possible. While we're out we call the girl from the Todomondo agency, to confirm the return flight and know if anything has changed...She reassures us and confirms the flight, although to be safe she wants my cell phone number.

We're undecided whether to have our dinner at the Fenice or at Amore mio...Comparing the displayed menus we note that at Amore Mio there isn't much choice so we choose the Fenice

Dinner at FENICE The last evening, we don't spare expenses, we want to taste as many things as possible and since we didn't have lunch we're super hungry, again we order two courses each... Everything very good and abundant and of excellent quality, for example we eat: crab gnocchi, octopus and potato salad, penne with avocado and I don't remember..and I, don't hate me..but I really like it: spaghetti alla carbonara...as a second round a margherita pizza, lamb skewers and I don't remember...it's not the cheapest but every now and then especially at the end of a vacation you treat yourself to that something extra and the important thing is that it's good; you really get stressed when you pay and the food you don't like or they bring you an invisible amount...

We've already said goodbye giving each other the time for breakfast when I receive a text message: Flight not confirmed, departure Thursday 28/08 What??????Trauma...Diego was supposed to be at work Wednesday, especially since his company already opened last Monday...We notify our adventure companions Andrea&Jael and after a moment of mental blankness we decide that the only thing to do is ask for more explanations, while we begin to "curse" the charters and a little bit also Todomondo..(of course with a flight paid €611 I don't think one should have the courage to complain...in August some mishaps are acceptable...) It's ten at night and it's useless for everyone to go out, only the two men go out, in a desperate search for a phone.

All the ones they ask, since it's a local call, have a cell phone but no money...they wander in the night in the dark and the bogeyman when it's dark you can't see him...true, true!!! In the end they go into a luxury hotel and ask once again for the favor by paying...$1 per minute.. The girl from Todomondo says it's a case of overbooking (we'll understand later that it was a situation that had been dragging on for a while) before Thursday there's no flight available, call each other tomorrow morning and I'll tell you where you can stay at our expense for these two days...Ok, good night.

We sleep at: GARDEN LODGE gardenlodge@zanlink.com Since the whole city is in a notable state of decay I start to think that there isn't a cheap place to sleep that is nice and decent. If you pay a lot you'll certainly find it.. I can't guarantee this statement of mine, I haven't gone around all the hotels. The Garden turns out to be a place without praise and without infamy, certainly clean and all very white, which always makes a good impression...In the rooms there isn't much space to move around, even though Diego and I were lucky and had two beds so there's always more space, since you can put more stuff, Andrea and Jael's room had a single bed and 1 meter of walkable floor around it. Anyway still better this than the Annex coco de mer. One night costs $40 with breakfast. If you don't find anything better or it's for one night you can do it.

Breakfast on the top floor on a terrace that could even be in a nice place but in our eyes it wasn't: 1) because our mood was on the ground due to the canceled flight and we had the bitterness of having left the Duniani in Kendwa and we didn't want to end up in a village like Eden village full of tourists...2) the view from the terrace is nothing special just squalid roofs, nothing more..3) even more distressing the terrace is full of crows that hop on the empty tables and try to open the sauce bottles and fly around you and caw. The breakfast is: a red banana, a piece of papaya, tea, a slice of toast with butter and jam and an omelette. All edible. Once in the room we close the backpacks and go to call the girl from the tour operator to know our new accommodation.

At the reception we ask if instead of ten we can leave the room half an hour later because we don't know how long it will take us to make the call..explaining obviously also the new problem that arose..He is impassive:At 10:00! Ok, we go, we come back around 09:50 and the keys of the two rooms are already hanging on the door and the cleaning ladies are already inside and have started cleaning...Honestly even this little detail didn't sit well with me...if it's ten for me, it should be ten for them too. Patience let's move on, every now and then they're lucky that I don't speak English, let's avoid a bit of arguing or clarifications.

LAST DAYS IN PWANI MCHANGANI

The girl from Todomondo put us up in a resort on the other side of the island; she told us it's in the Kiwengwa area. Let's just hope we don't end up in a mega village, full of entertainment and Italians who don't know the difference between being in Rimini or in Africa because they never leave the village…the only way they know they're in Rimini is because the sea is prettier… The guidebook lists this area as the most touristy in terms of big hotels; we have no choice, they're paying for everything except the transport. We negotiate with the taxi that was supposed to take us to the airport and explain the change of destination to him..we drive a hard bargain and fix the price at $30, one way only.

It takes us a good hour to get to Kiwengwa; we turn onto the road and after that come the villages of the big names…they're all lined up along the seaside…we start reading the names one after another, but nothing, nobody knows where ours is…we start to worry…We keep going along the road…we ask a policeman and he explains – or rather, he explains to the taxi driver – that it's not in the Kiwengwa area but in the Pwani Mchangani one, and then he starts explaining right, left, left, right, he seems a bit stuck and very far away, we start thinking that maybe it's not a mega village. We arrive in a village of locals, the road is no longer paved but full of potholes, finally we see the WAIKIKI sign, but we're in the middle of huts and ramshackle houses…in a real African village. We can't believe Todomondo sent us to a dive… Full board and overnight stay at: WAIKIKI RESORT

flavio76sharm@hotmail.it

Tel + 255 777 877 329

We've arrived, a Maasai opens the gate for us: we breathe a sigh of relief, it seems like a normal and quiet place. After two minutes Angelo and Flavio arrive, one from Ravenna and one from Genoa, who after years of working as entertainers in a village always in this area decided to give it a try…you can see their photos and read their stories on their website. Along with them there's also Flavio's girlfriend: Sara, she's English and very kind, extremely helpful and very pretty. They show us to our seats and paradise opens up before our eyes: it's a structure in excellent taste with a beautiful sea right in front. The structure has been open for a little over a year. There's the central open base with arches that serves as a restaurant or as an entertainment room, also with bar service and little tables and sofas.

If you want, in the evening Angelo sings live and Flavio can go back to being a DJ and get you dancing. A truly beautiful place, all furnished with good taste. In front, the sea is splendid, with fairy-tale colours; it's affected by the tides too, though I think it can't be all that bad to walk out into the open water and see beautiful shells or whatever the sea leaves exposed…but in these two days we always miscalculated them and couldn't enjoy the nice side of low tide… There are only six rooms and it's a place of true peace and quiet. You can find it on the internet, offered by the various agencies online, or you can do everything yourself by organising your stay on your own with Flavio's help…send him an email and he'll be overjoyed to help you.

He told us that if someone stays for longer periods they're very ready to negotiate on the price…normally it would be $60 per person with breakfast. True, it's a bit out of our reach, but luckily we weren't paying. Once home I received emails like this one to give you an idea of what you find online:

SUPER LAST MINUTE ZANZIBAR!!!!!

FLIGHT FROM MILAN, ROME OR VERONA ON 8 SEPTEMBER + 7-NIGHT/9-DAY STAY AT WAIKIKI RESORT WITH FULL BOARD: EUR 790 PER PERSON.

FOR INFO: 0183/654302 or [ info@zanzibarviaggi.it ]

We had a wonderful time; in our case, where everything was paid for, we were happy with the full board, the cooking was almost entirely Italian. They'd offer us the same type of pasta but with two choices of sauce, usually one vegetable or one meat, and then you could choose between a meat or fish main course. But they also have the menu where, since it's à la carte, you can choose whatever you like best. The prices seemed good to us. Breakfast is good too, quite varied and typically Italian. For us Waikiki was a pleasant discovery, a really nice place, the rooms beautiful and spacious…they were two days of gifts and we enjoyed them to the fullest. On the beach outside the resort you might meet some locals who want to sell you beautiful, enormous shells, or guys who offer you boat trips on the reef or excursions on the island.

You can decide to go with them or have them organised by the guys at Waikiki. You'll be in a beautiful place, but if you have the courage to go out you can still get to know the real Africa and the real air of Zanzibar. Here's what people say about Waikiki: Location: Waikiki Resort is located in Pwani Mchangani, one of the most beautiful beaches in Zanzibar, with very white sand and about 5 km long. It enjoys an excellent position, in a quiet area, but at the same time it's only 15 minutes from Kiwengwa, one of the most touristy areas of the island. Stone Town, the capital of the island, is 40 km away, and the airport can be reached in just 45 minutes. Rooms: it has 6 double rooms, in masonry and exclusively furnished with local materials. All the rooms face the sea.

Services: restaurant (offering Italian and international cuisine, also thanks to the chef who trained for 5 years in Italy), bar, relaxation garden furnished with hammocks and swings, where there's also a massage area, library, multilingual staff (Italian, English, Swahili), beach volley court. For a fee: snorkelling, diving, horse riding, deep-sea fishing, bicycle and car rental. Entertainment: evening entertainment with African folklore, live music, acrobatic show, etc. No mini club.

We spend the time that's left in sweet idleness, relaxing 100%, we make use of the resort's pedal boat taking a stroll out on the sea, play cards and even on Wednesday evening we even manage to play beach volley against the Maasai guys who serve as the resort's guards. On Thursday morning at dawn, we literally watch the sun rise, the taxi comes to pick us up and takes us to the airport. We leave Zanzibar with the thought of this pleasant discovery and above all of having seen a fairy-tale sea. We're happy with how our fifteen days went, having seen the animal nature and also a splendid sea. Best wishes for your next trip, and if you have any questions we're happy to be able to help you.

Bye bye

Daniela&Diego