Country Nr 48 – Tanzania – world’s best safaris and beautiful tropical beaches – the perfect honeymoon destination

Country 48/196: Tanzania

Destinations: Nungwi and Zanzibar City (both on Zanzibar Island)

We have already visited Tanzania in 2017 and we fell head over heels in love with this amazing country. Tanzania offers countless adventures, including some of the best safaris in the world, as well as some of the most gorgeous tropical beaches. It is the absolute perfect honeymoon destination. ♥

This time around we have decided to visit Zanzibar, the picture-perfect tropical island, which is known for some of the most romantic places and sights in the world. However, Tanzania has much more to offer, including Moshi, Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the iconic Serengeti National Park, just to name a few.

Nungwi is a small coastal town and the most popular tourist destination on Zanzibar. It is located on the northern part of the island, which is known for its stunning beaches. And they truly are stunning. We have never seen so many different shades of blue as we did on Zanzibar. You can go snorkeling, scuba diving, have a delicious meal in one of the many great restaurants, or simply relax on the beach while enjoying the view of the ever-changing shades of the sea. Of course, you can stay in the comfort of your own hotel, but it’s much more interesting to connect with the local fishermen and vendors and to see how different life is for the locals, away from the luxurious resorts.

When it comes to beaches, in Nungwi you can’t go wrong. However, we liked the western side of Nungwi (towards Kendwa) better, even though some of these beaches are more crowded than the ones on the eastern side of Nungwi, especially (as we experienced ourselves) during the high season.

We had some time to explore Zanzibar City (the largest city on Zanzibar) and we realized that it was truly quite beautiful. We took a walk through the old historical city center, the so-called Stone Town, which was a very romantic experience. Stone Town is the former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate, a city of prominent historical importance, and a Unesco World Heritage Site. We admired the architecture, which reflects the diverse influences of Swahili, Arab, Persian, Indian, and European elements, soaked up the city’s lively vibe, and in the evening we visited the famous Forodhani Park, where local street vendors host a popular food market. They sell grilled seafood and other Zanzibari dishes every day after sunset and thus attract many locals and tourists. This is definitely a big must-do in Stone Town. 🙂

The next day, we took a boat ride to a pristine sandbank in the middle of the sea just outside of Zanzibar City. The sandbank was pretty crowded and the weather was kind of moody, but that didn’t stop us from having a great time. 😉

Nungwi and Stone Town are not the only two places worth visiting while on Zanzibar. Click here to check out some other amazing sites. 😉

Where to stay

Zanzibar is a popular tourist destination with lots of fancy hotel resorts as well as simple yet cozy guesthouses.

Are you planning a trip to Tanzania? Here you can get a room with a 10% discount! 🙂

Budget

Even though Zanzibar is one of the most popular beach destinations on Earth, it is possible to travel the island on a budget. However, you have to choose simple guesthouse rooms instead of pompous hotel resorts, eat like a local, travel independently with local transportation, instead of taking countless tours and avoid costly activities and attractions. Accommodation prices range from 9 USD (8 EUR) to a whopping 1311 USD (1116 EUR) a night.

Best time to visit

Temperatures are pleasantly warm all year round. July, August, and September are considered the best months to visit Zanzibar, however, as this is the peak season, expect more crowds and higher prices. In November and December, there is a mild rainy season and in April and May, it tends to be cloudy and rainy most of the time.

Environmental issues

Tanzania identifies several major environmental issues, including land degradation, a lack of access to potable water, soil, water, and air pollution, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. All of the above are interconnected. Despite the fact that biodiversity is a keystone to the economy of the nation, Tanzania is experiencing an increasing loss of forests, wetlands and wildlife areas due to human activities such as agriculture, woodcutting for fuel and timber. Poaching for meat and trophy, particularly in the protected areas and loss/fragmentation of wildlife habitats are also a threat to biodiversity. Soil, air, and water pollution is a major threat to individual species as well as entire ecosystems.

Honeymoon rating of the visited destinations: ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Since Tanzania offers EVERYTHING – from perfect tropical beaches to some of the best safaris in the world, it is (in our humble opinion) the perfect honeymoon destination.

* Note: This is NOT a general rating of the country, it is merely our personal opinion of the mentioned site(s) as honeymoon destinations, based on the level of tourism development, the number and quality of romantic and adventurous activities and sites it offers, and safety. We strongly believe that every country is beautiful in its own way, they may simply be more or less honeymoon oriented/friendly.

** Follow the journey on Instagram. 😉 There you can see our clean-up stories and check out our peace and sustainable tourism promo photos/videos. 😉

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