Year: 2022

Jambiani Villas Review – A Perfect Stay in Zanzibar

When we booked our trip to Tanzania and added a stopover in Zanzibar for a little beach time, we were faced with a challenge- figuring out where to stay.

We had several questions to research when deciding on this. Do we stay near Stone Town to have proximity to the sights there (and the airport)? Do we stay at the chain resorts on the north side of the island to make use of our branded status? Do we stay on an eastern beach to be close to experiences like The Rock? Or do we pick a semi-private beach in the middle of nothing to simply hang out and relax?

These were all cases that we had to evaluate before even looking at the hotel options at any given location.

Ultimately, we settled on Jambiani Villas on Jambiani Beach on the eastern side of the island for a few key reasons- the beach is somewhat centrally location (apart from hitting the extreme north everything was within ~90 minutes drive), the villas are simply stunning (and at a reasonable price), and the beautiful beach supposedly had quieter vibes all around. 

Suffice it to say, we enjoyed this one so much that when we return to Zanzibar there is no question where we’d stay- we’d book Jambiani Villas again in a heartbeat. 

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Learn Why Zanzibar is The Spice Island on a Spice Farm Tour

One of our top priorities for our recent trip to Zanzibar was a spice farm tour. Even if you’re not obsessed with cooking and gardening like we are, a spice farm tour is a great way to get a feel for this important aspect of Zanzibar’s history and its distinguished Spice Island nickname.

There are a myriad of options for these types of tours, but they are all very similar and take place on one of the farms just to the northeast of Stone Town.

We hired a driver and booked our spice farm tour through our hotel, but numerous companies offer these types of tours along with transportation. We stayed on Jambiani beach and our driver took us to Bahama Spice Farm where we were greeted by our tour guide. We soon learned that this spice farm wasn’t actually a farm (none of the tourist experiences take place on true farms), but more of a demonstration garden for tourists. That said, the area was beautiful, lush, and amazing.

So let’s dive into what the experience is like once you arrive!

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The Rock Zanzibar Review – A Unique Restaurant in Zanzibar

The Rock restaurant in Zanzibar, Tanzania, provides a unique dining experience like no other. Situated on top of a rocky outcropping adjacent to Pingwe beach, during high tide the restaurant appears to float in the water. During our recent visit to Zanzibar we knew we had to experience a meal at this restaurant.

While the experience itself was hit-or-miss due to small portions for the price and average service, we’re still really glad to have visited this unique restaurant in Zanzibar!

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Don’t Take a Tripod on Safari – Take a Bean Bag Instead

Before heading out on safari in Tanzania, I upgraded my camera gear to include a new telephoto lens (150-600mm) to get the best animal photos possible. As I quickly realized after a few days of testing, when wielding a big lens like this, stability becomes a problem as any minor camera movement can result in huge swings of what you see on screen- especially at the 600mm focal length.

As such, when shooting on lenses like these, you’ll often see photographers using a tripod- not to stabilize the camera, but to stabilize the lens first and foremost. So, naturally, I immediately upgraded my tripod as my former one was not rated for the ~10-pound weight of my new setup. 

I thought I was ready to go to Africa, but then I talked to travel photography friends like Green Global Travel and Finding the Universe.

In these discussions, it was very strongly recommended not to bother taking a tripod to Africa but instead take a camera bean bag. These simple devices latch onto any surface that a strap can wrap around, such as a metal frame at the top of a safari vehicle. Your camera lens can rest on the bag, providing stability, while not being fully locked down to allow for quick movement as needed.

After buying one, and taking both it and my tripod to Africa, I can safely say that I never used my tripod once (except for one instance where I used the monopod detachment). As such, I thought it would be good to share why a bean bag was such an important purchase for this trip!

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