Zanzibar Prices

« The variety of vegetables in Zanzibar is amazing. They have everything: bell peppers, potatoes, cabbages, zucchinis, eggplants, and other familiar vegetables. It's a paradise for vegetarians, really. Fruits can be a bit tricky; they are generally more seasonal. In local restaurants, you may not find them as often. It’s better to buy fresh veggies and greens at the market and prepare them yourself. The prices are reasonable, but some vendors may try to increase the price simply because you’re a tourist. If you know how to negotiate a bit, you’ll get a fair deal. For example, a large avocado costs around $0.50 to $1.00. »

« I'll be honest, when we planned our trip to Safari, we really wanted to visit it without much hassle, but there were a few challenges: high prices and the fact that Safari is on the mainland, requiring a transfer. Once on the island, I learned that you need to pre-arrange the transfer if you are coming from Kenya. We discussed the local price, and we managed to negotiate $640 for two people (transfer, food, accommodation, Safari).

In the end, without even thinking too much, we set off for the Mikumi National Park! Seeing animals in their natural habitat is an incredible opportunity! We left at 4 a.m., took a taxi to the park (one hour), spent two hours in the park, then 30 minutes by taxi to the bus station, and finally had eight hours with the locals on the bus. 😊 The whole trip was accompanied by a local named Albin.

Interestingly, we did this trip ourselves and from their words, it would have been $100 cheaper, but I didn’t want to take risks; the route is tricky, and the English-speaking locals might not know what transportation you would need among all the options available. 😅

The next morning, we started our adventure in the national park! More details to follow in the next post. »

« Alright, continuing the story about Zanzibar.

The spot in Paje is truly one of the best in the world. 🌊 Surfing is unreal here, it feels cosmic. White sand, warm sea, and a steady breeze make it perfect.

You can even learn to surf at this location, including in off-peak times. There are many different local surf schools along the beach. The locals are welcoming and friendly. If you find a school with European instructors, that's definitely a better option!

Rental prices are roughly as follows: a board for a day costs about $22, for a week around $105, while kite rentals are around $30 for a day. A full complete set can run you about $35 for a day, or $60 for a week. There are various packages, for example, a week package can be approximately $310, or a 4-day package at around $140. You won't need any certifications to rent. Just keep in mind that if you're planning to kite surf with local goods, it might not always be reliable.

We arrived in Zanzibar with half a complete set and rented just a board. It was convenient for us, and we didn’t struggle. We took a 12m kite with us. I started to surf since the wind wasn’t strong, but by the second half of the day, the wind picked up considerably for our friend Andrew, who was already in his element.

However, it wasn't always like that; we tried to rent even a 10m kite a couple of times. 🏄‍♂️

Learning there truly feels like a blessing — it's small, transparent, and warm. Because of that, a lot of students were there, and we had to pay extra attention while kiting; the kites kept falling into the water unexpectedly. It’s unusual and can be unpleasant.

We absolutely loved this spot and stayed there for another 6 days after, until we heard about a big storm coming. ❤️ »

« I really wanted to share some impressions about the peculiarities of the hospitality service in Zanzibar. During our trip, we stayed at 4 different locations and spent about $32 per night on accommodations.

We checked out hotels and a place named “Let’s Go Beyond the Limits,” where a bottle of water at the bar costs around $5 (compared to 50 cents in a store).

Rule 1. ✅ If you booked accommodation through booking.com, it doesn't guarantee that the room is actually available. Usually, they'll send a notification stating that there are no available rooms, even if booking shows availability. In our case, we received a message about the unavailability of the room we had booked, which had been reserved earlier, but we solved the problem by booking and were offered a fabulous room at a nearby hotel.

Rule 2. ✅ If you reserve a hotel, it doesn’t mean you have to go there. The hotels might simply not match your expectations or needs. Many accommodations take credit cards, so it’s possible to check in without hassle. We even didn’t reach our booked hotel as we found a great place at the same price right on the beach.

Rule 3. ✅ Payment at hotels is often expected to be in cash. Rare exceptions may accept cards, but there are often additional fees.

Rule 4. ✅ Don't rush; there’s no need to hurry anywhere. Even if you arrive late, your room may not be ready.

Rule 5. ✅ The price of the accommodation doesn't always reflect the quality of service. We stayed in a hostel for $30 a night, which was far better than other places where we paid $60.

Rule 6. ✅ Bargain! We managed to secure a 2-night stay for $40 when we found out about availability and the price of a room. »

« After the beach, we went to swim with the turtles 🐢. The locals say they've been around for about 200 years, but I'm not really convinced 🤔.

Entry fee is $10, and you can swim for as long as you want, though 30 minutes is probably enough. They give you seaweed for free, and the turtles eat it and eat it...... And it seems like they never get tired of it.

Also, on the territory of this park, there’s a bungalow where you can stay for around $25 a night, but there’s not much to do there, just nature and quite a few people who come to see the turtles :))) »

« In Zanzibar, a wife costs three cows. Yes, they measure the sum in cows, which is worth around $200 each, meaning a wife runs about $600. Interestingly, women are more expensive here than in Tanzania. If you consider that a salary of $100 is viewed as high-paying here, your future husband will probably need to save up. So if you're looking to get married, bring your money! 😂😂😂 »

« Local childcare 👫 Unfortunately, not all kids attend school here, and education costs a significant amount. The best schools are around $50 per month, while a decent school will set you back about $100 monthly. Not every resident earns that much... And all this leads to the fact that they're basically stuck 🙄 »