Beach Boys & Dolphin Chasing: My Honest Thoughts of Zanzibar as A Female Traveller

Located off the coastline of Tanzania, Zanzibar is considered to be an island paradise that attracts travellers around the world, especially in conjunction with a mainland safari, which is exactly how I visited. After 10 days in Kenya, I hopped on a short (and relatively inexpensive) one-hour flight to Zanzibar ready for a fun few days of sun, beach, and sea. However, my time and experience in Zanzibar wasn’t quite what I had expected, or hoped. Especially after what I had read and seen from other female travellers online. So, for anyone planning a trip to this popular African island, here are some tips and things I think you should know before you go.

Quick note before we dig in- while this is not technically a travel guide in the way that many of my articles are, I do want to make a note on the importance of travel insurance. Travel insurance is an essential for any trip and while it may be annoying to spend the extra money on something you probably (hopefully) don’t need, it’s not something you want to be caught without. Especially somewhere so far away from home. So, as someone who has needed to use her own travel insurance multiple times throughout the years for a variety of different reasons including hospital visits and evacuation, please make sure that you do not leave home without it. If you are looking for a recommendation, I personally used SafetyWing for this trip. I’ve had fantastic experiences with them in the past and their pricing is very affordable. Just make sure to read the terms and conditions of what is included and covered based on your travel itinerary, especially in terms of adventure sports and activities.

A Little Bit About Zanzibar

Zanzibar as we know it today is part of Tanzania, but it was once its own state. The state of Zanzibar united with Tanganyika (modern day mainland Tanzania) to become Tanzania as we see it on maps now. While it all falls under the singular country of Tanzania, Zanzibar does have its own separate government.

Historically, the island was colonized first by the Portuguese in the 1500s, then again by Oman in the late 1600s. Under Omani rule, Zanzibar flourished thanks in part to the slave trade as well as the spice trade. Stone Town, the capital, became one of the wealthiest cities in the continent of Africa. In fact, the entire island was so successfully wealthy that for a time, it was declared the capital of Oman.

Today, that Arab influence can still be found across the island in its people, many of which still follow the Muslim faith. As well as the décor and style of the buildings, especially in Stone Town. Unfortunately, the wealthy aspect of the island is no more. Zanzibar has an incredibly high poverty and unemployment rate. Tourism is the main economy here but only those who speak English are eligible to gain employment in the industry. And while there are numerous hotels across the island, very few are actually owned by locals.

My Honest Experience as a Female Traveller in Zanzibar

I planned on spending 5 days and 4 nights in Zanzibar. I was actually travelling with my mom, who I had brought with me to Kenya, as well as three other women who were also part of my Kenya group trip. While we planned separately, we all had the same idea; spend a few days in the beaches of the north before heading to Stone Town.

We choose the North Shore because we had all read and been told it was the most built up for tourism. With a good mix of restaurants and hotels as well as options for day trips and boating activities. Plus, incredible sunsets. On some notes, it delivered. However, I will say I left Zanzibar disappointed. I had wanted more, and I had expected more based on the rave reviews I had read online and seen on social media.

So, while I have no intent to discourage anyone away from Zanzibar, I do want to share my personal experience. I’m a firm believer that all travellers, but especially women, should be as prepared as possible when traveling to a new destination. That means hearing the good and the bad.  With that in mind here are some of my insights that I think are worth noting.

High Hotel Security

I chose a property closer to Kendwa for my mom and I having read that the Masaai beach boys in Nungwi could be overwhelming. As a female traveller who had been to 76 countries around the world by this point, I am no stranger to pushy men or locals. But if I can avoid it, I will.

The hotel we stayed at was beautiful and affordable. The rooms were spacious, the pool area was gorgeous, the restaurant offered delicious meals and the staff was helpful and kind. The first thing I noticed, however, was the security. Upon arrival, a security guard came out to take down the license plate details of our taxi- a ride that the hotel had arranged for us. This trend continued every time we arrived or left by car. A guard would jot down our room numbers and the driver and vehicle’s details.

One day, after a boat tour, a driver came to pick us up to take us back to the hotel. The tour took place in Nungwi. Two of my friends were staying in this part of the island and we planned to spend the rest of the day together. I told the driver we didn’t need a ride back, we’d figure it out on our own later.

I had expected him to say ok, it was no problem. Instead, he called the hotel and had me talk to them. He wasn’t allowed to just leave us. Despite being the paying customer, I felt almost like a kid asking mom and dad if I could please stay. I had to explain I had friends at another hotel and they would help me get a taxi back that evening when ready. Only when I handed the phone back to our driver, with the hotel expressing their consent on top of mine, was he able to leave.

My two friends who stayed in this part of the island experienced very similar with their hotels. All cars and guests were recorded when leaving and arriving.

To be honest, in many ways, the extensive security did seem like overkill. However, I did really appreciate it at the beachfront properties where the guards prevented the beach boys from getting too close.

The Zanzibar Beach Boys

If you have done any reading up on Zanzibar or watched any videos you’ve no doubt heard of the beach boys of Zanzibar. Many of these men are Masaai and wear the typical bright red garments. They walk alone or in groups up and down the popular beaches chatting up tourists and selling their wares. In my experience, this was snacks and drinks, shoes and clothing, or even artwork ranging from woodwork to jewellery to paintings that they sold by the beach. There are also tales of sexual transactions between these young men and, often, older white female tourists. However, I did not see anything like this during my short time.

For the most part, the beach boys were harmless. They’d approach with a friendly hello, often ask where you were from and then try to hook you in (politely) with a sale. Some were pushier than others, stating they needed money for food. Others would take your ‘no thanks’ with a smile and ‘hakuna matata’ before moving on to the next person.

However, it was non-stop. As soon as one left another would come. Then another. Then a group of two or three who wanted to have a chat. It was absolutely exhausting and rendered any idea of ‘relaxing’ at the beach near impossible.

You’ll also have noted I said ‘mostly’ harmless. This is because one evening when I was at the beach with my group (my mom, myself, and three friends) I stood up from the sand and went to the water’s edge to take pictures of the sunset. At this point, one of the beach boys who had chatted to me earlier came back, sneaking up beside me to give me a hug and kiss my neck. It was unwanted. Unsolicited. And completely non-consensual.

I remember thinking at the time how grateful I was that I wasn’t travelling solo. That I had a group of women to go back to and walk back to my hotel with.

Sadly, though, he ruined the beach experience for me and after that I was more than happy to sit by the pool. Or, at my friend’s beachfront hotel which had chairs- and security- by the water so the beach boys couldn’t get close.

What to Wear in Zanzibar

As mentioned earlier, Islam is the main religion on the island. No, this does not mean you need to cover up completely all the time. But it is something to be respectful of. I chose to wear a one-piece swimsuit rather than bikini at the beach, although from what I saw (and how the beach boys behaved) anything goes.

Stone Town was more conservative. I had looked online for packing suggestions and ideas and photos and decided that my colourful maxi dress was ok. It was long, loose, and had a higher neckline. That being said, my shoulders were bare. In hindsight, I probably should have worn a scarf or something that covered my shoulders. I ended up getting a lot of male attention and while nothing was inappropriate, it was more attention that I had expected (or wanted).

It wasn’t nearly as aggressive as some other Islamic places I have been to (looking at you, Morocco) but, in the city, I wish had dressed a little more like I did in Jordan or Egypt. Just, something to keep in mind for my fellow female travellers, especially if you are travelling alone.

Animal Tourism in Zanzibar

One of the reasons I was so excited to go to Zanzibar was for the beaches and the ocean. I’m a self-proclaimed mermaid and love being in the ocean. I’d seen numerous videos of people swimming with dolphins and turtles, however, the more I researched these activities the more turned off I was.

The turtle sanctuary, I was told by those who had been, was more like a zoo than a sanctuary. The turtle-filled pool was small and cramped and the water was dirty, often with an oily sheen on top thanks to all the visitor’s sunscreen. You can feed them as well, but there’s no limit which leads to dozens of comments about how the poor turtles are constantly getting lettuce shoved in their faces. Oh, and apparently thanks to the constant onslaught of food the turtles are known to nip and bite visitors. Now, I’m not sure about you, but that doesn’t sound like a sanctuary to me. So, I chose to skip it.

Another popular wildlife experience in Zanzibar is to swim with the wild dolphins. I have done this before and know that it can be done properly and ethically. But that’s rarely the case here. The dolphin swim tours you see chase them. The boats drive as close as they can get yelling at tourists to jump in the water as soon as they get close. Some local ‘guides’ even encouraged their groups to touch the dolphins.

I saw this first-hand when I joined a snorkel tour. We we’re barely away from the shore when we saw our first cluster of boats. There were about 20 boats surrounding just 2 dolphins. It made me so sad to see.

Thankfully, our guide made it very clear he wouldn’t chase the dolphins. We’d look for them, and if the opportunity came up we could try to swim with them. I was much happier with this mindset, especially when we did find dolphins. However, upon being told we were allowed in the water I was disappointed to see there were no rules or instructions on how to swim with them. I jumped in then lay flat on the surface for the dolphins-if they chose- to come close to me. Which is what I have been shown to do in the past. However, there was a group of French tourists on the boat who swam manically after them, trying to get as close as possible.

The lack of rules surrounding animal tourism in Zanzibar was very surprising to me. Especially having just come from mainland safaris where the animals’ well-being was highly prioritized. I would assume it is the same in Tanzania as Kenya, at least on the mainland. But, based on what I saw, I can’t say I felt good about the animal tourism in Zanzibar.

Furthermore, when it comes to snorkelling there wasn’t much to see. The reefs, even on the snorkel tours, were all very dead with only a few small fish. I made a comment while snorkelling that I hoped to see starfish. Our guide then jumped in the water and brought up a dozen, which he just threw in the boat. I then ran around scooping them up and throwing them back overboard. I had hoped to dive during this trip but after seeing the reefs and how the locals treated the marine life, I decided against it.

Money in Zanzibar 

When travelling to Zanzibar, money is something you really want to pay attention to, especially if you are staying outside of Stone Town. During my stay, I found that cash was king. Not everyone accepts credit card and even some places that do will charge you an extra amount, sometimes as high as 5%! This was true for both hotels and restaurants.

I also found in Nungwi and Kendwa that prices were in USD, rather than the local currency which is the Tanzanian shilling. However, in Stone Town, prices were more common in the Tanzanian shilling. If possible, I’d make sure to have some USD on hand just in case on top of the local currency. ATMs were harder to find outside of Stone Town, so make sure to do some research in advance.

Final Thoughts on Travel to Zanzibar

My stories shared above are not an attempt to dissuade anyone from visiting. I’m just sharing my honest experiences to better prepare the next traveller. When I shared my experience on Instagram, I had well over a dozen women tell me they experienced the same. Yet when I did my online research all I got were articles telling me how great Zanzibar was from a female travel perspective.

That being said, I am still glad I went and enjoyed many aspects. Stone Town was beautiful to explore. I only had one day so did it on my own but I wish I had taken a tour with a guide because there is so much history.

I loved the sunset dhow cruise we did. It was such a relaxing and peaceful trip and the scenery up and down the coast was very pretty. The weather was a little overcast when I visited but even then, I had a couple of magical sunsets.

As I said, the hotels were beautiful and the people we dealt with in the tourism industry were kind and friendly. I stayed in Opera Hotel which was between Kendwa and Nungwi. And then I stayed in Mizingani Seafront Hotel in Stone Town which I also really enjoyed.

I also had some amazing food in Zanzibar. The seafood was fantastic- coconut crab soup is a must, and the shrimp were also incredible. I also had to juiciest sweetest pineapple ever.

So, if you are planning a trip to Zanzibar, I hope you have the best time and that my feedback and experiences help you out a little bit in your trip preparation.

Ready to Book Your Trip?

Don’t forget travel insurance!

Please do not travel without travel insurance! I’ve had to use it multiple times throughout my travels and it has saved me thousands of dollars. You can learn more about travel insurance here. If you are looking for a provider I love and recommend SafetyWing. For Canadian readers, take a look at SoNomad.

Book your accommodation

I love and recommend booking.com for accommodation. They have a range of hostels, guesthouses, hotels, and resorts. Plus, the platform has a great loyalty program that means the more you book, the more you can save. 

Book your tours

My go-to tour provider that I love to recommend is GetYourGuide. They have options all over the world and partner with local companies for everything from day trips to food experiences and even airport transfers. 

Get connected

If you want to have data while travelling for online maps or any other needs, an esim is one of the easiest solutions. I have used esims around the world from Brazil to Uzbekistan, Greece to the USA- they are super easy and you don’t risk losing your home sim! There are two brands I have used and recommend so I suggest comparing both. 

Airalo: download the app, pick what country you want an esim for, and after you purchase it follow the installation instructions. You can use promo code HANNAH3326 to save $3USD on your next esim purchase.

Truely: This one is easier in that it’s a one-time download instead of downloading an esim for each country. It also allows you to hotspot and tether- which not all esims do. Check out options here.

Not sure what to pack?

I have destination-specific guides for some countries but you can also check my travel essentials and camera gear if you are looking for some ideas. 

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