We finally made it out of Mozambique, leaving Pemba behind. Although I didn’t stick exactly to my original plan. I mean we didn’t do anything wrong when we looked out the widow and saw the Quirimbas Islands below. but we defo took a short cut to avoid the crocodiles when crossing back in to Tanzania Our next destination was Dar es Salaam, the bustling capital of Tanzania.
Upon arriving in Dar es Salaam, it didn’t take long for us to realize that it wasn’t a place we wanted to spend much time. Our arrival was chaotic-our Uber driver’s car was quickly surrounded by the local taxi drivers union, and a heated argument almost turned into a fight before we agreed to meet him around the corner as a means of compromise. thus avoiding the 200% mark up the local guys were charging fresh tourists. While I often find myself longing for the energy of a big city, the reality felt different when I was actually there. It wasn’t the city I was missing; it was something else, something deeper that I needed.
We quickly headed to the port and booked a ferry to Zanzibar’s Stone Town. From there, we decided to head to Jambiani Beach, a coastal town known for its stunning sunrise views. It was the perfect place to relax after a few hectic days in the city.
The last time I had been in Zanzibar was maybe five or six years ago, after I descended from Kilimanjaro. This experience was completely different, but the exhaustion was the same. Your body has a funny way of dealing with stress-life on the road throws a lot at you, and for days and weeks on end, you can be constantly on the go. Then, suddenly, when you finally rest, you really rest. That’s exactly what happened here. – I wasn’t ill but spent a lot of time in bed.
The beach at Jambiani is huge, stretching about 7 kilometers in both directions. It’s filled with powdery white sand and swaying palms. Sounds like Barbados right? but unlike Barbados, the tidal reach means that at low tide, the beach seems to go on forever and because the barrier reef lies a few kilometers out, there’s a stunning crystal turquoise lagoon in between. That’s where we found ourselves during the day either swimming in the Indian Ocean at high tide and then walking along the beach, stopping at local shops for fresh fruit and supplies at low tide.
A little further north, thanks to the steady shore winds, Jambiani is also an ideal spot for wind or kitesurfing. I know this not because I tried it, but because I saw others doing it. We didn’t kite; we stayed beachside to recover and gather strength for our next adventure.
Traveling often makes you feel like you’re constantly in motion, but every now and then, you find a place that allows you to truly stop, breathe, and just be. For me, that place was Jambiani Beach-a perfect retreat after the chaos of the city and the rigors of the road. It’s where I rediscovered the importance of rest and where I prepared, both physically and mentally, for the adventures still to come.
