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繁體中文Stone Town
On January 13 afternoon, we were back to Stone Town from Nungwi. We walked around and very luckily found a great place to stay for the night. Thanks to the hostel staff, we had a cheap and delicious light dinner at Lukmann. We also went to the night market in Forodhani Gardens to grab some snacks, including the famous Zanzibar pizza.
Zanzibar appeared safe in general, but it would still be better to avoid walking in some small lanes alone, especially after the sunset as it got pretty in certain districts without any street lights.
Next day we did not have any specific plans so just had delicious breakfast at the hostel and wandered around. Lots of local shops were part of residential buildings so it was common to see tourists buying souvenir in a store while local people sitting next door chatting with neighbors.
The mixed culture in Stone Town directly reflected on the architecture, and countless tiny lanes just surprised us with many local shops. Obviously Stone Town was developed for sightseeing and also inevitably touristy comparing to other cities we visited during this trip. However, surrounded by the beautiful residential buildings with unique designed-doors and kids running around with bare feet, we did enjoy the local atmosphere.
We grabbed lunch at Lukmann and then picked up backpacks from the hostel before walking to the ferry port. The ferry departed at 4:12pm and arrived at Dar es Salaam at 5:58pm.
Ferry to Dar es Salaam
The ferry port at Dar es Salaam was still crowded, full of tax drivers trying to get customers. We walked away from the port for about 5 minutes and was able to get a cheaper ride from a taxi driver to go to our hotel.
The hotel staff was generous and provided us 8 samosas as welcome snacks, but we still needed dinner dinner while both the hotel restaurant and a local restaurant were closed, so we just walked across the street to a pizza house for pizza and fries.
Information
Accommodation
Jambo Guest House
Website: Homepage
Price: 60,000 TZS / night for a double-bed room
Check-out: 10am. Can be discussed with the front desk
Wifi: Yes, available in the room, fairly smooth
Amenities: None
Meal: Breakfast was included. A few restaurants were within walking distance
Location: Google Maps
We found this place very randomly and it turned out to be one of the best accommodations during our trip in Africa. There was nothing fancy but it was very clean (including the room, shared bathroom and common area), the staff was extremely helpful and the breakfast was great.
We stayed at a double-bed room with a dresser and air conditioner on the first floor. Two showers/ bathrooms were shared by 4 to 5 rooms. Toilet papers were available. Hostel staff also demonstrated us how to use the hot water.
Breakfast was served at the common area, which included toasted bread, made-to-order eggs, fresh juice, and tea/coffee. The receptionist recommended the 1-minute walk restaurant Lukmann which had a good variety of delicious local food. We also got a map from the receptionist and he showed us how to walk to Forodhani Gardens for the night market.
Protea Hotel Dar es Salaam Courtyard
Refer to Moving from Antananarivo, Madagascar to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for further details about the hotel.
Food / Restaurants
Lukmaan
Location: Google Maps
While most of the customers were tourists, the food seemed authentic and tasted very good. It served hot meals, pastry, soups, and various kinds of juice, all freshly made. We had two hot dishes as light dinner for 5,000 TZS and a mango smoothie for 3,000 TZS before we went to Forodhani Gardens for the night market. Next day we came back for lunch and had biryani plain (Indian rice), nyama kipande (beef stew) and roti-type bread for 5,500 TZS with a grapefruit smoothie for 3,000 TZS.
The staff at the juice bar was extremely friendly. As we were not sure what the date fruits tasted like, he just made two cups of juice for us to try and even gave us a piece of date to eat (also very tasty).
Night Market in Forodhani Gardens
Location: Google Maps
There were about 30 street vendors, and most of them sold food or drinks. Although the types of food were a bit repetitive, it still worth visiting and grabbing some snacks. The Zanzibar pizza we had here was totally different from what we had in Moshi but it was absolutely amazing (3,000 TZS). The coconut juice and an egg soup were not very impressive (2,000 TZS each) but a cup of sugarcane juice was very refreshing for the night (1,000 TZS).
Mr. Fries (Dar es Salaam)
The food was nothing special but at least an option since no other restaurants nearby. We spent 16,000 TZS for a small pizza and fries. Although we paid extra for sauce, it was not included in our meal.
Location: Google Maps
Transportation
Ferry from Zanzibar to Dar es Salaam
Price: 80,000 TZS / person
Ride time: 1 hour 45 minutes
The ticket office was about 5-minute walk from the ferry terminal. After getting out of the ferry arrival gate, just make a left and go straight. The ticket office was located in a small building on the first floor. You can also inquire the staff at the ferry terminal for direction.
We got the cheapest seats this time. While the air-conditioner was not that strong and there was no TV, no much difference with our ferry ride coming to Zanzibar two days ago. Conversely, we got the seats on the first row with large leg rooms because we arrived at the ferry port early.
Refer to Moving to Zanzibar, Tanzania for further details about the ferry ride.
Taxi from Dar es Salaam ferry port to Protea Hotel
Price: 6,000 TZS / ride (including tips)
Ride time: 10 minutes
The taxi drivers trying to get customers right outside of the ferry port usually offered a higher price, so we walked from the port for about 5 minutes and then started asking other drivers about the price.
Our driver was not aggressive to get business, and nicely put our backpacks in the trunk and turned on the A/C for us without being asked, so we paid some tips to him.
Sightseeing
The Coins Shop
Refer to Moving to Zanzibar, Tanzania for further details.
Postcards
Post office location: Google maps
If you plan to send post cards, they can be purchased from bookstores and souvenir stores. Postage can be purchased from Shangani local post office (postage for an international postcard was 1,600 TZS). Both the domestic and international mailboxes are outside of the post office (embedded in the building wall).