Beautiful Zanzibar with Year 9

Our trip to Zanzibar was mesmerising. We got to visit fascinating places and learn about Zanzibar and its history. We all arrived at Arusha airport very early in the morning – at around 7.30am. We boarded the plane and took off to our destination. The flight was smooth and the view outside was spectacular. Just outside the plane lay a calm ocean of clouds that stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Upon arrival, we were greeted with an intense wave of heat. We collected our luggage and went to check in at our first hotel. Later that day we went for a tour of a spice farm. There the farmers explained the benefits of the different spices they grew on their farm. After the tour ended, we all went back to the hotel and had a wonderful first night, all thanks to the ACs!

The next day we got up early and began our adventures. We had a Stone Town tour first. The guide knew quite a lot about Zanzibar’s history and passed some of that knowledge to us. Later that day we took boats and sailed to Prison Island. Surprisingly there were peacocks there and even more surprising were the size of the tortoises. They were massive! We took a little swim and left back to the hotel.

On the following day, we checked out of the hotel and headed to a butterfly sanctuary. Over there we learned about the lifecycle of butterflies and how caterpillars change to butterflies. After that we went to Jozani Forest to see the famous Red Colobus monkeys and to learn about the forest. In the evening we stopped to see a cave, not just an ordinary cave, but a cave with water you can swim in. The water was so clean that you could see straight down. It looked very shallow but there were parts that reach 20m in depth! After enjoying ourselves we made our way to our new hotel.

On the next day, we got up and visited some beautiful sea turtles. They were glamorous. On the same day we took a boat cruise near the coast of Zanzibar to see more of Zanzibar. We ended up playing beach volleyball with a makeshift net.

On the day of departure, we woke up early and got our luggage ready. Some of us were happy to go back home, and others wanted to get to know Zanzibar more. All in all, we had a splendid time there.

Article by Caesar Katonga, Year 9