swahili coast safari

Matemwe Beach Lodge
Zanzibar
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
swahili coast safari
DAY 1
TRAVEL DAY | INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT
DAY 2
MATEMWE LODGE | ZANZIBAR
Bush Flight
Depart from Dar es Salaam @
Arrive Zanzibar @
Swahili Coast
Africa’s beautiful eastern seaboard is where the Swahili
culture began. More than a language, Swahili is a way
of being. Swahili is poetry, architecture, flavor, music,
and dance. Zanzibar is the ancient capital of this
mysterious and exotic land. You approach Zanzibar
Island by air, gliding over turquoise seas toward the
green island, surrounded by pristine sand, and touching
down at Zanzibar’s Stone Town airport.
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The Zanzibar harbor bustles with yachts, trawlers, ocean going
vessels, and sailing downs. In ancient times intrepid mariners came
from the farthest reaches of the Indian Ocean into this harbor.
They came for island species and exotic treasures from the heart of
Africa. Those who stayed brought languages, ideas, and lore from
all across the world, blending the culture of Swahili. The language
spoken here is a melody of Arabic, Indian, Portuguese, English,
French, and African tribal languages. An old and exotic place, one
half expects magic lamps, or flying carpets, or even Sinbad the
Sailor. Island legends speak of genies.
In a place so out-of-the-ordinary it is important to have a guide.
Your Deeper Africa guide will meet you once you have cleared
customs and immigration. You will recognize him by the Deeper
Africa sign with your name on it. He will transport you to the
northwest shore of the island to the beautiful beaches at Matemwe
and Matemwe Lodge’s neighbor, the fishing village of Kigomani.
Ease into the rhythm of relaxed island life, planning your day around
the tides.
Lunch, dinner, and overnight at Matemwe Lodge.
Manager:
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
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DAY 3
MATEMWE LODGE | ZANZIBAR
Assuming it will take you a bit of time to unwind, or learn to plan
your day around the tides, we offer the following activities to occupy
your time.
Snorkel the Mnemba Atoll to view angel fish, butterfly fish, Moorish
idols, lion fish, trumpet fish, eels, and more. If you are very lucky, you
might encounter a pod of bottlenose dolphins. Zanzibar boasts 150
species of coral and some of the best snorkeling and diving off the
coast of Matemwe in the Mnemba Atoll.
Reef walk through the shallow lagoon up to the fringing reef during
low tide to see octopus, sea stars, and sea cucumbers.
Swim;
Scuba dive;
Stroll the beach; or
The Matemwe spa offers massage, facial, manicure, and even henna
tattoos.
Matemwe has a close relationship with its neighbor, the Kigomani
fishing village. This allows you to participate in some unique activities.
You can visit Kigomani village stopping by the local fish market,
visiting the school, and meet a village family to learn more about the
intricacies of daily life on the island.
You can go out with village fisherman on a traditional Ngalawa to
experience Swahili sailing with the fees for your adventure going
directly to the fisherman and the local school. Ngalawa’s are made
from the trunk of a mango tree. A Matemwe staff member
accompanies to assist with translations. The Ngalawa sails for about
two hours up and down the coastline, staying close to shore on the
inside of the fringing reef.
Or try your luck fishing on one of the larger dhow village fishing
boats. No expensive state of the art equipment is used, just traditional
fishing line, hooks, and nets. This fishing excursion can last up to five
hours because of fluctuating tides, as well as the larger distances
covered to access the deeper fishing waters towards Mnemba Island.
Again, the fees go to the local owner of the boat. A Matemwe staff
member accompanies to assist with translations.
Dinner and overnight at Matemwe Beach Lodge.
Manaager:
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
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DAY 4
MATEMWE LODGE | ZANZIBAR
Day by day your senses will adjust to the sights, sounds, smells, and
tastes of Zanzibar. At Matemwe your bungalow opens onto the ocean
so you awaken to the sounds of the Indian Ocean. The menus have
local dishes and cuisine influenced with local products and spices. You
can enjoy traditional Zanzibari coffee and tea each evening, along with
Swahili lessons. Swahili dinners are held every Sunday evening with
traditional food and the village band is the featured entertainment.
Kanga wearing is encouraged.
This afternoon your Deeper Africa guide will pick you up to take you to
the Nungwi dock. You’ll be enjoying the sunset from a traditional
Zanzibar dhow sailing boat. The best way to view Zanzibar’s tropical
sunset is from the deck of the sailing dhow. You’ll cruise past the
lighthouse and the fishing fleets. If you choose, you can go over to the
reefs at Kendwa to enjoy a last bit of snorkeling before the sun goes
down. You’ll return to Nungwi under the power of sail and enjoy the
feeling of the wind at your back. Imagine yourself five hundred years
back in time with other Swahili dhows on your horizon. Enjoy and
relax. We’ll have you back to the lodge for dinner.
You can watch the local fishing boats bobbing in the sparkling waves of
the morning, or setting out to sea in the late afternoon with their
distinctive lateen sails silhouetted against the evening sky. They return
early in the morning, around 6 am taking their catch to market.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight at Matemwe Lodge.
Dhows
Dhows design has changed very little over the centuries.
The dhows signature feature is a single triangular sail
made from heavy canvas. These sails, called lateen sails,
date to the 2nd century and are said to have originated
in ancient Egypt. The sail, its free corner secured near
the stern, is capable of taking the wind on either side,
enabling the vessel to tack into the wind. It was
Sinbad’s sail of choice
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
TANZANIA EXPLORER | 888.658.7102
Dhows design has changed very little over the centuries. The dhows
signature feature is a single triangular sail made from heavy canvas.
These sails, called lateen sails, date to the 2nd century and are said to
have originated in ancient Egypt. The sail, its free corner secured near
the stern, is capable of taking the wind on either side, enabling the vessel
to tack into the wind. It was Sinbad’s sail of choice.
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DAY 5
MATEMWE LODGE | ZANZIBAR
Matemwe is on the leading edge of conservation stewardship. For
example:
Candles and paraffin lamps are used for lighting in the evening rather
than electricity. Solar panels are relied upon for essential electricity.
Lodge operations are focused on reducing, reusing, and recycling waste
to lessen impacts on the environment.
The lodge has an impressive recycling program. Plastic is avoided as
much as possible with flasks filled with drinking water, both in the
rooms and the restaurant. Organic waste is composted and used in the
gardens.
Matemwe sponsors The Turtle Project set up to protect the endangered
Green Turtles on Muyuni Beach, which is about 25 minutes north of
Matemwe. The lodge employs a local villager to guard the turtle eggs,
take a census of the hatched baby turtles, and make sure the baby turtles
return safely to the sea. The egg locations are secret known only to the
turtle watcher and the Matemwe managers. There are currently between
200 and 250 eggs that have been buried. Hatching season is between
August and September.
Matemwe operates carbon neutral through a partnership with
CarbonTanzania. CarbonTanzania supports the protection of already
growing forests in Tanzania. Matemwe pays a monthly fee to the local
village to extract sea water (which is treated and used at the lodge).
Woven coconut products are used for lampshades, baskets, and bins as
they can be recycled. Old Ngalawa boats are bought from local
fisherman and used to make furniture.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and overnight at Matemwe Lodge.
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
TANZANIA EXPLORER | 888.658.7102
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DAY 6
KISIWA HOUSE | STONE TOWN
Breakfast and lunch at Matemwe Lodge.
Your Deeper Africa guide will pick you up after lunch and get your
luggage loaded in our van. You’ll be visiting the Kaldichi Spice Farms
this afternoon. Here farmers produce cloves, star fruit, cinnamon,
lemon grass, tangerines, pepper, cardamom, nutmeg, mangosteen,
vanilla, and paprika. As you walk through the farms, you’ll savor all of
the fruits and spices that you have known on your grocery shelves.
You might even make some new discoveries. In Zanzibar, spices are
just as important today as they were a thousand years ago. After you
leave the spice farm we’ll take you up to see the ruins at the Kidichi
Persian Baths.
Tonight you’ll be staying in Stone Town, an ancient city with narrow
streets just wide enough for a donkey cart or two. Kisiwa House is a
beautifully restored Swahili house with gracious Swahili hospitality.
After you settle in, you’ll be guided through Stone Town’s maze of
streets, to climb up to the beautiful roof top deck at Maru Maru. View
the old city under the sunset and enjoy a cool drink. UNESCO
includes Stone Town on its list of 100 most important towns and cities
in the world, an important example of cultural fusion and
harmonization.
Dr. David Livingstone said this about Stone Town in 1866:
“This is the finest place I have known in all Africa to rest before my
final journey. An illusive place where nothing is as it seems. I am
mesmerized.”
Overnight at Kisiwa House with dinner at the rooftop restaurant,
Darini. Darini serves traditional and continental specialties inspired by
the island’s spices and flavors.
IBAR | 888.658.7102
DAY 7
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
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DAY 7
KISIWA HOUSE | ZANZIBAR
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Breakfast at Kisiwa House. We’ll pick you up at 8:30 am for a
morning walking tour of Stone Town. Stone Town is a magical
labyrinth of narrow twisting streets and bustling bazaars. Bazaar
stalls and street vendors can be found in all but the quietest spots.
There are fresh vegetables for sale, baskets of tropical fruits, and
an amazing seafood market with some exotic catches. The houses
are whitewashed stucco rising up unevenly three to four stories
above the street. Lights and shadows dance across the alleys. Its
unique architecture includes brass studded and carved wooden
doors. Ornately carved doors belong to an ancient tradition
originating from the countries of the Persian Gulf. Oral tradition
tells us that the custom in Stone Town was to carve, then erect,
the frame of the door before building the walls around it.
Explorer Richard Burton commented in 1857:
“[T]he higher the tenement, the bigger the gateway, the heavier
the padlock and the huger the iron studs that nail the door to the
heavy timber, the greater is the owner’s dignity.”
During your walking tour of Stone Town you’ll visit the Anglican
Cathedral built in 1874 on the site of the former slave market.
Slavery was abolished in 1873 by decree of the Sultan of Zanzibar.
The somber Slavery Monument stands outside. You’ll be able to
visit the palace of the Sultan of Zanzibar, “Tippu Tip’s” House
(an infamous slave trader), the Old Fort, the House of Wonders,
and the home of David Livingstone.
Enjoy lunch at Kisiwa House and take time this afternoon to relax
or explore Stone Town. At mid-afternoon your guide will join you
to enjoy a traditional spiced coffee at the Zanzibar Coffee House
in Stone Town.
You’ll have a fun evening with dinner and live music at the
Mercury Café, opened by one of Zanzibar’s most famous son’s,
Freddie Mercury, from the band Queen. Mercury Café is at the
heart of the Zanzibar music scene.
Overnight at Kisiwa House.
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
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DAY 8
STONE TOWN | ZANZIBAR
Breakfast at Kisiwa House. Morning free to wander the maze of streets
and alleyways in Stone Town.
For lunch you’ll be the guest of a local Stone Town family, for a
traditional Zanzibari meal served Zanzibar style.
Stone Town’s architecture is a blend of the Arab, Indian, European, and
African influences on the island. Arab traders came to Zanzibar in the 8th
century. For centuries, the Arabs sailed with the monsoon winds trading
in ivory, spices, and slaves. The Portuguese established a permanent
settlement on the site of Stone Town in the 16th century originally for
provisioning and repairs on voyages to the Far East. Gold, ivory, ebony
and slaves from the interior were carried to Portuguese colonies in India
or back to Portugal. Iron ore, garnets, coconut fiber and gum-copal (a
tree resin) were also exported. The first English ships sailed into the
harbor in 1591. Soon, more European ships were calling at Zanzibar on
their way to and from the Indian subcontinent and islands of the East
Indies. But, over time the Portuguese position began to weaken. In 1890
Zanzibar became a British protectorate.
Dinner & overnight at Kisiwa House.
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
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ADDITIONAL SWAHILI COAST INFORMATION
INCLUDED IN YOUR SWAHILI
COAST EXTENSION
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Full board accommodations
All meals
All park and entrance fees
Enrollment with Flying Doctors Evacuation Service
All in-country transportation
Laundry available
Bottled water available at all times
Extensive pre-departure briefing and materials including
health information, reading list and map
Schedule as you wish June through March.
EXCLUDED FROM YOUR SWAHILI
COAST EXTENSION
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Alcohol and some beverages
Gratuities
Also, Deeper Africa uses best efforts to provide the lodging
set out in this itinerary, but occasionally there are
circumstances that occur in East Africa that require lodging
substitutions. We reserve the right to make comparable
lodging substitutions whenever necessary.
ZANZIBAR | 888.658.7102
2016 CUSTOM DEPARTURE DATES
Schedule as you wish January, March, or June through
October, 2016.
2016 CUSTOM DEPARTURE DATES
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6 persons $3,499 USD per person
4 persons $3,599 USD per person
2 persons $3,599 USD per person
Single supplement $1,449 USD
*Pricing based on high season pricing.
Call us about green season or peak season
pricing
Arrivals and departures out of Dar es Salaam
International Airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Prices
do not include air travel.
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