Your Next Big Trip

As the masses descend on Stone Town for festival this weekend, what better time for me to share my favourite spots to eat and drink around town. These are my tried and tested recommendations of only places I’ve been returning to for years.

All spots mentioned are linked in the comments.
Did I miss your fave? Add it in the comments!

Would you believe me if I told you I had the best sleep of the trip here?

I also learned that I have fully acclimatised to tropical weather when I woke up and found out we were the only couple to have slept under the blanket provided 😅

To me, sleeping (kind of) outside with the sound of the waves and a sea breeze for company is the perfect way to end the day.

Swipe and let me know which one is your favourite!

Golden hour in Stone Town feels like the perfect reward when stepping off the busy last ferry from Dar es Salaam ☀️

It’s mango season!! 🥭

Visiting Zanzibar at this time of year means you must be prepared for the heat and humidity. However you will be rewarded with the BEST fruit you’ve ever tasted.

Get out early, grab a kikapu (last slide) and shop for a feast of fresh fruit.

And if you get hungry along the way, there are plenty of friendly street vendors who will sell you pre-chopped fruit for your convenience. The mango with chilli salt (slide 2) is a must-try!

Obviously mangoes are my favourite. What’s yours?

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Faces of Darajani Market:

If you want fresh fruit and vegetables in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Darajani Market is the place to go.

The experience can be overwhelming for a first time visitor.

As you make your way past the stalls selling plastic goods and cleaning products outside, and through the crowded alleys where the aroma of fresh fish is everywhere, you suddenly find yourself under a red marquee surrounded by the freshest fruit and vegetables you’ve ever seen.

If you are not used to it, you will want to drop everything and feast on the enthralling varieties around you. From sweet red bananas, to ripe avocados and mangos bursting with flavour, on a hot day it can feel heaven sent.

As crowds bustle and barter around you, it can feel tempting to leave to the fresh air outside. But I promise, if you stay and sample what’s on offer, you won’t regret it.

Thanks to x for introducing us to these wonderful vendors. All photos taken on the recent Dar Photo Walk - Zanzibar edition

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📚How much do you know yourself?

I recently started working with a coach to know myself better and lo and behold, it emerged my no.1 strength is my love of learning. I have always known I’m a deeply curious person but just didn’t realise it’s a unique strength!

In perfect timing, I was accepted to speak at the World Literacy Festival in Oxford - one of the world’s oldest learning hubs. Since I was travelling solo, I let my curiosity run wild and spent every waking minute roaming around, exploring hidden courtyards and alleyways and then obsessively googling more information about where I was 📖

Speaking in the 350 year old Sheldonian Theatre was definitely a highlight, but even more so was taking the opportunity to fully embrace my love of learning and be surrounded by others with the same value.

Anyone else driven by curiosity? How do you feed your love of learning?

Things to do in Johannesburg: [SAVE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP]

1. Explore the city centre. My favourite way to do this is through an art tour. .africa organise street art tours of Maboneng. Highly recommend

2. A tour of Soweto is a must. The township holds so much history and culture and was home to 2 Nobel peace prize winners on the same street! My favourite tour is as it’s run by Soweto locals and makes sure your money stays in the Soweto economy

3. Shop, eat and drink at Sandton. Did you even visit Joburg if you don’t get a pic with the Nelson Mandela statue?

4. Have a night out. I love jazz and tapas nights for something not too hectic and the rooftop bar at Hallmark House is a great place to finish the night.

🏙️ Have I enticed you to visit? Did I miss any of your favourites? Let me know!

Landscapes for days in the Atlas Mountains.

As you weave through the mountains, valley after valley unfolds. Each valley gives a small insight into local Berber village life. As we climbed the first valley, all we could see were olive trees. It feels completely untouched and remote. Then we rounded a corner and this whole village appeared. This happened over four more valleys.

One of the most beautiful natural vistas I have seen, where every valley was as breathtaking as a last

When the hotel IS the destination!

✨ For so long I was team “a hotel is just a place to sleep.” The more I stay in beautiful, thoughtfully put together hotels, the more I appreciate what goes into making a stay really special.

✨ Unusual accommodation like this bubble hotel needs so much attention to detail to ensure it’s not just a gimmick. From high quality towels, to comfortable seating, to all the amenities you could possibly need, they thought of everything.

✨ Consider me fully converted. Hotels are destinations in their own right and I’m very excited to discover some more!

❓What’s the most unique hotel experience you’ve had?

Jardin Majorelle ✨

These gardens were created over a 40 year period and later bought by Yves Saint Laurent.

The colours are striking, and the variety of plants is definitely impressive. It would be the perfect place to wander around slowly, or immerse yourself in by sitting on a bench with a good book.

It could be, except…

This was my first time experiencing “instagram tourism” i.e queues to take pictures at certain spots. I went first thing in the morning and a one way system was already in place. I definitely recommend going early and since January you must buy tickets online in advance.

It is still well worth a visit, and you can always do what I did which is walk quickly to the halfway point on entering to at least get some of the place to yourself and then loop back to do the beginning afterwards. I rarely recommend crowded tourist sites but this one just has to get an exception from me for its uniqueness.

Would you visit?

How to get the BEST souvenirs!
[SAVE FOR LATER]

When you hear the word “souvenir” do you think of fridge magnets, shot glasses, corny tshirts? Stop where you are.
A souvenir just has to be something that reminds you of the place!

Some of my favourite souvenirs are:
• Rugs
• Blankets
• Jewellery
• Wall hangings/ pictures
• Glasses, cups, plates etc

Basically anything I would be putting in my house anyway so I’m slowly building a collection of items from around the world that bring me joy every time I see them in my home.

My main guidance for shopping abroad is
1. Have a price in mind and stick to it
2. Do your research in advance: e.g Morocco is great for rugs, blankets, footstools and dresses. Zanzibar is great for paintings.
3. If bargaining is required, remember that both parties should be happy at the end of the negotiation!

If you’re lucky you even receive local hospitality like this mint tea I got while rug shopping in Morocco. Happy shopping!

Tree hugger since 1991 🌴

I’m always surprised when people say they don’t want to visit somewhere because it’s “just beaches.” First of all, it’s rarely true. Everywhere has culture, places like Zanzibar and Mauritius have forests and you might even find some hidden waterfalls. But even if there are mostly beaches, they aren’t all the same.

I love driving along the coast finding hidden mangrove beaches, long sandy beaches, tiny coves, inlets. The only ones I don’t enjoy finding so much are rocky beaches, but even they have their beauty. I love the way the beach completely changes with the tide, to the point that you are never really standing on the same beach twice, or at least the beach you are standing on is never the same as it was the last time you stood on it. I love the way the longer you stay, the more you notice movement like crabs making their way around once you are still enough not to scare them. I love the way that what’s beside a beach can make it completely distinct from another (those who know Zanzibar well would know that you’ll never see this mix of tree there and there’s just something different about the water). That’s why I love visiting different beaches even though I’ve never lived less than 20 minutes from one. If you become a lover of little things, a connoisseur of natural details, you will end up like me, with a longing to see every stretch of coast that exists.