Azam Ferry to Zanzibar

 Saturday, 5 AM: Wake up, pack, catch a 6 AM cab for the ferry to Zanzibar. It’s still dark in Dar, only 7 degrees from the equator (ie., 12 hours sunrise to sunset all year around), but the streets are filling quickly. At the ferry terminal, a crowd is already gathered, complete with touts, thieves, and peddlers alert for opportunity. I keep touching my hidden money belt for assurance. We’ve been told to carry cash and avoid using credit cards as much as possible.We lined up clutching our luggage and soon made it through the main gate, meaning we only had to manage our place in a jostling line and dodge porters carrying bags of rice and cartons of goods to load on the ferry. A light form of rugby comes to mind. Azam Ferry bills itself as The Fast Ferry–a passenger ferry–but little except live animals appears to be turned away.

Inside the gate at the ferry dock

We took off shortly after sunrise and 1:45 hours later cruised up to ZanzibarTown dock. We deboarded, and an un-refereed scramble to reclaim our luggage ensued before we entered the terminal house to an even larger scrum of people. Even though Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, it retains a measure of independence which includes, apparently, “immigration” contol.

 

 

Lining up for the single baggage screening machine

 

Zanzibar immigration control

After a passport and visa review, Jo worked her way through a crowd of taxi-drivers eager for our business to find the van and driver sent by Casa del Mar Jambiani to pick us up. Pre-arranged transport by Jo was one of our better moves!

The ride out of town was, in one word, “hairy.” Besides driving on the left side of the road, British-style, our driver constantly dodged broken pavement, walkers, bicycles, motorbikes, cars, trucks and brahma cows. A horn toot appears to mean “Get outta my way, I’m coming through whether you like it or not!” Round-abouts are contests of will, or maybe a game played by rules unknown to foreigners. Note to self: NEVER ride a bike in Zanzibar! In fact, don’t drive a car, either.

An hour and a half later, our driver turned off the main road and waited for a gate to open. Then we pulled into Casa del Mar Jambiani, a little oasis on the ocean that we would call home for the next 5 days. It took several deep breaths, a nap, a few laughs and a beer to re-establish a travel chi. After busy Dar and a chaotic day of travel, Casa del Mar was just what we needed.

Take to the road at your peril in Zanzibar. Cars and trucks rule.

 

 

 

Casa del Mar Jambiani, our oasis on the Indian Ocean

 

Aaahhh…..we get to enjoy Zanzibar in a way not available to most Zanzibarans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Comments

Azam Ferry to Zanzibar — 4 Comments

  1. Jack – you made me laugh out loud! the scrum, the NOTE to self about not biking. tell Betsy i just got back from Chicago and am exhausted – and that with a reserved seat on the plane.

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