Sunset XX - Nungwi Beach
Day 20 would start as all perfect beachside holidays should, with nothing planned and nothing doing. We rose just a little later than usual and almost strolled to breakfast where of course we discussed with the chefs our preferences before dining beachside watching daily activity come and go as it does in Zanzibar. We were leaving Stone Town today and heading to the islands north but did have some time up our sleeves before any of that came to fruition. That time was duly filled with beachside photosynthesising, another walk around town, and even some indulgent gelato at 9:00am from a shop neither of us expected to be there. Stone Town had served its purpose beautifully, delivering on every expectation. It’s not at all touristy, has an almost comatose state of relaxation and interesting blend of cultures ensuring every turn through its labyrinth of streets always offered something new. With sand still between the toes our transfer driver arrived as scheduled and we left for the beach resort town of Nungwi around noon.
This short section of the great African odyssey was, like all parts, chosen for a specific reason and in Nungwi Beach’s case it was resort lethargy and cocktail consumption designed as a means of decompression and preparedness for the next leg of our journey. It would prove to be too short, but that could be said about all the components, however time and money sadly are the dominate constraints when travelling and we had to juggle both.
Located at the north-western tip of the island of Zanzibar, Nungwi Beach while only 60km from Stone Town, equated in African travel terms to an almost 2hr drive given the road conditions and seemingly endless repairs being conducted on them. But, we arrived safely early afternoon thankfully with some of the “chill” we developed further south still dripping from us both. Nungwi is a bustling fishing village with rich local cultures and traditions, such as being the construction epicentre of the famed dhow-boats of the region, that has seamlessly blended modern holiday resorts into its traditional way of life.
Our chosen accomodation was Sandies Baobab Beach resort which prevailed from a shortlist of similar resorts based on price, location and overall appeal. While the room was prepaid, when checking in we were told of an all inclusive package covering food and beverages which after scanning the menu prices we jumped all over. Soon adorning a wrist band like a Splendour in the Grass weekend we were shown to our bure then escorted to the restaurant before the lunch sitting ended.
The rest of the day can best be described by the pictures below. Like the hapless hippopotami we’d spent hours observing in the Serengeti, we osculated between pool dipping, ocean swimming and lounge chair lizarding while a team of waiters ferried cocktails to us both with very precise regularity. Our old school readers will know our penchant for “drinking through” the bar list, and after some initial confusion, our waiters fully embraced the concept delivering a little giggle along with every drink. It could be said it was a tad over indulgent, but then again we would argue that point vehemently.
We honestly did nothing that afternoon other than relax and read our books punctuated by one of us occasionally rolling off the sun bed to then only roll into the Indian ocean. The waters this far north are exquisite with the expected turquoise colour and the seabed sandy with fewer seaweeds and corals than the eastern beaches, becoming especially charming at high tide when the hues are most vivid. We of course watched the rainbow of colours evolve through the setting sun forgetting we needed to change and head along to dinner at some point.
The resort restaurant while perhaps not the finest of dinning, did however have the finest of locations. Sitting atop a rocky outcrop it almost cantilevered over the ocean providing spectacular views from any table placement. All meals were buffet style offering an extremely wide range of options from seafood to pasta and salads to desserts with Fatpap doing his darnedest to sample them all. So over a glass of wine we stared across a darkened ocean to the very faint sound of waves licking the shore wondering if this trip could get any better. The all inclusive package kept us pretty much locked into the resort for meals, and while not part of our initial plan, actually worked out well because for the first time since leaving home we didn’t have to be anywhere or do anything. We could just stay within the thatched fenced boundaries of Sandies and wind down for a few days not worrying about what’s coming up next.
Adjourning to the main pavilion along with the other guests, some live music got the dance floor buzzing as did the last whiskey sours we finished off our night with. From Stone Town to Sandies and the entire west cost of Zanzibar, the day had been full on if you consider hours on a sun lounge sipping pina coladas under an African sunset as full on. We finally called it a night and virtually crashed out after negotiating the dreaded mosquito net paradox. Tomorrow there would be no schedule and no travel other than between the bar and the water front.
Sunset at Sandies, Zanzibar