Zanzibar and the Cape
- erinlsharp
- Feb 16
- 6 min read
Zanzibar
Following our amazing but very busy safari adventures, we settled on the island of Zanzibar for a much-needed rest and relaxation for two weeks. This also coincided with the half-way mark of our 10 months on the road: it is crazy how time flies. We had all been looking forward to a few weeks unprogrammed and to live beach-forward.
We stayed in the town of Paje on Zanzibar’s east coast – facing out to the vast Indian Ocean. This town is a mecca for kite surfing on the shallow lagoon protected by its reef with a consistent trade wind off the ocean, boasting the silkiest soft white sand beaches and the warmest sea water any of us have ever felt. We stayed in a lovely condo in ‘The Soul’ community a few blocks off the beach (thanks Jesse & Anar for the reco!) that had an awesome playground, huge pool, and new friends for us all, making our stop here extra sweet.
Through Jasper’s playtime at the pool, we were fortunate to meet Issa, Ivy, Meg, Eddie, Gwen & Tim. Gwen, Tim & their daughter Meg originate from New Brunswick (yes being Canadian always helps break the ice!), with Meg, Eddie and their kids Issa and Ivy now calling Zanzibar home with Gwen and Tim making annual visits to see them. What a treat to hang out with the nicest Canucks who come with local knowledge! Jasper managed virtually daily playdates with Issa and even a sleepover. We got so lucky!
Jasper & Issa Snorkelling in the Blue Lagoon Beach party in Michamvi Beachside smores
Paje’s vibe has plenty of daytime adventures and nightlife happening across its many beach bars and restaurants; we enjoyed great food, cheap beer and live music throughout the week. The town is easy to get around by walking, tuk-tuk (motorcycle buggies that can squeeze the four of us in) or boda-boda (motorcycles that can carry one or two of us on the back) for a few bucks.
Boda Boda
It was HOT in Zanzibar – with daytime highs hitting a humid 32 degrees – and nighttime lows around 26. Our daytime routine was focused on sleep-ins followed by homework and lazy brunches in the mornings where we were really spoiled that the Airbnb came with fresh fruit delivered daily, followed by pool, ocean and adventure time in the afternoons. Bliss.
Ian and Finlay dedicated 3 days learning to kite surf. We can report the following: 1) it is harder than it looks, 2) both Sharps managed to persevere through many mouthfuls of sea water to successfully get up and ride the wind! and 3) it may be addictive as we are hunting for another destination we could hit up on our onward travels. The local scene of kite surfing is super impressive with some real experts showing off their skills and jumping so high into the air on the windiest days.
We went on several adventures around the island – with highlights whenever we could do so with our new friends. We swam in Maalum Cave, a freshwater cove inland with beautifully clear water. We rented a boat to snorkel in the Blue Lagoon, and explored a unique sandbar covered with an amazing array of multi-coloured starfish. Having really only witnessed the purple variety on the west coast this rainbow assortment was amazing to see! We visited Salaam Cave Aquarium, a saltwater sea turtle rescue centre where we swam with the turtles. The turtles are “relatively” tame in the lagoon and are very interested in the seaweed salad that is provided to tourists. We only got nibbled on a couple of times by the occasional over-zealous turtle. Our instructions were to just give the turtle a shove on their shells if they get too close for comfort. Good advice for those snappy turtles back on Little Lake Joe! We visited Mtende “Secret” Beach, a stretch of sand that only appears at low tide, to play and laze in the warm tide pools amongst stunning rock formations. Meg & Eddie hosted us at their gorgeous villas (that they rent out on Airbnb) for a barbecue of octopus, calamari and prawns all caught that day. We had beers and smores at a beach party with live music at Michamvi Beach. So many memories we will carry with us, as we hope to someday be able to see our new friends again!
Maalum Cave Page beach Starfish sandbank Starfish, in yellow green and blue. Pictures don't do the colours justice Salaam Cave Turtle Aquarium
Cape Town
Our original flight from Zanzibar to Cape Town was rescheduled, cutting our time in this wonderful city down to only four days, thanks Kenya Airways for all that advanced notice!?! Jasper and Finlay lost another day here to a bout of food poisoning (from ice cream we think). Erin had visited almost 20 years ago and had fond memories - we all (re)connected to this wonderful city!
On day one, we set off to climb Table Mountain, our chosen route took us up Platteklip Gorge, a steep (700m of vertical) but well travelled route. The well maintained rocky steps provided a nice, guided route up into the misty clouds. Our hope was that the weather gods would come through – and they did – just as we summited – to deliver stunning 360 degree views of the Cape. We took full advantage by sunning ourselves at the top over lunch, a cold beer, and the aforementioned evil ice cream. We took the much easier cable car route down. The boys loved the STEEP descent of the cable car; the floor even spins to give us a nice view of our route up while on our way down. Erin was less thrilled with the mode of downward travel and probably would have preferred the slower walk back down the mountain but the convenience of a 5 minute ride down won out.
Atop Table Mountain The last few steps before we hit the misty summit Stopped for a snack, Finlay found some birds who were interested
After our hiking exploits we met up with Erin’s dear friend Julie, a Scot Erin met during her year living in Edinburgh who now calls Johannesburg home and who travelled to Cape Town just to see us (thanks Julie!). We had such a nice 2 day visit wandering the streets of Cape Town and its restaurants and cafés during our much overdue reunion (the last visit was nearly 17 years ago - how do the years go by so fast and yet neither of us age at all?!?!??!).
At Victoria & Albert Waterfront, Cape Town Street performers at the Waterfront Julie & Erin
Our final day at the southern tip of the continent was spent learning an important history lesson with a visit to Robben Island. Here we were guided by a former political prisoner who fought against apartheid, who shared his personal experience of spending years held and tortured for his beliefs, along with other freedom fighters including Nelson Mandela.
Cape Town is the furthest we will be away from home during our travels, fitting as this also marks the halfway point timewise – we will cross to the opposite side of the world from Calgary during our flight to New Zealand (via Singapore). We all leave a piece of our hearts in Africa – we have made the most wonderful memories on our travels across this amazing continent – and feel such love for the people and places that have welcomed us so warmly. Leaving is bittersweet as we know it will be a long time until we can return to such a faraway place, with sad feelings softened by the gratitude we feel for old and new friends and the magic of this place. Our previous visits here taught us that Africa gets in your blood – and we feel it coursing through us with greater strength than ever.
Jasper
My favourite part of Zanzibar was meeting a new friend named Issa; he made it so much better than without him we spent most of our time in the pool, but we also had a sleepover; we stayed up to 12 o’clock. In Cape Town we met one of my Mom’s friends named Julie, we had dinner with her and it was fun.
Finlay
Zanzibar was one of my favourite places to stay so far. One of the reasons why was that there were not very many things that we had to go visit like temples and churches. And just after a safari it was nice to stay in one place for two weeks. While we were there, I also learned how to kitesurf which is where you are attached to a giant kite that pulls you around on a board. I didn’t go on the waves like the pros did because the waves were quite far out because of a reef. The reef helped me because then I could learn how more easily. While we were in Cape Town, we hiked up this very famous mountain called Table Mountain. Once we got to the top, I ate some ice cream then threw up for the next two days, so don’t eat the ice cream.
Guys this looks so amazing. That water!!
You’ve seen so much!!! Those lions and the wildebeest migration was amazing! So excited for all of you!!!