We are in this together.
Lastly, we need to tell you how we got here, and bring this full circle. We will share the full story from a board member to show you that after years of programs, events, partnerships, volunteer experiences and growth, we had to have started somewhere and that passion to move forward is still the same from day one.
"I see Daraja like a child that is being raised by a global community. Daraja continues to learn, grow and adapt with this guidance, and is able to share that strength and compassion with so many more people"
"I see Daraja like a child that is being raised by a global community. Daraja continues to learn, grow and adapt with this guidance, and is able to share that strength and compassion with so many more people"
Totals in CAD (USD to CAD conversion as of July 30 2018 = 1.3) |
$591.89 |
$2, 571.44 |
$7, 102.73 |
$14, 205.45 |
$30, 857.27 |
$61, 714.55 |
Cost Item (USD) |
Min / Month |
Max / Month |
Min / Year |
Max / Year |
Min / Pilot 2 Years |
Max / Pilot 2 Years |
Rent |
$300.00 |
$800.00 |
$3, 600.00 |
$7, 200.00 |
$9, 600.00 |
$19, 200.00 |
House allowance for residence (100, 000 TZS per resident per month) |
$45.45 |
$454.55 |
$545.45 |
$5, 454.60 |
$1, 090.91 |
$10, 909.20 |
Staff (150, 000 TZS per resident per month) |
$68.18 |
$681.82 |
$818.18 |
$8, 181.82 |
$1, 636.36 |
$16, 363.64 |
Reserve (maintenance & repairs) |
$41.67 |
- |
$500.00 |
- |
$1, 000.00 |
- |
Totals |
$455.30 |
$1, 978.03 |
$5, 463.64 |
$23, 736.36 |
$10, 927.27 |
$47, 472.73 |
GOOD TO KNOW INFO ABOUT ZANZIBAR
⚡ ELECTRICITY: 220 -240 volt AC, TYPE G and TYPE D outlets are used in Zanzibar, the holes are pictured to the right.
💧 WATER: The water in Zanzibar is not safe for consumption, use bottled water for drinking and brushing teeth. Coca-Cola has their own water brand called Kilimanjaro, it's a bit more expensive than some of the other options: Zan-aqua, Drop of Zanzibar, Zenjy just to name a few.
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💵 CURRENCY: Tanzanian Shillings (Tsh or TZS.) The current exchange rates are on the right, it shows the value of one unit of the base currency in Tanzanian Shillings. Tanzania doesn't have a limit on importation of foreign currency. Currency exchange services are available around town, generally the currency exchange give the most competitive rates, followed by banks, hotels usually offer the least competitve rates. M-pesa is widely used in Zanzibar, it is a mobile money transfer service that allows you to easily pay for goods and services with your device.
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💳 CREDIT CARDS: Are only accepted at major hotels travel agencies and restaurants, most shops and markets do not accept card payment.
🕣 TIME: GMT+3, Sunrise is relatively constant at 630 am and sunset at 645pm due to the islands proximity to the equator.
📞 Communication: The Country code for Tanzania is '+255'. The outgoing country code for the US is '00', for all other countries '000'.
📱 MOBILE & DATA: Zantel and Tigo are the dominant players in Zanzibar, Airtel and Halotel and few smaller players make up the rest of the field. Mobile service pricing is comptetive between all the players. You can buy a SIM card from stores in Stone Town and put it on your phone. You can expect to pay about 25,000Tsh ( $11 US) for unlimited 3G/4G data for 30 days.
🕣 TIME: GMT+3, Sunrise is relatively constant at 630 am and sunset at 645pm due to the islands proximity to the equator.
📞 Communication: The Country code for Tanzania is '+255'. The outgoing country code for the US is '00', for all other countries '000'.
📱 MOBILE & DATA: Zantel and Tigo are the dominant players in Zanzibar, Airtel and Halotel and few smaller players make up the rest of the field. Mobile service pricing is comptetive between all the players. You can buy a SIM card from stores in Stone Town and put it on your phone. You can expect to pay about 25,000Tsh ( $11 US) for unlimited 3G/4G data for 30 days.
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🌅 CLIMATE: Zanzibar enjoys a typical equatorial climate. From December to March the weather is hot and relatively dry. February is the hottest month in Zanzibar with an average temperature of 28°C (82°F). The cooler, dry period from June to October is also pleasant, the coldest month is July at 24°C (75°F). Expect heavy rains from March to the end of May. The wettest month is April with an average of 401mm of rain.
Humidity averages 78 per cent. The best month to swim in the sea is in March when the average sea temperature is 30°C (86°F). |
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🎭 CULTURE: Zanzibar is a conservative, Sunni Muslim society with small numbers of Christian and indigenous beliefs.
👕 CLOTHING: Zanzibar has no winter and lightweight clothing is worn all year round. It is considered insulting by local tradition to dress scantily.
🚙 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Private minibuses can be booked through any travel agency the day before you want to leave, and will pick you up at your hotel in Stone Town. Travel takes from one to 1½ hours to most destinations, and costs Tsh10,000 per person. There is no government run public transport in Zanzibar. Dalla-dallas are open sided vehicles that act as public transportation. The Dalla-dallas connect all major towns on the island. For most destinations, including the beaches, there are several vehicles daily, with the last ones back to Stone Town departing by about 4pm. None of the routes cost more than 2000Tsh.
👕 CLOTHING: Zanzibar has no winter and lightweight clothing is worn all year round. It is considered insulting by local tradition to dress scantily.
🚙 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Private minibuses can be booked through any travel agency the day before you want to leave, and will pick you up at your hotel in Stone Town. Travel takes from one to 1½ hours to most destinations, and costs Tsh10,000 per person. There is no government run public transport in Zanzibar. Dalla-dallas are open sided vehicles that act as public transportation. The Dalla-dallas connect all major towns on the island. For most destinations, including the beaches, there are several vehicles daily, with the last ones back to Stone Town departing by about 4pm. None of the routes cost more than 2000Tsh.
Some things to consider for booking your travel
✈ BY AIR
Zanzibar's International Airport is called Abeid Amani Karume International (ZNZ). Flights are operated by ZanAir, Auric Air, Kenya Airways, Precision Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai, Oman Air, and Coastal Aviation.
December in Zanzibar is high season, it is probably best to book early to get the flight route you want. You may find it cheaper to fly into Dar es Salaam first and then make your way to the island, or for convenience, less travel time and maybe even price - try to find a flight that will bring you directly here. Or, if you are planning to be on the mainland as part of your trip (if you are doing a safari before or visiting Dar), then we added some info below on how to get here from Dar. Here are some flight search engines you can use to compare flight prices.
expedia.com
skyscanner.net
kayak.com
cheapflights.com
chepoair.com
⛴ BY FERRY
The ferry terminal in Dar Es Salaam is about 12km from Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), which can take up to 1 hour by taxi considering traffic there. A taxi will cost approximately $20 US depending on your negotiation skills and the Ferry price ranges between $20 and $50 US depending on the service provider. The 1.5 to 2 hour ferry ride will terminate in Malindi, right at the heart of Stone Town. Always choose the Azam ferry company who run the Kilimanjaro boats and buy your tickets inside their office building at the ferry port.
✈ BY AIR VIA DAR ES SALAAM
From the Dar Es Salaam airport you can take a flight to Zanzibar with Coastal Aviation, Precision Air, Auric Air or Zanair. Flights take approximately 30 minutes and cost between $70 and $100 US. Make sure you leave enough time for collecting your luggage, going through passport control and checking in for the flight to Zanzibar, 2.5 to 3 hours will be sufficient for this. Remember that for the smaller flights domestic flight from DAR - ZNZ the luggage allowance is often much lower than an international flight so be sure to check this first.
ENTRY INTO TANZANIA - TOURIST VISA
You can get your visa upon entry into Tanzania. A Tourist Visa is $50 USD (US citizens pay $100 USD). The airports accept credit cards only (unless their system is down and then they will accept cash).
A LITTLE TRAVEL GUIDEHelpful things to keep in mind
ELECTRICITY: 220 - 240 volt AC, TYPE G and TYPE D outlets are used in Zanzibar.
WATER: The tap water in Zanzibar is not safe for consumption, use bottled water for drinking. Your hotel will be able to provide you with safe bottled drinking water, or you can buy water at any shop. Zanzibar has a plastic pollution problem so please help us cut down on plastic use and bring a drink bottle that you can refill if your hotel has a drinking tower/fountain.
CURRENCY: Tanzanian Shillings (Tsh or TZS). You cannot get Tanzanian Shillings outside of Tanzania so it is best to travel here with US Dollars or British Pounds, which you can exchange here. Hotels will also accept USD as payment. Currency exchange services are available at the airport, in town and at some hotels. Generally the currency exchange shops in town give the most competitive rates, followed by banks; hotels usually offer the least competitive rates.
CREDIT CARDS: Are only accepted at major hotels travel agencies and some restaurants; most shops and markets do not accept card payment.
TIME: East Africa Time (UTC +3). Sunrise is relatively constant around 6:30 AM and sunset around 6:30 PM due to the islands proximity to the equator.
COMMUNICATION: The country code for Tanzania is '+255'. The outgoing country code for the US is '00', for all other countries '000'.
MOBILE & DATA: The majority of hotels here have wifi which you will be able to use. For those staying a bit longer and wanting to get a local SIM card then Zantel and Tigo are the dominant telecommunications companies in Zanzibar, Airtel and Halotel and a few smaller companies make up the rest. Mobile service pricing is competitive between all the networks. You can buy a SIM card here for $1 US and put it in an unlocked phone. You can expect to pay about 25,000 Tsh ($10 US) for unlimited 3G/4G data for up to 30 days.
CLIMATE: Zanzibar enjoys a typical equatorial climate. From December to March the weather is hot and humid. The temperature will be around 28-36 degrees Celsius. Humidity averages 78% year round.
CULTURE: Zanzibar is a conservative, Sunni Muslim society with small numbers of Christian and indigenous beliefs. Its history was influenced by the Arabs, Persians, Indians, Portuguese, British and the African mainland.
CLOTHING: Lightweight (but culturally sensitive) clothing can be worn all year round.
TRANSPORTATION: Private transfers from the airport to Pongwe or to and from town can be booked directly with ZanTours. If you plan to spend some time around the island before or after the wedding, travel takes from 1 to 1½ hours to most destinations on the island. Want to go local? There is no government run public transport in Zanzibar. Dalla-dallas are open sided vehicles that act as public transportation. The dalla-dallas connect all major towns on the island. For most destinations, including the beaches, there are several vehicles daily, with the last ones back to Stone Town departing by about 4:00 PM. None of the routes cost more than 3,000 tsh. If you are staying in Stone Town, you can walk to all restaurants, hotels and beaches. Getting lost through the narrow streets of town is half the fun!
HEALTH: We do recommend that you visit a travel clinic for a consultation before you come to Zanzibar. They will check that you are up to date on routine vaccinations, and advise you on what you may need to consider for travel, including anti-malaria meds such as malarone or doxycycline. Malaria is endemic in Zanzibar, but rates are quite low here. You may also be advised to bring a yellow fever card. It is not required for entry into Tanzania, but if you have a layover in a country that does require it, you may be asked for it here. Always good to carry hand sanitizer, antibacterial and antihistamine topical creams, repellent and sunscreen. Lastly, we recommend you have travel and health insurance.
Click on the link below for more health related advice for travel to Tanzania .
wwwnc.cdc.gov
THE HEART OF ZANZIBARSpend some time in Stone Town
Stone Town is unique and beautiful. There is so much culture and history which can be seen in the outstanding architecture of this historic UNESCO site. If you decide to spend some time in town, let us recommend a few things to do and eat!
Just walking around town, getting lost and looking at the beautiful stone buildings is nice to do (some are crumbling so look up!). During the day, you can take a local boat out to Prison Island or the sandbank, or book a Stone Town tour and learn about Zanzibar's history. Eat on New Mkunazini Street. This is a busy street with tourists and full of new things to try. Lukmaan and Mashallah are very popular places for local food and for value on this street. You can find local soup (urojo), coffee shops, sugar cane juice, ice cream shops - you name it. From here you can walk to everything, 5 minutes to the local transport to go out of town, 10 to the food market (fruits, vegetables, meats), and no more than 10 to the beach and big hotels and restaurants like 6 Degrees, Africa House and Hyatt. On the way to the beach, stop at Jaws Corner for some local coffee and kashata (coconut/peanut brittle), maybe catch a football match on TV in the middle of Jaws Corner.
Check out Maru Maru rooftop for sunset and happy hour, great views of Stone Town mosques, churches and the Indian Ocean. Livingstones is also a great place to have a drink or food on the beach at sundown. You can watch fisherman and their dhow boats coming in or leaving, and the local community enjoying exercise and playing football at sunset. For restaurants we recommend the Abyssinian Maritime, the only traditional Ethiopian restaurant in town - and one of our favorite places to eat. Silk Route is perfect for Indian cuisine, 6 Degrees for variety of foods, La Taverna for pizza and Taperia for tapas.
The night market is called Forodhani Gardens. At 6:00 PM the chefs start grilling meats and seafood and other foods like shawarma, soup and Zanzibar pizza. It's lively and full of people.
There are plenty of Air BnBs, hostels and and also some very nice hotels to book in town. Check out Air BnB and booking.com for accommodation options.
Here's some other things to do in Zanzibar
Zanzibar can offer all of the attractions that most crave such as snorkeling, scuba diving, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and surfing. Explore an amazing natural habitat in Jozani Forest, where you will see indigenous Red Colobus monkeys or book a spice tour for a fascinating glimpse into why this island has become so well-known.
✈ BY AIR
Zanzibar's International Airport is called Abeid Amani Karume International (ZNZ). Flights are operated by ZanAir, Auric Air, Kenya Airways, Precision Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, FlyDubai, Oman Air, and Coastal Aviation.
December in Zanzibar is high season, it is probably best to book early to get the flight route you want. You may find it cheaper to fly into Dar es Salaam first and then make your way to the island, or for convenience, less travel time and maybe even price - try to find a flight that will bring you directly here. Or, if you are planning to be on the mainland as part of your trip (if you are doing a safari before or visiting Dar), then we added some info below on how to get here from Dar. Here are some flight search engines you can use to compare flight prices.
expedia.com
skyscanner.net
kayak.com
cheapflights.com
chepoair.com
⛴ BY FERRY
The ferry terminal in Dar Es Salaam is about 12km from Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), which can take up to 1 hour by taxi considering traffic there. A taxi will cost approximately $20 US depending on your negotiation skills and the Ferry price ranges between $20 and $50 US depending on the service provider. The 1.5 to 2 hour ferry ride will terminate in Malindi, right at the heart of Stone Town. Always choose the Azam ferry company who run the Kilimanjaro boats and buy your tickets inside their office building at the ferry port.
✈ BY AIR VIA DAR ES SALAAM
From the Dar Es Salaam airport you can take a flight to Zanzibar with Coastal Aviation, Precision Air, Auric Air or Zanair. Flights take approximately 30 minutes and cost between $70 and $100 US. Make sure you leave enough time for collecting your luggage, going through passport control and checking in for the flight to Zanzibar, 2.5 to 3 hours will be sufficient for this. Remember that for the smaller flights domestic flight from DAR - ZNZ the luggage allowance is often much lower than an international flight so be sure to check this first.
ENTRY INTO TANZANIA - TOURIST VISA
You can get your visa upon entry into Tanzania. A Tourist Visa is $50 USD (US citizens pay $100 USD). The airports accept credit cards only (unless their system is down and then they will accept cash).
A LITTLE TRAVEL GUIDEHelpful things to keep in mind
ELECTRICITY: 220 - 240 volt AC, TYPE G and TYPE D outlets are used in Zanzibar.
WATER: The tap water in Zanzibar is not safe for consumption, use bottled water for drinking. Your hotel will be able to provide you with safe bottled drinking water, or you can buy water at any shop. Zanzibar has a plastic pollution problem so please help us cut down on plastic use and bring a drink bottle that you can refill if your hotel has a drinking tower/fountain.
CURRENCY: Tanzanian Shillings (Tsh or TZS). You cannot get Tanzanian Shillings outside of Tanzania so it is best to travel here with US Dollars or British Pounds, which you can exchange here. Hotels will also accept USD as payment. Currency exchange services are available at the airport, in town and at some hotels. Generally the currency exchange shops in town give the most competitive rates, followed by banks; hotels usually offer the least competitive rates.
CREDIT CARDS: Are only accepted at major hotels travel agencies and some restaurants; most shops and markets do not accept card payment.
TIME: East Africa Time (UTC +3). Sunrise is relatively constant around 6:30 AM and sunset around 6:30 PM due to the islands proximity to the equator.
COMMUNICATION: The country code for Tanzania is '+255'. The outgoing country code for the US is '00', for all other countries '000'.
MOBILE & DATA: The majority of hotels here have wifi which you will be able to use. For those staying a bit longer and wanting to get a local SIM card then Zantel and Tigo are the dominant telecommunications companies in Zanzibar, Airtel and Halotel and a few smaller companies make up the rest. Mobile service pricing is competitive between all the networks. You can buy a SIM card here for $1 US and put it in an unlocked phone. You can expect to pay about 25,000 Tsh ($10 US) for unlimited 3G/4G data for up to 30 days.
CLIMATE: Zanzibar enjoys a typical equatorial climate. From December to March the weather is hot and humid. The temperature will be around 28-36 degrees Celsius. Humidity averages 78% year round.
CULTURE: Zanzibar is a conservative, Sunni Muslim society with small numbers of Christian and indigenous beliefs. Its history was influenced by the Arabs, Persians, Indians, Portuguese, British and the African mainland.
CLOTHING: Lightweight (but culturally sensitive) clothing can be worn all year round.
TRANSPORTATION: Private transfers from the airport to Pongwe or to and from town can be booked directly with ZanTours. If you plan to spend some time around the island before or after the wedding, travel takes from 1 to 1½ hours to most destinations on the island. Want to go local? There is no government run public transport in Zanzibar. Dalla-dallas are open sided vehicles that act as public transportation. The dalla-dallas connect all major towns on the island. For most destinations, including the beaches, there are several vehicles daily, with the last ones back to Stone Town departing by about 4:00 PM. None of the routes cost more than 3,000 tsh. If you are staying in Stone Town, you can walk to all restaurants, hotels and beaches. Getting lost through the narrow streets of town is half the fun!
HEALTH: We do recommend that you visit a travel clinic for a consultation before you come to Zanzibar. They will check that you are up to date on routine vaccinations, and advise you on what you may need to consider for travel, including anti-malaria meds such as malarone or doxycycline. Malaria is endemic in Zanzibar, but rates are quite low here. You may also be advised to bring a yellow fever card. It is not required for entry into Tanzania, but if you have a layover in a country that does require it, you may be asked for it here. Always good to carry hand sanitizer, antibacterial and antihistamine topical creams, repellent and sunscreen. Lastly, we recommend you have travel and health insurance.
Click on the link below for more health related advice for travel to Tanzania .
wwwnc.cdc.gov
THE HEART OF ZANZIBARSpend some time in Stone Town
Stone Town is unique and beautiful. There is so much culture and history which can be seen in the outstanding architecture of this historic UNESCO site. If you decide to spend some time in town, let us recommend a few things to do and eat!
Just walking around town, getting lost and looking at the beautiful stone buildings is nice to do (some are crumbling so look up!). During the day, you can take a local boat out to Prison Island or the sandbank, or book a Stone Town tour and learn about Zanzibar's history. Eat on New Mkunazini Street. This is a busy street with tourists and full of new things to try. Lukmaan and Mashallah are very popular places for local food and for value on this street. You can find local soup (urojo), coffee shops, sugar cane juice, ice cream shops - you name it. From here you can walk to everything, 5 minutes to the local transport to go out of town, 10 to the food market (fruits, vegetables, meats), and no more than 10 to the beach and big hotels and restaurants like 6 Degrees, Africa House and Hyatt. On the way to the beach, stop at Jaws Corner for some local coffee and kashata (coconut/peanut brittle), maybe catch a football match on TV in the middle of Jaws Corner.
Check out Maru Maru rooftop for sunset and happy hour, great views of Stone Town mosques, churches and the Indian Ocean. Livingstones is also a great place to have a drink or food on the beach at sundown. You can watch fisherman and their dhow boats coming in or leaving, and the local community enjoying exercise and playing football at sunset. For restaurants we recommend the Abyssinian Maritime, the only traditional Ethiopian restaurant in town - and one of our favorite places to eat. Silk Route is perfect for Indian cuisine, 6 Degrees for variety of foods, La Taverna for pizza and Taperia for tapas.
The night market is called Forodhani Gardens. At 6:00 PM the chefs start grilling meats and seafood and other foods like shawarma, soup and Zanzibar pizza. It's lively and full of people.
There are plenty of Air BnBs, hostels and and also some very nice hotels to book in town. Check out Air BnB and booking.com for accommodation options.
Here's some other things to do in Zanzibar
Zanzibar can offer all of the attractions that most crave such as snorkeling, scuba diving, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking and surfing. Explore an amazing natural habitat in Jozani Forest, where you will see indigenous Red Colobus monkeys or book a spice tour for a fascinating glimpse into why this island has become so well-known.