I'm wondering if anyone can give me some information about
travelling from Stone Town to Nungwi. We hope to stay at
the Amaan Bungalows,but have no knowledge of transport in
Zanzibar. Also,I'd appreciate any feedback from other
travellers who have stayed at Amaan Bungalows - especially
rates. I appreciate any advice that may be helpful.
[There are 5 posts - the latest was added on Sun 23 May, 13:26]
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Liz, My wife and I were in Zanzibar during March. We arrived
from Arusha at the airport early Saturday morning. We hired
a cab to take us to Stone Town. Should cost only 5,000
shilling but they will try to charge 3 times this. Just let
them know that you've been before and know that anything
over 6,000 is too much. We went to the Dhow Palace and
reserved a room as we were travelling firstly up to the
Amaan. As we were reserving a room the Dhow were quite happy
for us to leave most of our luggage with them. They will
lock it away and it's quite safe, probably safer than taking
heaps up to Nungwi.
We asked the cab driver to wait for us. He was happy to do
this and then drove us up to Nungwi. Took about an hour. In
total we gave him 27,000 shilling. He was more than happy
with this, suspect that 23,000 or so would have been enough
but we were happy. You can get shuttles or local transport
(a lot cheaper) but they do take considerably longer and
aren't quite as comfortable. Our budget wasn't too
restrictive so a cab was best for us. Heard nothing too bad
re Shuttles and buses, maybe someone else can comment. You
can ask the cab driver to come back and pick you up in a few
days, just make sure you agree on the price.
As for the Amaan? We paid $30 per night for a bungalow. Very
basic, ok on cleanliness, but boy did the room smell. Have
to say I was very disappointed with Amaan/Nungwi. Perhaps it
was our naievety, but it was not the remote tranquil setting
we expected. There were about 30 backpackers staying in and
around the area so it was very busy and very noisy at night
- particularly when the band plays. Also found it a little
grubby - beer cans around the edges of the beaches, sanitary
towels and rubbish lying around. The beach is great and the
food at the restaurants is cheap, plentiful and pretty good.
Our backpacking days are behind us so it wasn't really what
we were looking for. However, if you're on a limited budget
and expect and are ok with the above then it's probably
reasonable value. Very much a personal preference. Just
don't swallow all the misty eyed romantics who make out this
part of Nungwi to be awesome or romantic or tranquil etc
etc. Have a great trip!
Liz, My wife and I were in Zanzibar during March. We arrived
from Arusha at the airport early Saturday morning. We hired
a cab to take us to Stone Town. Should cost only 5,000
shilling but they will try to charge 3 times this. Just let
them know that you've been before and know that anything
over 6,000 is too much. We went to the Dhow Palace and
reserved a room as we were travelling firstly up to the
Amaan. As we were reserving a room the Dhow were quite happy
for us to leave most of our luggage with them. They will
lock it away and it's quite safe, probably safer than taking
heaps up to Nungwi.
We asked the cab driver to wait for us. He was happy to do
this and then drove us up to Nungwi. Took about an hour. In
total we gave him 27,000 shilling. He was more than happy
with this, suspect that 23,000 or so would have been enough
but we were happy. You can get shuttles or local transport
(a lot cheaper) but they do take considerably longer and
aren't quite as comfortable. Our budget wasn't too
restrictive so a cab was best for us. Heard nothing too bad
re Shuttles and buses, maybe someone else can comment. You
can ask the cab driver to come back and pick you up in a few
days, just make sure you agree on the price.
As for the Amaan? We paid $30 per night for a bungalow. Very
basic, ok on cleanliness, but boy did the room smell. Have
to say I was very disappointed with Amaan/Nungwi. Perhaps it
was our naievety, but it was not the remote tranquil setting
we expected. There were about 30 backpackers staying in and
around the area so it was very busy and very noisy at night
- particularly when the band plays. Also found it a little
grubby - beer cans around the edges of the beaches, sanitary
towels and rubbish lying around. The beach is great and the
food at the restaurants is cheap, plentiful and pretty good.
Our backpacking days are behind us so it wasn't really what
we were looking for. However, if you're on a limited budget
and expect and are ok with the above then it's probably
reasonable value. Very much a personal preference. Just
don't swallow all the misty eyed romantics who make out this
part of Nungwi to be awesome or romantic or tranquil etc
etc. Have a great trip!
Hi, I stayed at Amman B. during New Years' '97-'98 and paid
about $20 for the bungalow. It's very basic and my friend
and I were backpacking, so it was perfect for us. We also
arranged transport from Stone Town to Nungwi on a matatu--
it's SOOO easy to do! You'll get a lot of guys asking you
if you need transport to the beaches as you walk around ST,
so there's no need to do anything in advance. We paid
about $10 (each?...I don't remember). It takes about an
hour. If you're on a budget, that's the best way to go.
Have fun!
Liz-
I just returned from Zanzibar a few days ago. I was
traveling a little cheaper than the other people who
responded to the post so far, so I will add my two cents. My
girlfriend and I stayed in Nungwi (at Paradise hotel because
it looked nicest) while we were there. To get there, just go
to the dala-dala stop in Stonetown and catch the number 16
dala-dala, it should cost Tsh 600. Our room cost $10 per
person per night, it was clean with mosquito nets, fan,
small porch in front and a passion fruit vine dropping ripe
fruit in front of our room. Our room was about 30 feet from
the ocean. The food at Paradise was quite good, usually
about Tsh 2500-3000 per meal. Have a great time!
Although the dala-dala is the cheapest way, a much faster
way is to go with the Indian Ocean Divers shuttle bus. It
leaves at 9 a.m. and costs 2000 TSh. Indian Ocean Divers
is right by "the big tree"--everyone knows where it is. If
it's busy, you might want to book the night before--they
usually closes up around 5:30 p.m. Do some diving in
Nungwi if you can. The reef there is beautiful.