Zanzibar surprised me most not through its beaches, but through a small Zanzibar village we walked past almost every day. It’s the kind tourists often go out of their way to avoid.
Walking Through a Zanzibar Village Instead of Around It
Our guesthouse in Kendwa was only about ten minutes from the ocean. The shortest way there, though, cut straight through a local village. My colleague and her daughter didn’t want to walk through it at first. Instead, they went out of their way to take the long route around. The village looked poor at a glance: small worn houses, kids running around barefoot. I understand why that made them hesitant.
My son and I felt differently. We were curious rather than nervous, so we walked straight through the middle of it. That way, we could take in how people actually lived. It beat just seeing what the tourist map wanted us to see.
What struck me almost immediately was how the people sat outside their homes. They were talking, doing small chores, just living their everyday lives. As we got closer, they looked up and smiled. Kids ran over laughing loudly, and once we’d passed, they’d shout and wave after us.
Dinner With a Stranger in the Same Village Every Night
Since we went down to the ocean every single day after our activities, we crossed through that same Zanzibar village daily. One evening, after swimming, we stopped at a small local eatery for dinner. We were the only guests there, so the waiter came over and started chatting with us. He told us he was originally from Kenya. Turns out he was studying at university in Zanzibar and waiting tables at this small place on the side. Life back home came up too, and for one evening, we got a glimpse into two different countries through one conversation.
The food was so good that we ended up eating there almost every night. It was always some kind of local fish dish.
That particular evening, we talked for so long that it was completely dark by the time we left. There was no street lighting anywhere in the village, so we used our phone flashlights to find our way back. It was pitch black. I genuinely couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. But even in the dark, it never felt unsafe. Nothing happened to us anywhere on that trip. If anything, the people we met were endlessly kind and quick to smile.
A Boy Who Wouldn’t Let Go of My Son’s Hand
Later in the trip, we went out quad biking, and that turned into one of our best days. On the way, we stopped at a sugarcane plantation and got to try fresh sugarcane. I’d never tasted it before, and it amazed me how sweet and good it actually was.
Further along the route, we stopped in another Zanzibar village to walk around and meet people. One little boy, maybe around ten, took an immediate liking to my son. He reached out and took his hand, and just stayed there, holding on, the entire time we were there. He laughed the whole time, clearly delighted to have visitors.
There were spice plants growing in this Zanzibar village too, ones we could look at and smell up close. What I appreciated most was an invitation into one of the small houses. There, we could actually see how people lived inside.
What stood out immediately was that there was no bathroom, and no toilet, not even outside the house. When we asked the woman who lived there how they managed, she simply showed us. People used the side of the house, squatting over the ground. I found myself wondering afterward why there wasn’t even a simple outhouse. Something as basic as a dug pit with four walls around it would have helped. Despite the clear poverty inside that home, they kept everything neat and completely clean.
What Two Days in a Zanzibar Village Taught Me
Both of these days reminded me of something simple. The version of a place you get from staying inside a resort is only a fraction of the real story. The villages we walked through weren’t dangerous, and they weren’t something to avoid. They were full of people going about ordinary life. Almost every single interaction we had there was warm, welcoming, and genuinely kind. It wasn’t the only day that turned into a favorite memory either. Our morning at a spice farm ended up being just as special.
If part of you has already been thinking about a trip to Zanzibar, let this be your nudge. Step outside your comfort zone, and outside the hotel walls too. It’s worth it, because that’s where you actually get to know the real Zanzibar.
If you’ve ever hesitated the way my colleague did, you’re not alone. My guide, The Woman You Meet When You Travel Alone, walks you through exactly that kind of shift. It’s about building the confidence to step toward unfamiliar places and people instead of away from them.
