We arrived in Kizimkazi by ferry from Dar es Salaam, where we’re living for the year, and came looking for relaxation. We found it, eventually, after a bit of a rough start.
Kizimkazi is rustic. Not romantic rustic, just rustic rustic. It’s a small fishing village in the south of Zanzibar and a common jumping off point for dolphin tours (which we didn’t do).
We stayed at Twiga Beach Bungalows which we reserved on Airbnb.com for $35/nt. It is a small non-beach side compound with 4 individual rooms, each with a private bath. We’d recommend staying in a downstairs room which aren’t quite as charming, but there’s a smaller chance you’ll be sharing with mice. We can say this from experience, having started in an upstairs room and moving downstairs to get away from them (I guess they liked the gingersnap snacks we brought). The running water ran out a couple of times and the bar wasn’t always stocked. But otherwise Twiga was ok, breakfast is included, and the staff responsive.
On the fully positive side, here’s what we’ve found and would recommend should you make your way down to this end of the island:
A private swimming spot a few minute walk from our place
Kizimkazi is like Jambiani on the other side of the island, the shore rising slowly from the earth’s crust, making for long and shallow tides. In the mornings during low tide we took walks along the sand and rock beds hundreds of yards from the shore and in the afternoons during high tide we swam up next to the rocky coves. Organizing our days around the tide was our way of relaxing into nature. Click here for the exact location.
Super tasty Italian food at Mnana Lodge Restaurant
We didn’t stay here (but kind of wish we had) however we did eat multiple dinners of arrabbiata and linguine pasta that was better than the best Italian in Dar. The Lodge is owned/run by an Italian woman named Jenny and the recommendation from a friend to meet her was spot on. She even served us our bottle of wine in a makeshift ice bucket. Rustic classy.
The rains
We visited as February turned to March and as the hot season turns rainy. A couple storms rolled through and delivered thunder and heavy downpours, leaving behind water-filled craters in the roads. It is peaceful to be on a walk only to find yourself in the middle of a downpour and not feel the need to run for cover.
Would we recommend Kizimkazi? Probably not. It is dirty, most of the food feels over-priced (except for Jenny’s Italian), and dare we say not quite touristy enough to be consistent (think no cappuccino at the coffee shop because they ran out of milk and at times lukewarm Kilimanjaro beer). While this might be a non-issue to many (and ultimately didn’t bother us much), there are areas of the island with equally good (or better) beaches, as affordable lodging, and a better guarantee of cold beer, so by comparison it just doesn’t impress. But if you do come for the dolphins or diving, swim in the cove and eat some Italian with Jenny.
