Customer Reviews

Guide to Zanzibar

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I used this guide as well as the Lonely Planet Tanzania one 6 months ago for my trip. I was in Zanzibar for only a week. I found it hard to use and ended up using only the LP Tanzania guide because it had enough information for my short stay.

If you're just going to Zanzibar and staying longer than 2 weeks, then it may be more useful. However, if you have less than two weeks on Zanzibar, this book is too overwhelming. If you're traveling on a budget like me, just get a Tanzania guidebook that has Zanzibar in it. This book added bulk to my luggage and contains a lot of information that will waste time to go through. You can use it to read about the island before you go though.

Zanzibar, Pemba, Mafia by Chris and Susan McIntyre is the guidebook we chose for our recent trip to Zanzibar Island, off the coast of Tanzania in East Africa. This Brandt guidebook tells it all and was very helpful in planning our trip. We checked the recommendations for places to stay and eat and found them always to be right. The book guided us on what health precautions to take, which sites were most important to see, and how to just relax and enjoy this island in the Indian Ocean. This book has all the information you could need while planning or while visiting there. Be sure to take it with you.

If you are considering going to Zanzibar, planning a trip, or already there, this book is a must read.

The book is comprehensive but well organized so you can skip to the parts that are relevant to you.

The authors clearly know what they are talking about, whether it is where to eat out in Stone Town, or the best places to find beaches and view the wildlife.

The photos are colorful and engaging, and really convey the flavor of Zanzibar, not just foods and spices but also the people and the natural beauty, not to mention the amazing wildlife and sea life.

Without being preachy, the book enlightens readers about some of the recent challenges with tourism development on the islands. It gives guidance to those of us who want to travel responsibly, and points readers to some of the best locally owned and operated companies.

I was pleased to see that the book mentions one of the local tour groups that my husband and I visited in Zanzibar (Eco & Culture Tours), and other groups that go beyond the standard spice tours and provide a deeper understanding of the culture, economy, and environment. These types of resources make this Zanzibar Bradt Travel Guide really stand out among travel guides.

I also enjoyed the details of the history section, with easy to read text boxes on Zanzibar's colorful and sometimes thorny past. I especially loved learning about Princess Sayyida Salme, the author of Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar.

This book is the one to get -- well written, sensitive, packed with helpful tips, and insightful about how you can really get to know and enjoy Zanzibar, even if you only have a few days there.

I also recommend it as a research guide for folks studying responsible tourism -- even if they don't plan to go to Zanzibar.

I love this book. Its got just enough really interesting history and cultural facts, written in a very readable way. The kind of book you can actually read when you have run out of novels whilst lying on a beach. Most of the write ups for the places we visited were spot on. Really helpful book.

Thanks JP for your kind words about my book. You - or anyone else reading this - might like to know I've written another new edition recently. The fifth edition of 'Zanzibar - the Bradt Travel Guide' was published in Jan 2003. It's been totally revised, and it's bigger and better than the last edition - well, naturally, I think it's better! But it's not just me. It's been well reviewed elsewhere too. Zanzibar is still a wonderful place, and I hope it continues to prosper.

Thanks JP for your kind words about my book. You - or anyone else reading this - might like to know I've written another new edition recently. The fifth edition of 'Zanzibar - the Bradt Travel Guide' was published in Jan 2003. It's been totally revised, and it's bigger and better than the last edition - well, naturally, I think it's better! But it's not just me. It's been well reviewed elsewhere too. Zanzibar is still a wonderful place, and I hope it continues to prosper.