Zanzibar – Blissful Getaway to the Island! But Can You Escape COVID-19?
Zanzibar is one of the few places in the world that is currently open for travel! With everyone being fatigued with lockdowns and restrictions, the question beckons - is it ok to travel? Can we really escape COVID in Zanzibar?
We travelled to Zanzibar in March 2021 and got an idea of what is happening on the island. We also got a quick reminder of what life feels like living without Corona! It’s pretty sweet, I can tell you that much! But the question that plagues everyone these days is – should we travel to places like this, just because we can?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of travelling and what is going on in Zanzibar!
What is Tanzanias Take on COVID-19?
According to the Tanzanian government, the COVID pandemic doesn’t exist in Tanzania! Looking at the COVID statistics on the WHO website, Tanzania reported between 3 January 2020 and 3 May 2021 a total of 509 COVID cases and 21 deaths in total. All of those cases happened apparently between 16 March and 11 May 2020. Interesting!
Former Tanzanian President Magufuli believed that the country has been saved from the pandemic by God, which is good news! Unfortunately, the president also passed away a few weeks ago. Obviously, due to non-Covid related reasons!
Is Travel Helping Tanzania?
Apart from God’s help, a crucial thought behind Tanzania’s decision to “not participate” in the global pandemic is, of course, the fear that the economy would collapse with crippling poverty and starvation as a result! An understandable and reasonable thought, because just like many other countries with a high poverty rate – people cannot afford to stay home. If they don’t earn money that day, they will not eat and the government doesn’t have the means to feed them.
The question for the average tourist is, should we travel to a country that denies the existence of COVID? Is it better to help Tanzania by supporting their struggling economy and make sure our tourist dollars bring food on the tables of the people? Or are we just helping to spread the disease and bring their vulnerable medical system to its knees?
Is it the Right Choice for You?
Aside from the moral questions around travelling to Tanzania, there is also the question of your return to your home country! From logistics and costs of getting the PCR Test to possible quarantines on the other side! Does a 2-week holiday in Tanzania make sense if you have to quarantine afterwards for another 2 weeks? Are you aware of the added costs for your PCR test and the process of how to organise it? And again – is it wise to expose yourself to possibly higher risks and once you return home, your family and friends?
I believe that everyone needs to answer these questions for themselves. It is important though to face those questions before travelling!
Why Did We Travel to Zanzibar?
As our tourist visa for South Africa ran out begin of March, we had to make the decision of where to go! We wanted to return to South Africa on another 90-Day visa so, we had to travel to a country that doesn’t border South Africa. Given the easy entry rules to Tanzania, our choice fell on Zanzibar. Since we don’t exactly return to an office job or have kids to send to school or kindergarten, we have a bit more flexibility to deal with possible pitfalls connected to our return.
How to get into Zanzibar?
As you know, in recent times everything changes so fast, it might already be old news by the time you’ve said it out loud. Therefore, please know that the rules very well might have changed since March!
When we planned to enter Tanzania, no PCR tests were necessary. An absolute novelty in the times of COVID travel! We booked a cheap direct flight from Johannesburg to Zanzibar airport without any issues. At the airport, you have to fill in a health declaration for leaving SA and another one for entering Tanzania. That’s all! Off you go!
Arrival in Zanzibar
Wow, what a total sensory overload! While things at Johannesburg airport were orderly, socially distanced and COVID conscious, all bets were off in Zanzibar. The airport is very small and old as it is, add two planes arriving at the same time and you have yourself a crowd.
On arrival, everybody has to pay a 50 USD visa fee (depending on your nationality the amount might differ), which takes place at different counters. This obviously doesn’t help the mildly chaotic situation. In our case, we had another plane from Kiev landing at the same time! It became quite clear that COVID might be handled differently in Ukraine, as most of the Ukrainian tourists didn’t wear their masks or kept their distance. To be honest, I haven’t seen as many tourists in one place for about a year and I have to say it was slightly disconcerting!
To add a bit of excitement to the situation, the electricity went off for about 10 to 15 minutes which stopped the little breath of aircon as well as the luggage belt! Anyway, this is Africa and part of the travel fun!
Mask off, Bikini On!
Once you leave the airport you won’t see people wearing masks any more. Kiss your sanitiser goodbye and washing your hands is degraded back to an optional activity!
We were not just taking a break from South Africa, we were also taking a break from COVID!
Arriving in Nungwi, a tourist hub in the North of the island, we couldn’t believe our eyes! The beach was packed with tourists, the beach bars were pumping and no one had a care in the world! The mind boggles!
Of course, we could have still worn our masks, but being the only ones felt honestly pretty silly. The first few days we still had a panicked feeling every time we left our hostel, thinking we forgot something. After a few days though, the feeling subsided and we eased ourselves into a seemingly COVID free world. What a life! I would lie if I'd say I didn't love it! It was easy to quickly fall back into a carefree routine.
Who is Currently Travelling?
The fellow travellers we met in Zanzibar were mostly from Russia, Ukraine and several Eastern European countries especially from the Czech Republic and Slovenia! On a much smaller scale, you would still find the occasional Germans, Swiss, Dutch and Italians. Those were however often long-term travellers, ex-pats or other non-traditional travellers.
Looking at the statistics, Zanzibar lost in 2020 about two-thirds of its international visitors compared to the previous year. The strongest nationalities travelling by the end of 2020 were French and Russian tourists.
We had travelled to Zanzibar before in October 2017 and I don’t remember Nungwi Beach being this busy! Speaking to some of the local vendors and restauranteurs everyone seemed to have a different story if the influx of tourists has been seasonal or COVID related.
PCR Test Pains!
Now, this is where it gets interesting! So far our trip had been pretty breezy! Getting into the country is a piece of cake and we had honestly an amazing time with fantastic weather. While you are here you might as well give yourself into the sweet freedom. We loved this beautiful island and its friendly people!
However, once it's time to go home and you need your PCR test, it starts to get a bit iffy! First of all, information on where to get the tests, how it exactly works and how much it costs is hard to come by. It often actually felt like the good old days of travelling, where hear-say from other travellers would point you in the general direction, but you are never quite sure if the information is right.
Where to get the Test?
We opted to book our flights out of Dar es Salaam because during the research period in February it seemed cheaper and easier to do it there. By the time we were in the country, the price for the PCR tests had doubled in Dar es Salaam to 170 USD per person! We, therefore, overthrew our plans to spend the last 4 days in Dar es Salaam and instead, decided to stay in Stone Town to get the test done here.
After speaking to the friendly receptionist at our hotel in Stone Town he advised us to go to a private clinic which was 5 minutes walking distance from the hotel! We, therefore, went with the private Tasakhtaa Global Hospital, supposedly for a slightly higher price than Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, the main hospital in town.
How Much Does the Test Cost?
Again, prices seem to change quickly, so please note that this information is from March and possibly not valid anymore.
The PCR test at the Mnazi Mmoja Hospital was said to be 80 USD per person. You might have to factor in some extra costs for possible copies of passports, as one of our Ukrainian hostel neighbours told us.
For the Tasakhtaa Global Hospital, we found information online that the PCR test would cost 100 USD. But when we got there the price for the tests had gone up to 120 USD per person. They only accept USD in cash, no Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) and no card payments!
We were lucky enough that we already stayed in Stone Town and could walk to the hospital. If you have booked your entire stay in Nungwi for example you will have to factor in about 80 – 100 USD for the taxi costs! The drive from Nungwi to Stone Town takes about 1.5 hours one way and usually costs around 40 – 50 USD per way. This is an added expense you should keep in mind!
The Timing!
The timing of your PCR Test is a bit of a joke! We read beforehand that you should go for your test 4 days before you fly instead of the airline prescribed 72 to 48 hours. The hospitals give themselves an extra 2 days to process the tests. Therefore, the date you receive the results is stated as the date you took the test! It gives them enough time to process everything necessary, but it doesn’t exactly ensure people are COVID free when they leave Tanzania. But hey, what do you do?! Everyone knows about it and seem to accept it!
Some airlines have extra rules on top of the mandatory PCR test! Back in March KLM for example required next to the “normal” PCR test an additional quick test a few hours before the flight. This rule also applied if you are only transiting through Amsterdam. Most other airlines don’t require the extra quick test. Another thing you might want to check when booking your flights!
The Process!
When we arrived at Tasakhtaa Global Hospital things were pretty chaotic. The funny thing is that the process itself was well thought out and would have been super fast. Unfortunately, however, there is absolutely no information on what you need to do!
The idea is that you fill in an online form with all your personal details. For this, you need the wifi password obviously. But instead of having the wifi password available somewhere and a “how-to” guideline on the wall or printed out, you had to ask the staff for every step.
Now imagine at least 50 nervous foreigners with ranging English skills, all trying to get the needed information from the 3 staff members all at the same time. Not ideal!
In an ideal world, the application process goes as follows: Once you have the wifi password, you enter the website, you fill in your details and the “correct” dates for your test. Then you go to the next counter to pay the fee and then get the test done. The test itself takes 2 minutes flat! Two days later you check on the same website again where you entered your online application. Here you enter your passport number and you can download your test results. Easy!
Was it Easy for Us?
No, unfortunately not! First of all, like everyone else we had no idea what the process would entail. So we stood with the other 48 nervous tourists at the reception counter trying to get all needed information.
Then we didn’t know we would have to pay in cash and USD only! So, after filling in the online application and trying to pay by card, we were of course declined. That meant we had to leave the hospital, draw Shillings from an ATM to then go to an exchange booth, change the Shillings into USD and return to pay for our tests!
Once we paid and had our PCR tests done, we were ensured by the staff that we will get an e-mail with the results two days later. On the day we were supposed to get the results, obviously, nothing arrived in our e-mail inbox. With a panicking husband at my side, I had a flash of genius! I went back onto the website where we applied thinking I could possibly track the tests. And what do I find? A “Get Your Result” button where you fill in your passport number and download your test results! Eureka!!! It saved the day plus our ferry tickets to Dar es Salaam we had purchased earlier! If we would have waited for the promised e-mail, we would still wait!
What is the Conclusion?
Is there a right or a wrong to travel to Zanzibar at the moment? I don’t think so!
Everyone needs to make this decision based on their personal situation and what feels right! Tanzania and its people do need the income from tourism and they have made the decision to put the economy ahead of health risks. It might have been the right decision or it might not have been. Given that there is no information on what the situation in the hospitals really is, it is hard to say if the calculation worked out.
The fact is, however, that even though Tanzania is open and ignores the pandemic, your home country most likely does not. Therefore, for a big majority of people with jobs to go to and other responsibilities at home, this is not the time to travel come hell or high water! And it doesn’t need to be! Things will become better soon, countries will open up and travel restrictions will ease.
If your situation however allows and you decide to travel, just make sure you do your research on what the rules are for returning to your home country. Also, factor added costs for the PCR tests and possible transportation into your travel budget. We are not talking 10 or 20 USD more, but a couple of hundred USD more. And even if you have done all the research in the world, always be prepared for changes, because that is just the world we currently live in!
All of this aside - Zanzibar is a wonderful place to travel to! The beaches and the water have colours that simply blow your mind. The melting-pot of local cultures is fascinating and people are very friendly. There is so much to explore! Zanzibar is definitely worth a visit! If you are not travelling now, make sure you put it on your travel list for later!
Hakuna Matata as they say on the island!
Follow us next time to learn more about beautiful Zanzibar. Explore with us where to stay and what to do in Nungwi, Paje and Stone Town!
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Thanks a lot and until next time!
