Camp Zanzibar
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Overview
Camp Zanzibar is where we conduct our Dolphins & Whales (Cetacean) Conservation Project as well as our community programme and is based in the heart of Kizimkazi Village on the southerly most tip of Zanzibar Island.
Zanzibar is around 25km from the Tanzanian mainland and can be accessed through Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar International Airports with flights departing daily from most international airport hubs around the world. There are speed ferrys that run from Dar es Salaam on an hourly basis and take approximately 2 ½ hours to arrive at the Stonetown Port in Zanzibar. The ferries may take a bit longer than the 10-minute flight BUT are certainly much more fun as well as providing spectacular views of the Islands and the Tanzanian mainland.
Okay, we have to start by coming clean with you; camping is not permitted in Zanzibar so we are afraid you will have to make do with a comfy bed and a mixture of backpacker hotels and beach bungalows (Kizimkazi), but we still get to refer to it as Camp Zanzibar! Our volunteers’ house in Kizimkazi consists of 4 bedrooms with attached toilets and bathrooms and is right on the beach only 5 minutes walk from the school. The diving school is next door and unbelievably there is also a swimming pool at the adjoining hotel, which depending on the hotel manager’s mood and bookings can be used by Camp Zanzibar volunteers!
There is a 2-night 2-day home stay included as well in the Zanzibar 1 month programme which may be considered as roughing it a bit but actually represents a very normal standard of accommodation for normal folks in this area of the world. Also included is a 2-day 2-night excursion to Zanzibar’s Stowntown where you will stay in a backpacker hotel and experience the very special sights and sounds of East Africa’s oldest trading port.
The kitchen is small but well equipped and several of the local ladies will supply you with a daily menu of fresh, local produce. Our kitchen crews live nearby and will be on camp most of the time. They are responsible for providing three healthy, well-balanced and tasty meals a day. There will be a mix of local menus and a sprinkling of western food, hopefully catering to all tastes and requirements. Since you will be living on an island and surrounded by the sea be prepared to eat plenty of fish!!
Our camp crew are very accommodating and will insist that you relax, sit back and enjoy all they can offer after project work. However, we would prefer it if you got stuck in and helped wherever possible, assisting in the preparation of meals as well as cleaning up and other camp duties. Local cooking techniques are also taught and utilised. As in all our camps unlimited drinking water is supplied as standard: the water is purified through European standard filters and chemical purification, which reduces risk of waterborne diseases. Soft drinks can be provided at your expense.
There is limited signal on the island for mobile phones and so you should be prepared to be out of contact with home some of the time. Management do have a phone link onto the island but this is used for emergencies and management purposes only. The people will only get jealous hearing you going on about the beautiful island and sea anyway so its best not to speak with home!!
Tanzania and Zanzibar are multi-cultural societies; Population distribution is extremely uneven with density ranging from 1 person per square kilometre in arid regions to 134 per square kilometre on Zanzibar. The majority of the population are Bantu speaking. The African population consists of more than 120 ethnic groups including Sukuma, Haya, Nyakyusa and Chagga. The Chagga tribe are among East Africa’s wealthiest and most highly educated people and occupy the southern and eastern slopes of Kilimanjaro. Each ethnic group generally has its own language, but the national language is Swahili with English as another official language.
