My Trip to Zanzibar Did Not Provide the Relief I Thought I Needed
My friend invited me on a family vacation to Zanzibar, Tanzania and I couldn’t say no — but I was hesitant because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The only thing that kept me at ease was the island’s claim of having no COVID-19 cases. Upon arrival, I realized that claim was most likely fabricated. Further research showed Tanzania hasn’t released its case numbers since April 2020.
I had an amazing time, but here’s a rundown of my trip and why I highly caution against it.
Pre-Departure Experience
Tanzania doesn’t require negative testing to get into the country, but given that the U.S. requires you to test negative to re-enter I made sure to get tested before I left.
I stocked up on wipes for the airport seats (if I have to take the NYC subway I typically stand to avoid sitting on commonly used surfaces), I brought hand sanitizer, wore a KN95 mask, a surgical mask, and a face shield.
U.S. Airport Experience
At John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, there are hand sanitizer stands everywhere, social distancing markers on the ground, and space between seats. I traveled with an overnight departure so it wasn’t crowded, but I assume it would be busier during the day.
Flying to Zanzibar
I used Qatar Airways because it’s one of the few airlines flying to the African continent right now. The airline claims to have socially distanced protocols, but the flight was pretty packed with an odd amount of seats unoccupied in the middle of the aircraft. I had one space between me and the other passenger on my flight from JFK to Doha Airport in Qatar.
On the second flight from Doha to Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ), my row was packed and we were all strangers. There were also quite a few people who flight attendants had to warn to keep their masks on and over their noses when they weren’t eating or drinking.
ZNZ Airport to the Resort
Sighhhh. This airport was extremely chaotic and crowded. I really can’t stress enough how much this airport caused me to panic.
Once you leave the airport you are bombarded by taxi drivers who aren’t wearing masks. When I got into the taxi, the driver put on his mask, but realistically, the damage was already done for his not keeping on a mask at all times.
On the ride to the hotel, I looked out of the window and realized nobody — not a single soul — wears a mask. If I wasn’t panicking before, my panic was through the roof right then.
Resort Experience
We stayed at Nungwi Dreams by Mantis Hotel, which claims to have safety procedures in place but… no honey. I was greeted by employees who wore masks that didn’t cover their noses or were kept around their chins. Then, as I began looking at guests, I noticed nobody was wearing a mask. Disclaimer: my friend and I did, even if it was just from the bar to our pool lounge chairs.
This was by far the most perplexing thing: randomly (legit randomly) we had our temperatures checked and documented by workers when we were dining. This made the least sense to me because 1. There was no mask reinforcement and 2. If you’re going to temperature check you have to do it daily for it to make sense.
Doing Touristy Things
Boy oh boy, were we mask-shamed. We wore them everywhere and/or practiced social distancing when we weren’t in populated areas. Going to the beach: mask. Going on a spice tour: mask. Going on a private boat ride: mask. Going to the zoo: mask. Going swimming with turtles: mask. You get the picture.
Most of the tour guides didn’t wear masks and one kept violating my personal space.
Everywhere we went we got puzzled stares or asked “why the mask” and were told “no corona here.” Some people even got angry if you insinuated that they were too close or answered with why masks are important. At a certain point, we just started ignoring the inquiries.
COVID-19 Testing to Return Home
This was a nightmare. Tourists were disgruntled by having to wear masks because of the delusion of not needing a mask for most of their vacation.
It’s also worth noting that it’s hard to figure out where to get tested. We paid at one location and got tested at another that had a shorter line (thanks to our tour guide). I wish I didn’t have to comb through travel websites to figure out where to go instead of a standard website showing locations and costs, which range from $80-$120 depending on where you go.
Here is where you can get tested in the event that you go: Mnazi Mmoja Hospital, Tasaktha Global Hospital, and Migombani Hospital, also known as Stone Town Hospital.
Leaving from ZNZ and Back to NYC
I tested negative (success!) so I could get back to New York. But again, the ZNZ airport felt like it was intentionally trying to give me the virus. It was packed, and when you get there you have to stand in lines that feel like you’re cows for the slaughter. You then have to ask the airport staff to show you where to go because there aren’t clear signs — something I’m pretty sure is intentional because all the workers asked to be tipped for doing their job.
Then, once you finally get into the airport you have to push through crowds to get to the security checkpoint that, again, implores no social distancing guidelines.
Finally, you get to the waiting area which, as shown above, doesn’t enforce mask usage for passengers.
U.S. Re-entry Steps
I had to fly to the mainland of Tanzania for a plane transfer and that is where I had my COVID-19 test verified because, yes, people pay to get a copy of your test to photoshop for themselves. Then, I had to fill out the travelers' form that NYS requires, which helps with contact tracing. Following the completion of your trip and the travelers’ form, you will be contacted by the NYS Department of Health via phone to make sure you are quarantining.
You will also get CDC advice upon completing the form which states that you can either quarantine for 10 days without getting tested or quarantine, get tested between the third and fifth day, and if you’re negative you can end your quarantine on day seven.
I Finally Exhaled
I got tested on day five and was negative. Honestly, I think it was pure luck and because of that, I don’t recommend you travel to Zanzibar during the pandemic.
You’ve made it this far and are probably thinking…. what part of this was fun? Well, it’s a beautiful country and the excursions were breathtaking but I had to keep it real with you.
