You can eat there for 5 euros and the beaches look like the Maldives, it's THE great destination for summer.
Do you dream of turquoise waters, white sand, coconut trees...? When this is mentioned, a few legendary destinations continually come to mind. Hawaii, Bora Bora, Bali, Thailand, but also the Seychelles and the Maldives. With its numerous islets, overwater hotels, and dream beaches, the Maldives has everything you need to dream. Except the price! Flights, accommodation, restaurants, and even taxes of all kinds make the archipelago inaccessible to many budgets.
What if we offered you a much cheaper alternative, with fewer flight hours, that has quickly emerged as one of the trending destinations of recent months? Its success has continued unabated throughout the past few years and continues. In 2023, 650,000 tourists discovered this less expensive little paradise, nicknamed "the Spice Island." It also offers sumptuous beaches like those in the Maldives. You can find a hotel room there for less than 100 euros a week, while a restaurant meal costs around 5 euros.
In addition to its attractive prices, this "spice island" seduces with its year-round warm climate, with temperatures ranging between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. Summer, starting at least in June, is a good time to visit. Did you guess right? Yes, it's Zanzibar, the small island off the coast of Tanzania. With its attractive prices, vacationers have plenty to fully enjoy the sublime beaches of the east coast, from Kiwengwa to Pingwe, including Jambiani.
But Zanzibar isn't just about its beaches! The island also offers a chance to immerse yourself in Swahili culture by wandering the colorful streets of Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nature lovers can go on safari to meet elephants and giraffes in Mikumi National Park or observe red colobus monkeys, a rare species of monkey, in the Jozani Forest.
These are all assets that are attracting a growing number of visitors. Bookings have exploded since 2022, making Zanzibar one of the hottest destinations for 2024 and 2025, following in the footsteps of the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands.
Unfortunately, this success has already had a downside. The rapid rise of mass tourism is leading to a proliferation of concrete buildings. Hotel waste is piling up in illegal dumps and polluting the water table. Faced with this situation, the authorities have decided to regulate access to certain sites, such as the unspoiled island of Mnemba, which became a protected marine reserve in June 2023. From now on, only 80 visitors per day can access it for a fee of 25 euros. This measure was taken urgently in an attempt to save the coral and underwater life, which are threatened by overcrowding.
Zanzibar is already at a turning point and will have to find a balance to preserve its natural treasures. The authorities have also introduced a new tax in the form of mandatory insurance, costing around $40. This tax is now essential for accessing the island.
L'Internaute
