Mombasa or Zanzibar?
 

I'm organizing my first ever safari (going solo) and after the safari I'd like to spend a week on a nice white beach. I hesitate between Mombasa and Zanzibar. If I go to Zanzibar, it's going to cost me an extra $2,000 (canadian) compared to Mombasa. I hear Zanzibar is just breathtaking...I wonder if it's wort the extra $2,000. Any security issues for a single woman between the two? I don't know which one to pick...Any advice?
Thanks.

Hi Rozelle

Depending on the hotel you choose, the beaches and also quality of the hotel vary. What hotel/s are you looking at in Zanzibar and Mombasa?

Mombasa: Whitesands Hotel
Zanzibar: Breezes Beach Club

Thank you in advance for your input!

Whitesands is a massive hotel, with buffets, lots of pools, a reasonable beach with lots of beach boys.

Breezes Beach Club is smaller, with a fantastic beach, and few beach boys.

Whitesands caters to the all inlcusive tourist, conferences, and families.

Breezes Beach Club is more for the honeymoon market. We suggested it to a friend a few years ago, and she said that she felt out of place as a single person, as most people were on their honeymoon.

Zanzibar beach hotels are predominantly places for couples. Hotel's in town like Serena have mixed guests, and you can roam around the Stone Town during the day usually with no hastle.

In Mombasa, if you would like a nice beach holiday with mixed guests, try Leopard Beach Hotel (South Coast), or the Serena Beach Hotel (North coast near Whitesands).

Unfortunatley most hotels in Mombasa cater to a mass tourist market, and can bee quite dissapointing for the money paid.

Best bet would be Serena Beach, or Leopard Beach.

$2,000 for a week, sounds right. Where are you planning on staying on Zanzibar and only the beach; maybe a day or two in Stone Town? ST will be a bit less expensive.

Clientele staying at any of these places will often depend on time of year. During the traditional vacation months for the North American market - June-August - will find families, singles and, yes, honeymooners. Other times, you are likely to only find couples or group/mass market incentives, etc. Also, remember, this is a shorter trip for Europeans who can easily visit all times of the year. However, we visited early-June, and as two single women had a great time.

Yes, Mombasa is more built up, so you may want to consider Lamu, which is not flooded with tourists, mostly small properties where they will be most attentive to seeing that, as a single, you'll have plenty to keep you busy, or you can keep yourself busy, or not!

Where will you be concluding your safari? Kenya or Tanzania? As to safety, no problem anymore than elsewhere. Probably safer, but one must still always be aware of surroundings.

Sandi what are the beaches like on Lamu? And would Pemba not be an option for Rozelle? I am asking beacuse I would like to plan a similar trip in future. Thanks!

In reply to Sandi:

Thanks for your input (and to the others as well). My safari will take place in Kenya only. My gut feeling is telling me to go to Zanzibar and stay at the Breezes (too bad for the honeymooners...I'll try to stay away from them as much as I can!). Being that I will be on my own (white woman, late thirties...), I will feel more comfortable in an all-inclusive on the beach rather than in Stone Town. I'm sure I can take a one-day organized excursion into town.

Pemba is a good choice, but few really nice hotels/resorts here and another flight. Nowhere near the availability you'll find on Zanzibar... mostly cottages, bungalows. The two (I believe it's now 2) lux properties are wonderful. There are just more choices on Zanzibar at all prices.

Rozelle - have your tour operator/ agent verify flight times to Zanzibar, as there are only about 3/daily and departing from JKIA (the int'l airport). If the Mara is your last stop, if you depart here on the 11am flight, you won't connect to ZNZ till about 3pm; it's a 1.5/hr flight then about 1+hrs drive to Breezes or another resort. If you depart the Mara on an afternoon (4pm) flight, you'll have to overnight in NBO to fly out next morning.

Whether Breezes, Blue Bay, the Zamani or other, these are inclusive, usually Half-board (bkfst/dinner), though Full-board is available. Snorkeling, scuba, dhow cruises, dolphin adventures can all be arranged direct with the resort.

As to Stone Town, I'd suggest, instead of taking a day out of beach time, you visit here on the last 2/days, arranging a transfer from the beach after breakfast, arriving ST by noon. You can feel perfectly safe, if not lost, walking the winding alleys on your own. Would suggest you arrange for a guide for a full-day the next. Guide will walk those areas inside the town, have a vehicle to get you to other areas. It's perfectly safe, even if white and 30.

Only strongly recommend you have your legs and arms covered. It is a Muslim community and though I did see quite a few young Muslim women in tight skinny jeans, stilleto heels and bellies showing under their black chador-type covering; for us (Wazungu - white people), it's a matter of respect. You can wear crop pants, even tank top, but should have a shirt (light gauzy-type) to cover exposed skin. Cotton, linen or gauzy work well and always have plenty of water with you. We saw lots of young western women in/around ST going about going about with no bother from anyone. Muslim communities are actually quite safe. Sure, men or young boys may ogggle (nothing new there), but more often then not they want to practice their English. Shop keepers were very pleasant and most helpful.

Let us know what you decide.

adding onto this, i have a question about safety in zanzibar on the beach. for some reason i remember reading reports of volunteer students being held up at gunpoint on pemba and other very unpleasant daytime robberies iat zanzibar's beaches and that's why i never went. was this false information? was this a crime wave that has since been curtailed? i either read it on us state department web site and or the bbc web page.

thanks in short if anyone knows the current crime situation on those beaches, or had read these reports, too?

kerikeri