During Tanzania’s Zanzibar Island vacation, you may have to go from place to place constantly.. Because every part of the island offers you very different beauties.. In the blogs I read before going to Zanzibar, the taxi alternative was mostly explained.. However, transportation from one place to another by taxi is usually around 40-50 dollars.. This is not a good option for those who want to have a holiday with a lower budget like me.. However, Zanzibar also offers a much cheaper alternative in terms of transportation.. It can be very cheap to go from one place to another with the public transportation vehicles called dala dala, which I liken to metrobuses in terms of occupancy.
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The Most Economical Zanzibar Transportation Means: Dala Dala
The heart of Zanzibar’s transportation network is used mostly by locals and therefore its prices are very cheap.. You pay according to the distance you travel.. You usually pay 2,000 Tanzanian Shillings for the longest distance. That’s less than a dollar. (1 dollar = 2200 Tanzanian shillings) For example, Nungwi from Stone Town costs about 57 km and you need to pay 40-50 dollars by taxi to this distance.. With some shared taxis, this figure can be reduced to 15 thousand shillings per person.. Dala Dala costs 2 thousand shillings.
The Dala Dala fee changes as the distances get shorter.. For example, if you want to go to Michamwi on the east side of the island from Stone Town, you need to use 2 Dala Dala.. The first one only asks you for 300 Shillings as it is a very short distance. That’s about 13 cents, or 50 cents in Turkish lira.. If you want to go to Michamwi with the Dala Dala you get on afterwards, you pay 2 thousand shillings.. If you want to get off the Josani Forest on the way like me, you pay 1500 Shillings for this dala.. When I want to go to Paje from here, I paid 500 Shillings to the next Dala Dala.
Zanzibar Transportation Tips
The most alternative center to get from one place to another with Dala is Stone Town’ also included. From here, there is a network of branches scattered all over the island.. Dala dala departure centers are divided into 2. Dala Dalas to the north of the island (eg Nungwi, Kendwa side) depart from the center north of Stone Town. This place is located just ahead of the famous Darajani Market.
The branches to the east and south of the island depart from the east of Stone Town.. For example, if you want to go to Paje or Michamwi, take Benjamin Mkapa Street to take the Captive Market and Anglican Church on your left, continue immediately across the road and walk for 12 minutes on Karume Road and you will see the Dala Dala terminal on your right.. When you tell your destination from here, they direct you.. They usually give 300 shillings and leave it at another big terminal a few kilometers away.. From here, you get on the dala to your main destination.. For the most popular destinations in this direction, Paje, Michamwi and Jambiani, you have to proceed as I said.. On the way back, the Dala Dala you get on leaves you directly in Stone Town.. You don’t need to hop on and off.
Understanding Real Africa with Dala Dala
On the other hand, my travels with Dala dala gave me a tremendous experience besides being economical.. Zanzibar can make you feel the real Africa with transportation.. For this, it is useful to use dala dadas, which are used extensively by local people.. For most of my travels, I was the only white person in these vehicles.. We’ve traveled incredible roads. I marveled at how people could cram into tiny cars.. Moreover, as someone who has been using metrobus for years.
My First Zanzibar Transportation Experience: Stone Town – Nungwi Line
3rd of my Zanzibar trip. To see Nungwi and Kendwa, which are famous for their unique beaches, I boarded the Dala Dala from Stone Town north Dala Dala center on the last day of Nungwi.. Most of the vehicles in this line are old Toyota pickup trucks with awnings.. The load compartment of these pickup trucks is equipped with a u-shaped stool. Since we got on the first stop, we find ourselves a seat in this U.. I watch in amazement how many more people fit in that seat that I thought there was no room on the way, and I lose more and more volume.. When the seats can no longer take up space, this time people squat in the middle space.. When there is no space left, the journey continues by hanging it outside the vehicle, as the assistant did.. This journey takes about 1 and a half to 2 hours and this crowd never decreases.
On this line, you arrive at a village called Kinyasini, where we are halfway through.. Here, all of a sudden, peddlers are trying to sell you corn and watermelon from the left and right sides of your head.. This aggressive marketing method is giving a lot of results and many people buy it.
The path of this line is quite bad.. If you have a bad stone, you should drop it completely.. After an hour and a half departure and 2 hours return, I honestly felt like I had eaten a good stick when I returned to my room.
Stone Town Michamvi Line
After a 1-day rest, I managed to get rid of the tiredness of diving and this expedition i headed for dala to explore the eastern side of the island. I got a nice surprise here. Diving in this direction is generally relatively comfortable vehicles.. There are also open vans like on the Nungwi side, but mostly they are minibuses with real seats.
After the experience on the Nungwi line, these shabby vans look like Porsches you know 🙂 Moreover, the roads on this line are not as bad as in the north direction.. The distance is still about 2 hours. But because it is more comfortable, it is less tiring.
About Dala Dala and Tips
- Dala dala flights start around 7 am and new ones are constantly being filled up. taking off. So you don’t have to check what time it is.. On the way back, it is generally beneficial to return before dark.. In this way, traveling with other dala dallas creates a perception of much more luxury for you.
- Don’t wave your hand left and right to stop Dala Dala.. Then it means stop. Instead, you have to shake it from top to bottom as if to say come here.
- While going for the branches going east, it is necessary to change branches after Stone Town at a terminal, but there is no need for such a thing on the way back.
- Dala dala fee varies according to the distance you will travel. The longest distance is 2,000 Tanzanian Shillings (Approx. 3.5 TL or 0.9$). But if you try to pay with dollars they want 1 dollar. For the shortest distance, I paid 200 Shilling (0.35 TL or $0.09). and stops wherever you want) minibuses, and in terms of occupancy, it resembles a metrobus.
- Despite all the chaos and occupancy, people do not get angry or fight. They pass by Hakuna Matata (saying “Don’t worry about it, it’s okay” in Swahili). You feel this life philosophy that dominates the island much more closely while traveling with Dala dala.
