Growing up on the East Coast, I’ve naturally been to several beaches in my twenty five years of existence. The Outer Banks, Topsail, Carolina and Wrightsville Beach were all beautiful. However, none could compare to my beach vacation experience in Zanzibar. In May of 2017, I visited Africa for two weeks through a volunteer group called GIVE (Growth International Volunteer Excursions). There we stayed in a village named Kairo, in a hostel called Baby Bush. Every day after working on the school in the village or teaching the locals English, we gathered at the beach to rinse off. The hot days worth of work melted away as we looked forward to the beach. The water was crystal clear and the waves were perfect.
Towards the end of the work day, the water would lower enough to reveal a long stretch of sand bars. We walked along the sand bars far into the ocean. On the shore we would form a large circle and kick a soccer ball around with the local kids, or watch the adults play a more serious game of soccer. Many shops, housing paintings, wood carvings, jewelry, and clothing store lined the beach in front of our hostel. I visited this area every day. The shops were conveniently located only a few hundred feet from the dining area. The same area where the group ate three meals a day and watched the sunset. In the mornings, before the sun rose, we did yoga on the soft white sand while the prayer bells rang in the distance.
The Hostel
The hostel was large and open, with an outside bar and kitchen. The entire community space was lined with sitting areas. The couches in the community area had large green cushions that could be rearrange to your liking. During breaks from work, the group would come back for an hour and nap comfortably, or spend their time learning Swahili from other local guides. At night, when we went to sleep, the sound of the ocean was like a lullaby that drifted me into the happiest of dreams, awaiting the next day of absolute bliss by the sea.
If you’ve never been and like to travel, I highly recommend visiting this magical beach! My beach vacation experience in Zanzibar was one I’ll never forget.
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