Moving to Zanzibar

Hi Christene, fire away.  Wat is dit wat jy wil weet.  ek sal probeer help sover ek kan.  Wanneer beplan julle om Zanzibar toe te kom?   

Groete

Elmi

HI Christine Venter,

Welcome to Expat.com!

I have created a new topic as from your post on the Zanzibar forum.

Can you please be more explicit? What information are you looking for?

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@Elmi > can you please post your message in English so that everyone can understand?

Thank you very much,
Christine
Expat.com team

Hi Elmi!

Well my boyfriend ( soon to be fiance) has a job opportunity in Tanzania for 2 years, we suspect he will be posted in Dar e Salaam.

I have the idea in my head to move to Zanzibar which is relatively close to him so we can still see each other often but so that I won't have to live there, as it doesn't seem that appealing to me.

Some questions that I have is :

Is it safe to live in Zanzibar?
Are there proper electricity supply, water and sanitation?
How is the weather?
How are the shops?
How high is cost of living?
Are there pharmacies, hospitals, doctors, etc that you feel you can go to without hesitation?
What is the food and wine like :-)
What are the good areas to look for housing in?

I know it is a ridiculously wide range so any any insight will be much appreciated!

Regards

Christine Venter

First you tell us why are you moving to Zanzibar, is it for job relocation, holiday, or just a visit. Tell us also where are you coming from, this will determine the type of visa you are going to apply for. Otherwise coming to Zanzibar is always easy and cheap depending on where you want to live and how. You need to stay in a cheap hotel for at least a month while looking for a proper place to live for longer periods. Avoid areas where a lot of tourist visit, those are the most expensive ones. Transport wise it is easy and cheap to commute from place to place using local transport, after you stay for a while you will look around for cheap used cars for sale to ease you transport within. Zanzibar has plenty of foods, vegetables and fruits depending on the season. You can always get what you want! You can still have more explainations if you do have specific questions.

Christine, I still wonder why should you choose to stay in Zanzibar other than Dar es Salaam where your partner will be working. These two places have almost a lot of things in common, except that you get more in Dar than in Zanzibar, all are safe places, and good to stay in. How ever I suggest you still stay in Dar and come to Zanzibar on a visit either weekends on holidays you will enjoy more.

Hi there!

Well my boyfriend is going to work in Zanzibar, he has a position, and I am coming along with the purpose of opening a small business.
Luckily we do have Tanzanian contacts to assist us with getting all the relevant documentation.
The information you gave me really helps!

What areas are good to live in?

Hi
The area good to live is stone town it seif you can walk any time no problem every wear you can walk to their market or restaurant you don't need a car but if you stay out of town the life it will be more cost you will sapouse to have a car and every thing you want you mast to com in stone town.