Nedbank and South African Airways sent my sister, Nyari, and I on epic #VoyagerJourneys trips to showcase the SAA Voyager Cheque and Credit cards.
What is a Voyager cheque or credit card?
South African Airways and Nedbank launched a new card that is the first of it’s kind in the world – the SAA Voyager cheque card. Unlike the SAA Voyager credit card, there is no qualifying income requirement to apply for this card. That means that everyone can now join this travel rewards program by simply having an account at Nedbank. WINNING!
These cards earn you Voyager Miles for everyday spend. We put them to the test during our first #VoyagerJourneys trip to Cape Town. The second and final #VoyagerJourneys trip was to TANZANIA 🇹🇿
In this blog post I’ve shared our 4 day Tanzania itinerary but lets begin with some general information about Tanzania:
Tanzania Location: East Africa bordering Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Zambia, Malawi AND Mozambique.
Currency used in Tanzania: Tanzanian Shilling however US dollars are widely accepted
Languages spoken in Tanzania: Swahili and English
Capital city of Tanzania: Dodoma
Day 1: City tour of Dar es Salaam
After using the SAA Voyager Cheque card airport privileges (priority check in, lounge access and priority boarding), we flew from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg to Dar Es Salaam with South African Airways. This was a comfortable, 3.5 hour flight with picteresque views of the Indian Ocean as we began the descent. Dar es Salaam is a major city in Tanzania but not the capital city (The capital city is Dodoma).
Learn about Tanzania’s seafood trade
While in Dar es Salaam, visit the Kivukoni Fish Market. Fishermen go out to sea through the night and return early in the morning with their catch. The fish market is located about 200m from the shoreline where the fisherman anchor their boats after returning from sea. Here you can observe the negotiations for seafood taking place between the fishermen and buyers. These buyers then carry their seafood purchases to the market to sell to the market vendors. Locals and businesses then buy their seafood from the vendors for consumption or to resell it in restaurants and hotels.
Some freshly caught octopus caught our eye while at the market so we decided to try it.
It was grilled and placed on tooth picks for us to taste. It was chewy in texture and had a smokiness from the grill blended with a fishy taste.
Dine at Akemi Revolving Restuarant
For a unique, luxury dining experience, visit Akemi revolving restaurant. As the name suggests, this restaurant literally revolves to give you a 360 degree view of Dar es Salaam as you dine.
It is located on the 21st floor of the Golden JubileeTowers building so the view extends far out. We used our SAA Voyager Cheque card to settle the bill earning us Voyager Miles.
Day 2: Travel to Zanzibar
If you are looking for a sunny, tropical destination in Africa which has great food and a wide variety of outdoor activities and excursions, visit Zanzibar in Tanzania
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How to get to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam
There are two ways to get to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam
1. Ride a +2 hour ferry
2. Catch a 20 minute flight
Day 3: Spice Tour & Stone Town Tour
Spice Tour at Jambo Spice
The soil is rich in Zanzibar and fruits easily grow. All of your senses are engaged during the spice tour as you feel, smell and taste each spice.
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With helpful hints from your guide, you’ll be prompted to guess what each spice is. It’s fascinating to see household spices in their most natural form.
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The Spice Tour ends with fruit tasting and an opportunity to buy spices, fragrances and soaps.
Stone Town Tour
Stone Town gets its name from the coral stone that was used to construct its buildings. Our knowledgeable guide led us through the narrow walkways and taught us about Stone Town’s history. It was painful and sad to learn more about the slave trade that used to happen in Stone Town. A church was built over the former slave market site used but some of the slave holding rooms are still there as part of the museum.
Did you know Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site? You will discover that its multicultural history is well preserved.
This half day walking tour was followed by dinner at The Silk Route restaurant.
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Day 4: Paje Beach
You cannot go to Zanzibar without experiencing its white sand beaches and turquoise ocean. You have a long list of beaches to choose from and each has a unique vibe. Some favourites are Jambiani and Paje in the south or Kendwa in the north.
We spent an afternoon swimming and relaxing at Paje Beach. You will notice that this beach is very popular with windsurfers – perhaps include a windsurfing lesson when you visit. There are bars and restaurants along the beach so you can spend a long afternoon lazing there while sipping on cocktails and snacking on local Swahili cuisine and seafood.
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Thank you South African Airways and Nedbank for sponsoring this experience. We’re so happy that our SAA Voyager Cheque and Credit cards earned us Voyger Miles. We can’t wait to spend them on even more travel.