Good Vibes from Zanzibar!
June 10, 2025
Jambo! Today we are enjoying our last day in Zanzibar! The last six days have been a paradise dream full of diving, beaching, reading, tanning, telling stories, trying new foods, talking about our favorite foods (hot topic of convo always!), making friendship bracelets, swimming, hair braiding, bonding over country music, and enjoying every moment with 11 new besties.
When we leaders, Ava and Rachael, picked up the girls from the airport, it was like we picked up a group of lifelong friends who were ready to tell us stories about their time at the Doha airport. “We sat in the indoor forest for hours!”. “Let me tell you what we got at the Oreo cafe! YES! It was a cafe that was all Oreo themed!”, “Did anyone go in the sleeping pod?”. Rachael and I had some catching up to do! Nothing bonds a group of girls together like a 24+ hour travel day. It was now time to unplug, start our African adventure, and LITMO (Live In The Moment)!!
Arriving at our hotel on the east coast of the island was like being out of a movie with palm trees swaying in the ocean breeze and welcome juice served in a chilled flute against an unreal backdrop of white sands and water that looks like Gatorade. After lunch, there was an impressively quick change into swimsuits that could only be achieved by 10 girls eager to catch rays. We headed out for a walk on the beach, and on the way back, we came to our first opportunity to show face as a united Moondance front: a fútbol match against local kids. The sticks were stuck in the sand as goals, both sides huddled up, and then it was kick-off. We performed admirably but were outskilled by the locals ( 7-1 defeat). MVPs were clear with fierce performances in the goal by Tatum and Mia. Our one and only goal scorer was the one and only Lillie! Losing never felt so good when the whole game echoed with laughter, “Messi! Messi! Messi”, and victory dances from both teams. After a tough match, we went back to the hotel for dinner, had a great first Moonup led by our first Leaders of the Day, Lauren and Mia, and got some rest for a big day of scuba certifications ahead of us!
Day two commenced at the scuba center, only a short walk down the beach from our hotel, where we sent Rachael, Tatum, and Lauren off to sea to get started on their Advanced certifications. At the same time, Mia, Lillie, Maggie, Cate, Kate, Vivian, Gigi, Addison, and Sam had some work to do in the pool, starting their Open Water certifications. After a morning of skills, learning, more skills, and more learning, the girls all came back together for lunch, then a free day at the pool and beach! The pool was oddly quiet, and after a little investigation, Rachael and I stumbled upon a yoga session on the beach being led by Tatum. She’s such a pro; she had locals joining in her Beach Flow! How could this beautiful and zen moment get better? You guessed it! Double rainbow! Winding down from the day we played Uno before dinner, we laughed over ice cream (the most popular combo is Pistachio and chocolate, what the girls like to call “Dubai Chocolate”) and caught some well-deserved Zs.
Day 3… first scuba day in the ocean!! With sun screen on and high spirits, we packed up our equipment and headed off for our first dive on our boat, The Caroline. Wetsuits on, fins strapped, and tanks full, the Open Water girls set off for their first taste of underwater adventure, and the Advanced girls kept working away at their certification. After two dives of skills and practice, we all came aboard The Caroline for a well-deserved snack of pineapple, watermelon, Zanzibari treats, and hot chai tea. Later that afternoon, we piled into the dola dola (our private bus) and headed south of the island for a Spice Tour. Walking through the agriculture, we played “guess that spice” with local spices such as cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, lemon grass, and eucalyptus. We also smelled and tasted ginger, turmeric, durian, jackfruit, and cocoa. Kate was our top-smelling identifier by a landslide.
Rise and shine, day 4! Another day of scuba and free time on the beach! Our sunniest day yet met us with dance parties on the boats to Lorde and Megan Moroney! The top-spotted marine life was flounder, starfish, clown fish, eels, and rainbow fish. The advanced divers have been working hard on their fish identification skills. Ask Lauren and Tatum to show you around the sea floor, haha! Back on the beach, we lounged on the beach and relaxed. Catch Gigi reading away at Let Them by Mel Robins, or Vivian and Maggie Kate competing for best beach nap. The sunset with pink skies and the day would not have been complete without a sunset photo shoot. Sun-kissed and salty-haired, we closed another amazing day in paradise!
Day 5 and we are up before the sun!! Last beach day, best beach day! At this point, the girls are pros at getting in their wetsuit (a feat no doubt) and setting up their tanks for the final underwater adventures of the trip. Slight overcast weather doesn’t faze us because we know that a darker sky makes for more active wildlife. There were lion fish, stone fish sightings, and a hard-to-spot octopus showing impressive camouflage skills. A huge congratulations to all the girls who are finishing their scuba certifications!! After lunch, we hopped back on the dola dola to head south for a tour of Stone Town. School might be out for summer, but Seif, our guide, gave us a history lesson on the story of Stone Town and Zanzibar. A little shopping here and there, and we wrapped up the tour with a local ice cream treat to celebrate all of the scuba grads!
Day 6, we will head out to the mainland to begin our Safaris! Our hearts are full, cheeks rosy, and we have embraced the pole pole way of life (Swahili saying for slow and relaxed).
Hakuna matata and see you on the safari!
Ava + Rachael
Student Shout-Outs:
Lauren Schottmiller – Heyyy Dad, Mumsie, Meredith, Jack, Lawson, Libby, and Ryah!!! I miss y’all so much, but Africa is SUPER DUPER awesome! I have the best leaders and the sweetest girls in my group! Can’t wait to tell y’all all about it! And tell Charlotte is say Hi!!!!❤️🦀
Sam Wright- Hey Mom, Dad, Presley, Nina, Papa, Grandma, and Terri! I miss y’all so much and I love you! I have the best groups and leaders and we all have gotten so close in such a short amount of time. I am also so thankful for this opportunity! I have experienced so many new things and met so many new people and I can’t wait to share all of the memories I have made so far!
Vivian Arnold- Hey Mom and Dad!!!!!!! I’m having the best time and have the best group ever😊. I love and miss y’all so much. We all need to come back here someday. Mia, Hi! If you’re reading this, I love it here so thanks for inspiring me. William and Coleman I miss y’all so much and can’t wait for some dos bros when I’m home. Say hi to everyone at home for me! Love y’all!!!!!
Kate Lyke- Hey Dadda, Misty, and Evan! Africa is incredible, I’ve learned so much already! I miss y’all so much. Our group here is already so close, they are amazing! I have so much to tell you all, and it’s only been four days. I can’t wait to go to the safari next. Say hi to everyone and tell them I’m having a blast! I love you all!!!!
Addison Curtis- Hey Mom and Dad!!! I miss y’all so much and hope everything is good at home in Nola! Africa is super cool and beautiful. I am scuba certified which is super cool and it was kinda scary. Our group is so amazing and getting so close. I’m having such a blast!!!! Give Maple and Rosie a hug for me and see yall in like a week or so. Love yall!!!
Lillie Hewatt – hi guys! I miss yall so so much but I’m having an absolute blast in Africa. I’m so immersed and cultured and feeling very Tanzanian. Our group is super close and I love everyone and I finally passed scuba school. Love u and miss u and tell muzz I say hi and I miss them💕💕💕💕
Tatum O’Grady- Hi Mom and Dad!! I miss y’all so much. I am having the best time and can’t wait to tell you all about it!!! We just finished scuba diving in Zanzibar, and now going on the safari in Tanzania!! Everyone on the trip is awesome! Give free a big hug from me!! And happy early father’s day dad!! I love yall so much, and can’t wait to see you!! 💕💕💕
Gigi Madans- Hi Mom and Dad! I am having the absolute best time here in Zanzibar! Scuba diving was so exciting and fun. My group is so awesome too, everyone is so sweet and cute. I hope y’all are having so much fun in France. I can’t wait to be reunited in London. Happy early fathers day Dad, I am the luckiest little girl to call you dad. Your actions and overwhelming love never goes unnoticed. I love y’all so much!! Next stop Tanzania!!!!
Mia Larkins – Hey guys! Miss you all so much! Charlotte, you will be happy to know that I am officially scuba certified and I that I have loved seeing the ocean. My group is great and I have met incredible people! Will, I hope Woodward is amazing! Mom, you were right. The people I have met and the experiences I have had are incredible! Dad, sorry again to be missing Father’s Day. I love you so much. You do so much for our family and we are all so grateful for you. I miss you all. See you in a week and a half!
Maggie Kate – Hey guys! I miss you guys a lot! I am having a really good time in Zanzibar! I am really glad I came to this and have met the best people, but I still miss you guys don’t worry. Mom, I hope you are surviving and doing well. Don’t stress about me because I am doing great. Dad, I bet you are fine and I am sorry to miss Father’s Day but I hope it is good. I love you guys and I miss you! Tell the dogs I said hello. See you soon!!
Safe Arrival!
June 5, 2025
Hello Tanzania + Zanzibar 1C Families!
We heard from our leaders this morning that the group has landed safely! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure! Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips, but we will be posting trip updates throughout the next week! This will allow you to follow along with the trip. You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to!
-Moondance HQ
