I’ll tell you a secret: when I was younger I used to think that Zanzibar was a made-up place. It sounds so exotic, I thought it came straight out of a fantasy novel or children’s storybook or something! How embarrassing. But what joy it brought me to learn as an adult that it was real, and that after I had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, its beaches would make a perfect place to rest my weary limbs.

After the life-changing trek up Africa’s highest peak, I had three weeks until my flight home. Once I had recuperated, I envisaged moving on from Zanzibar and exploring more of east Africa. However, as usual, my travels didn’t go to plan. I fell head-over-heels with this otherworldly island. The beaches are right up there with the best I have ever seen, but I found so much more than sand and sunsets, and ended up staying for the full three weeks.