Explore Tours
Tour Summary
0830am – You shall be picked up from the hotel for Chumbe Island Tour. Chumbe Island Coral Park, situated a few kilometers offshore from Zanzibar, has all the attractions of an island paradise – glorious coral reefs, waving palm trees, thick coral-rag forests and sublime cuisine.
Chumbe offers the most pristine and colorful coral reefs you’ll find on the east coast with over 200 species of coral providing a sanctuary for more than 400 species of colorful fish. To protect these coral reefs, diving is not permitted in the marine park. The reef is shallow enough to see everything very clearly with a mask, snorkel and fins. There is also a coral-rag forest which is home to the endangered Adder’s duiker, giant coconut crabs, hermit crabs and a variety of bird species. Knowledgeable guides take you on snorkeling and forest tours. When German visitor Sibylla Riedmiller went snorkeling on the Chumbe reef she was so stunned at the diversity of coral and fish species, she campaigned the Tanzanian government to declare Chumbe Island a marine park. In 1994 her wish for the protection of these reefs was granted and Chumbe Island was gazetted a protected marine area. Since many local fishermen didn’t know the value of coral or how to protect it, Sybille set up an education and conservation project. Fishermen were trained as park rangers, and schoolchildren were brought to Chumbe to learn about marine ecology. Of course, funds were needed to keep all this good work going, so the idea of a low-impact, self-sustaining tourism project began. After continued efforts (the Tanzanian government favored large hotel developments) Sybille succeeded in building a small eco-tourism lodge. Today Chumbe operates as a non-profit organization with all the funds generated from tourism channeled straight back into the conservation and educational programmers. It’s a highly successful model of sustainable tourism development and we hope to see other projects like it in the near future.
Note: Please wear shoes that can be used in the water, as at certain tides you may have to wade for a short
distance to the boat.
Included on this trip:
– Lunch freshly cooked on the island
– Soda, water and snacks
– Swimming and snorkeling
– Boat transport to and from the island
– Boat transfers onto the reed for snorkeling
– Guidance on the reef and through the forest trails
– Use of snorkeling equipment plus tuition in snorkeling, if required
– All taxes
-Alcoholic drinks are available for purchase on the island
1600hrs – End of the tour, transfer back to the hotel.
