Explore Tours
Mnemba Island is an atoll set just off the northeast coast near Matemwe. Diving at Mnemba is stunning, on
the inside it’s like being in a giant aquarium and the outside offers excellent wall and drift dives. The island
itself is a breeding ground for turtles and they are often seen gliding by along with dolphins, huge schools of
fish, whale sharks and humpbacks when in season.
What makes Mnemba Atoll different to diving from town is the amount of schooling fish, from Striped Snapper,
Surgeon Fish and up to ten green Turtles can be seen on one dive. If you look hard enough you will find the
masters of disguise the Frog Fish who camouflage themselves so that they are not seen by predators.
Mnemba Island is a 60 minute drive from Stone Town across the main Zanzibar Island, the Island can be easily
reached if you will be staying at the nearest hotel, the Matemwe Beach Village, and it is twenty minute boat
crossing from this hotel.
Mnemba Island and its surrounding reefs have been declared as a Marine Conservation area.
Mnemba is an idyllic island situated within a marine reserve comprising four distinct habitats which are home
to a diverse array of Indian Ocean wildlife.
• Nesting place of threatened green turtles (monitoring and protection project has been underway since
1996)
• Seasonal viewing of humpback whales (July to September)
• Encounters with three species of dolphin
• Excellent opportunities to view whale sharks (the world’s largest fish)
• Migratory and resident shore birds feed and roost on the Island
• Approximately 600 species of coral reef fish
