Times in Tanzania: Zanzibar: Chumbe Island Coral Park

Pulling up to the island.

Chumbe Island is a small, privately owned island a few kilometers off the coast of Stonetown. Some background from the internet...In 1994, the island and its surrounding waters were declared the Chumbe Island Coral Park. The park is run by the nonprofit private organization Chumbe Island Coral Park, Ltd. (CHICOP), which conducts marine research and small amounts of eco-tourism on the island. The high quality of the reef is attributable to the fact that the island was within a military zone which limited human impact on the marine life.

I was really looking for some quality snorkeling in Zanzibar and although most places all over the island advertise it, I wanted a sure thing. I normally wouldn't have thought to take a snorkeling trip based out of Stonetown (lots of sea traffic around the port town) but after reading about Chumbe I thought it sounded great. I was also pleased that the organization didn't know if they could accompany us until a few days before as they want to keep the daily number of visitors down.

We met a group of about 6 people at a hotel outside of Stonetown and waded through the low tide to a boat. The boat trip was about an hour to the island where we disembarked and walked the full length of the island in the sand. I was impressed upon reaching the main office where tasteful construction allowed for a breezy and calm vibe. The staff were extremely welcoming and laid out the day's activities before escorting everyone to their rooms.

The day basically had three activities: a forest walk, snorkeling, and lunch. The forest walk was short though they said if you stayed overnight you could explore the entire island freely during the evening and morning. There is also apparently the biggest species of crab (coconut crab) that is nocturnal so best seen at night.

After the walk we boarded boats for snorkeling. The reef was very healthy with plenty of fish and the excursion was not rushed at all. In fact, we all chose to come back inside the boat after tiring ourselves out as opposed to being told it was time to come in. We then returned for an amazing seafood lunch!

There was ample time to relax before our boat left around 4:30PM. The main office had a wealth of information on conservation activities which were highly impressive. Their education program seems to be very effective and the property is well managed. Guests were sparse and it really gave the feel of a "private island". The activities were paced extremely well, always feeling like you had both the option to participate with enough free time to grab a drink or have a short walk in between. I am looking forward to returning to Chumbe for an overnight stay!