Transparent Kayak Trip with Drone Video, Nungwi

Nungwi beach and its turquoise shallows

Nungwi, at the northern tip of Zanzibar, has some of the clearest and calmest water on the island, with a sandy sea floor that gives the lagoon its famous turquoise colour. Unlike the east coast, the sea here stays deep enough to float at most tides, which is why the transparent kayak experience is based on this beach. Pickup takes you from your hotel to the launch point, where the kayaks are lined up on the sand and the drone operator sets up.

From the water you see the whole bay: the white beach, the palm trees, the wooden dhows anchored offshore and, through the clear hull beneath your feet, ribbons of seagrass, starfish and small reef fish in a metre or two of water. The session lasts about an hour including the briefing, and the best light for photos is late morning or mid-afternoon, when the sun is high enough to make the water glow.

The transparent kayak

A transparent kayak is a two-seat sit-on-top kayak moulded from clear polycarbonate, so the floor and sides act like a window onto the sea. It is stable, light and easy to paddle even if you have never kayaked before; a short briefing covers the paddle stroke and how to turn, and life jackets are worn throughout. Two people share a kayak, so couples and parent-and-child pairs paddle together, and children from about four years can ride as passengers.

The regular kayak is the default option and gives you an hour of real paddling around the shallows. The heart-shaped transparent kayak, on the booking panel as a separate option, is shorter, about thirty to forty-five minutes, and is mainly a photoshoot: it floats close to shore, flowers can be arranged on it on request, and the drone circles above for pictures that look like a magazine shoot. Couples often book it for anniversaries and honeymoon memories.

The drone photos and video

What makes this different from any other kayak rental in Zanzibar is the camera in the sky. A licensed drone operator flies above you for the whole session, capturing top-down shots of the kayak gliding over the turquoise water, wide views of the bay with you at the centre and slow passes along the beach. Afterwards the team edits a short video with music and sends it, together with the best photos, to your phone, usually the same day or the next.

You keep every file and can share it freely. Wear bright colours, which stand out beautifully against the blue, and plan your poses: lying back with your arms out, paddling in sync or holding hands across the heart kayak all work well from above. There is no extra charge for the drone footage on either option, and a waterproof pouch keeps your own phone safe if you also want to film from the kayak.

Pickup and the north coast villages

How to get to the transparent kayak experience is taken care of: pickup and drop-off are included for hotels in Nungwi, Kendwa and Kidoti, and our team confirms your hotel and the exact pickup time on WhatsApp or email after you book, so please give a phone number with your country code. Guests staying elsewhere on the island can still take part; we arrange a transfer on request and tell you how long it takes.

Sessions run on the hour from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon on the default option, which makes it easy to fit before or after a Mnemba snorkelling trip, the turtle aquarium or a sunset dhow cruise, all based on the same stretch of coast. Nungwi is a conservative fishing village, so cover shoulders and knees on the way to and from the beach; swimwear is for the water.