Safari Blue Dhow Trip with Snorkelling and Lunch

Fumba and the Menai Bay Conservation Area

The Safari Blue dhow trip starts in Fumba, a quiet fishing village about forty minutes south-west of Stone Town. The bay in front of it is the Menai Bay Conservation Area, a protected stretch of sea created in the late 1990s to safeguard coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves, and still fished by local crews in small outrigger boats. The conservation fee is included in your booking.

From the beach you wade or take a short transfer to the dhow, a wooden sailing boat of the kind that has crossed the Indian Ocean for centuries. The crew hoists the lateen sail when the wind allows and uses the engine when it does not. Most people searching for things to do in Zanzibar find Safari Blue from Fumba near the top of every list, and the first half hour on the water, with the coast falling away and the reef islands ahead, shows why.

Snorkelling on the coral reef

The first stop is a reef close to Kwale Island, where the dhow anchors in clear, shallow water. Masks, snorkels and fins are provided and a crew member swims with the group, pointing out parrotfish, angelfish, sea urchins and the occasional moray eel in the coral heads. The water in Menai Bay is usually calm in the morning, which makes this one of the easiest places for Zanzibar snorkelling if you are a beginner.

Expect around forty-five minutes in the water. Life jackets are available for weaker swimmers, and non-swimmers can stay on board and watch from the deck. Please do not stand on or touch the coral. Dolphins live in the bay and are sometimes seen from the boat, but sightings are never guaranteed and the crew will not chase them.

The Kwale sandbank

Between the reef and the island lies a bank of white sand that appears as the tide drops and disappears again as it rises. The dhow pulls up beside it and you step off into knee-deep water onto a strip of sand with nothing but sea in every direction. It is the photograph everyone takes home from the Safari Blue sandbank, and the colours of the water around it change minute by minute with the light.

The sandbank visit is tide-dependent, so the order of the day's stops can change; the crew plans the route around the day's tide table. There is no shade, so bring sun cream, a hat and a cover-up. Fresh tropical fruit is often served here or on the island afterwards, depending on the schedule.

Kwale Island and the mangrove lagoon

Kwale Island is the lunch stop. It has a long beach, a few shaded spots under old trees, including an enormous baobab that has fallen on its side and kept growing, and a natural lagoon ringed by mangroves where the water is warm, still and only a few metres deep. Swimming in the mangrove lagoon is the calmest part of the day and a favourite with children.

Lunch is a seafood meal prepared on the island: grilled fish, often lobster or crab when in season, rice, sauces and bread, followed by a spread of seasonal fruit such as mango, pineapple, passion fruit and coconut, with soft drinks and water. If anyone in your party does not eat seafood, tell us when booking so an alternative can be arranged. After lunch there is time to relax before the dhow sails back to Fumba.

The sail back and the Zanzibar coast

The return leg is the most relaxed part of the day. If the wind is right the crew raises the sail and the dhow leans gently as it runs back across the bay towards Fumba, with the mainland of Zanzibar low and green ahead and the reef islands behind. Many guests say this is the best time to visit the deck at the bow for photographs.

Back at Fumba, our driver is waiting for the return to your hotel. The drive to Stone Town takes about forty minutes; to the north and east coast beaches allow one and a half to two hours. If you are deciding when to go, the dry months from June to October and December to February usually bring the clearest water and the calmest sea for the Safari Blue trip.