A visit to the Chumbe Island Coral Park
Collected from your hotel you will board a motor boat to travel to Zanzibar's first and most renowned marine sanctuary, The Chumbe Island Coral Park. A private non-profit nature reserve, which works not only to protect the reef and its marine life, but also to finance an outreach programme for local school children, this project has already received considerable acclaim from the United Nations, which describes it as ‘a highly impressive ecotourism initiative and environmental educational programme'.An uninhabited island, Chumbe lies about 12 km south of Zanzibar Town and offers a stunning shallow-water coral reef, which runs for almost one kilometre along its western shore. Gazetted as a national park in 1994, it owes the excellent state of its coral to the fact that from the 1960s it was part of a military zone and therefore ‘off limits' to both locals and visitors.
Host to nearly 200 species of coral and 370 species of fish (one of the highest marine diversity profiles in East Africa) the island is also regularly visited by groups of dolphins, which pass by to feed on the abundant stocks of fish. The island also provides a haven for hawksbill turtles and over 50 species of birds including the endangered roseate tern.
There are three historic buildings on Chumbe: a lighthouse, a small mosque dating from the early 1900s and the former warden's house. The island also offers extensive nature trails and walks. Upon arrival, you are free to spend you day snorkelling, swimming relaxing or exploring: refreshments and lunch provided.
