Zanzibar and the Coast

HALF DAY OR FULL DAY

Mnemba Atoll

A marine reserve where the snorkeling rivals most dive sites. Turtles, dolphins, and reef fish that seem unbothered by your presence. We arrange private access when the day-trippers have left.

FULL DAY

Safari Blue

A full-day sail through the Menai Bay archipelago. Swimming, snorkeling, and grilled seafood on a sandbar that disappears at high tide. This is the trip people extend their stays for.

FULL DAY

Scuba Diving

Zanzibar’s reefs run deep and untouched. We work with dive masters who know which sites are worth the boat ride and which currents bring in the bigger schools. Expect lionfish, moray eels, and water clear enough to forget you are wearing a mask.

FULL DAY

Nakupenda & Prison Island

A sandbar that only exists at low tide, then a short sail to Prison Island for the giant tortoises. It sounds like a day trip. It feels like you have left the mainland entirely.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Spice Tour

Clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom. You will taste them fresh, learn what they look like before they are dried, and understand why Zanzibar was worth fighting over. The farms are small, family-run, and nothing like the plantation tours elsewhere.

HALF DAY OR FULL DAY

Sunset Cruises

Traditional dhows, no motors, just wind and the kind of silence that makes sundowners taste better. Short sunset sails or full-day routes that stop at sandbars only accessible by boat. Unlike the Mafia dhow cruise, these are powered by the breeze alone, and you can choose a quick evening sail or a full day on the water.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Quad Biking

Inland routes through villages and farmland most tourists never see. The terrain shifts between red dirt roads and coastal paths. Guides set the pace based on how hard you want to push it.

AVAILABLE DAILY

Underwater

The house reef begins at the beach. Coral formations, resident turtles, and visibility that rarely drops below 20 meters. Glass-bottom kayaks for those who prefer to stay dry. Guided dives can be arranged with advance notice.

CURATED EXPERIENCES

On Property

A weekly white-attire sunset gathering. Teppanyaki prepared tableside beneath a baobab older than the lodge itself. An overwater spa offering hydrotherapy treatments timed to tidal cycles. Everything designed to feel inevitable rather than orchestrated.

HALF DAY OR FULL DAY

Off Island

Traditional dhow excursions to Nyange, a sandbank that exists only at low tide. Seafood grilled on-site, served on sand that will be underwater by evening. And anything on Zanzibar is a short boat ride away, so Stone Town, spice farms and Mnemba are all within reach.

OVERNIGHT EXPERIENCE

The Underwater Room

A floating structure anchored offshore with a bedroom four meters below the surface. Glass walls on all sides. Spotlights at night bring octopuses, reef fish, and occasionally manta rays right up to the windows. It is not a hotel room. It is a sleep-in aquarium.

HALF DAY OR FULL DAY

Misali Island Marine Sanctuary

Protected waters mean the coral has not been trampled and the fish have not learned to avoid people. Short boat ride from the main island. The kind of snorkeling that makes you understand why marine reserves matter.

HALF DAY

Vumawimbi Beach

Miles of white sand with almost no one on it. The kind of beach Zanzibar had before the resorts. A few fishermen’s dhows in the distance. Otherwise, just you and the tide.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Ngezi Forest Reserve

The last stand of indigenous coastal forest on Pemba. Home to the Pemba Flying Fox, which exists nowhere else on earth. Also rare orchids, monkeys, and enough bird species to justify bringing binoculars.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Spice Farm Tours

Zanzibar gets the reputation, but Pemba grows most of Tanzania’s cloves. These tours end at local distilleries where clove oil is made. Less performative than the Zanzibar version, and more about the actual work of growing and harvesting.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Mkame Ndume Ruins

Fifteenth-century ruins near Pujini. The story goes that the ruler who built this place was cruel enough that locals still tell his story five centuries later. Swahili-Arab architecture, crumbling but still standing.

HALF DAY

Whale Shark Snorkeling

October to March. Boats go out early to find feeding grounds. The sharks move slowly enough that you can swim alongside them. Some are longer than the boat.

HALF DAY

Humpback Whale Watching

August to October. Migration routes bring them close to shore. When they surface, the sound carries. Some launch themselves clear out of the water. Most stay under. Either way, you are in a small boat near something five times its size.

HALF DAY OR FULL DAY

Diving, Chole Bay

Reefs that have not been picked over by day-trippers. Kinasi Pass for wall dives, shallower sites for turtles and soft coral. Water so clear you can see the bottom from the boat.

HALF DAY

Marimbani Sandbank

A strip of sand that appears at low tide and vanishes by afternoon. We bring you here with a cooler, fresh seafood, and nothing else. The water is ankle-deep for 50 meters in every direction.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Chole Island Ruins

Old German buildings slowly being reclaimed by the forest. Mosaic floors, crumbling walls, locals who remember when their grandparents used these spaces. History you can touch.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Kayaking Through Mangroves

Quiet water, narrow channels, beaches you cannot reach any other way. The mangroves filter out the noise. You will see more birds than people.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Sunset Dhow Cruise

Traditional wooden boats with lateen sails. No motor, just the wind. The timing is everything, and this is the best hour of the day to be on the water. Unlike the Zanzibar sunset cruises, this is a focused two to three hours on a traditional lateen-rigged boat around Mafia’s quieter channels.

HALF DAY OR FULL DAY

Deep-Sea Fishing

Outside the marine park. Wahoo, sailfish, tuna depending on the season and the current. Catch and release or keep it for the lodge to grill. Guides know which reefs hold fish and which do not. This is fishing from a small boat on Mafia’s reefs, distinct from the catamaran’s full-day expeditions to the Pemba Channel.

4, 5 OR 7 NIGHTS

Liveaboard

Multi-day sailing through the archipelago. Routes include Pemba, Mafia, Mnemba, and Menai Bay, adjusted for weather and your interests. Diving, fishing, or simply anchoring somewhere new each night. The catamaran becomes your floating base.

5, 8 OR 12 HOURS

Day Charters

Mnemba Atoll from Nungwi, or Prison Island and Nakupenda from Stone Town. Lunch is served onboard, snorkeling gear is provided, and fishing lines go out during the sail. The route adapts to where you are based and what you would like to see.

2 TO 3 HOURS

Sunset Charters

Evening sails timed to catch the best light. Drinks are served, dinner can be arranged if you would like. The route is less important than the timing. This is the hour the water looks its best. Unlike the dhow sunset trips, this is on a catamaran with a broader deck and the option of dinner onboard.

12 HOURS

Fishing Charters

Full-day expeditions to the Pemba Channel or around Latham Island. The crew knows where marlin, sailfish, and wahoo run. All gear is onboard. You can keep your catch or release it. A bigger boat and deeper water than the Mafia day trips, for anglers who want range.