We started our day with a nice breakfast at the hotel. We began with fresh fruits, followed by the set menu for the day: an omelet with vegetables, potato pancakes, a roll with white cheese, toast with butter and jam, and avocado.
We had booked the Mnemba Snorkeling and Dolphin Tour from Nungwi via www.getyourguide.com. We walked from our hotel to the meeting point opposite the Nungwi Inn Beach Restaurant. Someone identified us and took us to a shop to try on fins according to our size. Since we brought our own snorkeling masks, we didn’t need to rent those. We were then asked to wait until the rest of the tour group arrived.
Once everyone had arrived, we boarded our boat and set off. We cruised around the northern part of the island and then started heading south toward Mnemba Island.
Our first stop was the snorkeling point near Mnemba Island. It was beautiful, and there were many fish to see around the coral, though there were also quite a few people in the water.
Next, we stopped at a sandbank a little further away. Here, the water varied from ankle-deep to waist-deep as we moved further from the main sandbank. We were able to get off the boat, walk around, and enjoy the experience.
Our tour operator had arranged fresh fruits for everyone—bananas, pineapples, and watermelons. It was a welcome treat after being in the water and sun for so long. Little did we know that the weather would turn quickly soon.
Next up was finding the dolphins and swimming with them. As we headed out from the sandbank, the sky grew dark and cloudy. Before we knew it, it started pouring in the middle of the ocean. The rain hammered us from all sides, and the boat’s canopy couldn’t do much to keep us dry. As we moved through the water, a pod of dolphins emerged right next to our boat—so close it felt like you could almost touch them. Everyone on the boat was incredibly excited; it was amazing to see these magnificent creatures at such a close range. They were majestic and surprisingly large, all appearing in the middle of a tropical rainstorm.
Once the rain subsided, we spotted another pod close to the boat. Eager for a chance to swim with them, I put on my snorkeling mask and jumped in. I was the only one from our boat who did, without fins or a lifejacket. With my mask on, I was able to see several dolphins underwater as they dove from the surface and swam away. They were fast, and very quickly, I found myself in the middle of the ocean with no dolphins in sight and my boat a fair distance away. There was another boat slightly closer with one other person in the water. Just as I had done in Nusa Penida, I decided to swim toward the closer boat rather than attempting to reach my own. However, by the time I reached it, my boat had already circled back for me, so I turned around and climbed back aboard. Seeing the dolphins underwater was one of the best experiences I have ever had.
After I got back on the boat, we headed to the final stop of the tour. Just like that, the sun came out, and it was as if the storm had never happened. We reached a shallow area north of the island’s tip, a place famous for large starfish. The water was calm and clear, allowing us to see the seafloor perfectly. I swam around and saw many impressive starfish.
The tour concluded, and we were dropped off at our starting point. We walked to a local restaurant, Mama Africa, for lunch. From the outside, it didn’t look like much and was quite different from the photos we had seen online, but the food was actually quite good.
We returned to our room to relax for a while before venturing out again in the evening. We walked through the local shops and markets, though we didn’t end up buying anything. Finally, we headed to MJ Cafe for dinner before retiring for the night.
🚘 Zanzibar Maneno Car Rental
🤿 Mnemba Snorkeling And Dolphin Tour
🍽️ Mama Africa
🍽️ MJ Cafe
🛏️ Babalao Bungalows