If you missed part 1 – read all about my stay at Fumba Beach Lodge over here.
So Safari Blue was something that kept coming up on TripAdvisor as a top thing to do in Zanzibar. In fact it has a 4.5 out of 5 rating with over 700 reviews. So how could I not book it?
The tour is a full day Menai Bay excursion on a traditional dhow boat which departs at 09.30 from Fumba village in the south west of the island (so conveniently right next door to where I was staying) and then you get back again around 16:30 in the afternoon.
The tour runs daily except for Fridays, but booking must be made in advance with payment either in cash on the day or via PayPal beforehand.
When I booked the price was US$65pp for adults (but best to just get updated prices from them directly). The price includes your entrance fees to the marine conservation area, all your food and drinks for the day as well as guided snorkelling with the use of their equipment.
Things you will need: A beach towel, swimsuit, suitable beach footwear & sunscreen (this is important – because you will fry without it).
The “suitable beach footwear” is actually quite an important one as well because depending on the tide, you may need to walk quite far out to get to the dhow boats. I only had flip flops which weren’t ideal as kept slipping off my feet. So if you have something that straps your foot in a bit, that’s definitely a win.
So like I said, depending on the tide, there’s a bit of a walk out to the boats. But it’s totally worth it, because these dhow boats are beautiful:
Then you hop on board and you start cruising:
On the day we were lucky enough to spot quite a few dolphins. This quick little clips shows 3 dolphins coming to say hi just around the 5 second mark:
So awesome… (btw – they say they spot dolphins on 90% of their trips)
Along the route they stop a couple of times for snorkelling opportunities. The water is crystal clear, so it makes for perfect snorkelling conditions and the crew will jump in as guides, helping you find the best spots. Just be sure to keep applying that sunscreen, or wear a t-shirt, because your back will be lobster red by the end of the day if you don’t…
They also stop at a little sandbank for some swimming. Have you ever seen turquoise waters like this??
Just incredible…
For lunch you stop at Kwale Island where they serve up a seafood feast along with some ice cold drinks and also a tropical fruit tasting.
The rest of your time there is up to you – you can roam around, do some more swimming, or stare at the pretty dhow boats…
The last stop of the day is a lagoon area where you can do some more snorkelling or swimming. The water here is quite warm, so it kinda felt like a heated pool, and the salt content is quite high – making is easy to just float away…
Just not too far, otherwise you’ll miss your lift home… 😉
So yeah, as you can see this really is a adventure-filled day out with some incredible scenery, and the super friendly crew also makes things extra special.
It’s also totally kid friendly. We had a couple of families on the tour on the day and the kids loved it.
I can happily give the Safari Blue tour a double thumbs up! Be sure to include it in your itinerary if you’re ever lucky enough to visit this beautiful place.
To book you can call them on +255 (0)777 423 162, or email them at adventure@zanlink.com.
xxx