Safari Blue

The voyage from Fumba harbour into the heart of Menai Bay is itself one of the most beautiful boat journeys imaginable. The water transitions through extraordinary gradations of colour — from the muddy green of the harbour, through jade and emerald, into the most vivid electric blues and turquoises as you pass over the coral reefs.

The traditional dhow creates a perfect platform for the journey — low to the water, quiet, and moving with a gentle rhythm that feels in harmony with the sea rather than in opposition to it. Dolphins frequently ride the bow wave, and flying fish leap ahead of the hull in silver arcs.

Your experienced captain and crew know these waters intimately. They know where the dolphins gather, where the sea turtles rest, where the coral is most spectacular, and — crucially — where the best sandbanks emerge at low tide for the legendary lunch.

Safari Blue includes two or three snorkeling stops at carefully selected sites within the Menai Bay Conservation Area. These sites are chosen for their exceptional coral health, marine biodiversity, and clarity of water.

The coral gardens here are among the most intact in the region, partly because the conservation area status has protected them from the dynamite fishing and anchor damage that has degraded reefs elsewhere. Massive Porites corals the size of cars anchor the reef structure, surrounded by intricate branching Acropora corals, barrel sponges, and waving sea fans.

Marine life is extraordinary. Green sea turtles graze on seagrass beds; schools of yellowfin surgeonfish and Indian Ocean sergeant majors create shimmering silver clouds around coral heads; moray eels peer from crevices; and lionfish hover motionless in the shadows. The sheer abundance of life creates a spectacle that feels almost prehistoric in its richness.

If Safari Blue is famous for one thing above all others, it is the lunch. As the tide retreats to reveal a broad crescent of white sand emerging from the sea, the crew transforms the sandbar into an outdoor kitchen and dining room, and what follows is one of the finest seafood meals available anywhere in Zanzibar.

The centrepiece is grilled lobster — whole East African lobsters split and grilled over a wood fire until the flesh is perfectly cooked, sweet, and smoky. Alongside come whole grilled red snapper, garlic prawns, calamari, octopus cooked in coconut, and the famous Safari Blue rice — rice cooked with coconut milk, cardamom, and saffron that is absolutely addictive.

Fresh tropical fruits — papaya, pineapple, coconut — and locally brewed ginger juice complete the feast. Everything is caught or sourced that morning, and the quality is exceptional. Many guests rate this as the finest meal of their entire African trip.