Chumbe Island Coral Park in Mbweni

The overall experience was enjoyable, but unfortunately not in proportion to the price of USD 780 (incl tax and transfers)

The boat transfer was well organised and the snorkeling itself was very nice. The lighthouse, the crabs and the night sky are memorable and worth seeing. However, the coral reef is clearly in poor condition, with large areas bleached or dead, which was disappointing.

The guided island tour was a low point: staff spoke in an overly patronising way, as if addressing small children, which was quite irritating. The so-called “crab walk,” promoted as an eco highlight, lasted literally five minutes and lacked enthusiasm or depth.

Lunch was excellent, but dinner was essentially the same meal, prepared slightly less well & with poorer variety. For this price range, a dessert consisting of a few pieces of watermelon and two dates is simply not acceptable. Dinner is also rushed: after returning from the short crab walk, our table had already been cleared, forcing guests back to their huts by 21:00.

The huts are very basic, which you expect to some extent as it is an eco lodge, but the interior feels rather sparse and poorly finished.

In summary: a nice experience with real potential, but the service feels on autopilot. Given the price, much better service and overall experience can be found elsewhere in Africa or Zanzibar. Notably, there was a volunteer marine biologist on the island — it is unclear why this expertise was not used during the walks or tours.

Zanzibar is a tourist hotspot and since we wanted to escape the well-trodden paths of mass tourism, we decided to visit Chumbe Island. However, we had heard that this island not only aligns with our ecological values ​​but also promotes sustainable, environmentally friendly tourism. There, you can participate in a botanical hike, take a snorkelling trip to the coral reef (with excellent equipment), and join a short guided hike through the forest in the dark to observe coconut crabs. Everyone who accompanied us on these activities was very knowledgeable and friendly. Since all activities were supposed to be done in one day, the schedule was very tightly organized. Nevertheless, we were very satisfied. The simple bungalows were clean and equipped with everything necessary. However, a problem for some of us was the strong draft in the room. We were basically sleeping in a windy tunnel, which felt very unhealthy. We could have tolerated that, though. We were less impressed with the ambiance of the main building, where the restaurant is located. The entire area looks very worn and hasn't been renovated in years: broken furniture is lying around, the walls give a rather gloomy impression, and the pictures and the overall atmosphere seem quite neglected and uninviting. This makes it difficult to connect with the underlying ecological concept. Urgent renovations and aesthetic improvements that better reflect and support the ecological vision would be highly desirable. There was a set menu, and some of the food was reheated from lunch. As mentioned earlier, the tight schedule became particularly apparent the next day. Although we were the only guests and no one arrived after us, we got the impression that they wanted us gone quickly: "Purpose fulfilled – please pay and leave promptly." Therefore, we had to get up very early, were rushed to have breakfast, and had to leave at 9:00 am - that's exactly how it went. We don't know of any hotel with a check-out time that early in the morning... In summary, the experience was educational, almost like a school trip. However, it didn't give us a truly enjoyable vacation feeling, nor did it inspire us to tell others about it. We also can't wholeheartedly recommend the island, especially considering the price of normally $400 per person per night. Even when we got the local rate at half price at the last minute, it still seemed exorbitant!