good for you

This shining example of sustainable tourism spearheaded the protection of Chumbe Island's spectacular marine ecosystem, where you can snorkel around the pristine coral reef, hike among the rich tropical forests of coconut palm, baobab and mangrove trees or take a daytrip to nearby Stone Town in Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The reef is home to some 200 species of coral and 400 species of fish, and while diving is prohibited for the sake of the reef, the crystal clear waters make it easy to see everything through your snorkeling mask.

With no more than 14 guests at a time on the tiny island - just one kilometer long and 300 metres wide - this is as far from a big tropical resort as you'll get without sacrificing essential holiday comforts. The food is sublime, the spacious bungalows all enjoy spectacular views, the knowledgeable coral park guides lead hikes and snorkeling trips daily and you can enjoy it all in the knowledge that you're not harming a single starfish on the reef.

Just a 45min boat ride from Zanzibar's Stone Town, this is the perfect island retreat after a busy few days in Stone Town.

good for zanzibar

Chumbe Island Coral Park is an Island based Marine Protected Area. It is a financially self-sustaining Conservation and Education Project, managed by a non-profit organisation, where funding is provided by visitors to the Park who stay in the innovative and multi-award-winning Eco-Lodge on the island. The lodge uses solar power, rainwater catchment and composting toilets, making its environmental footprint tiny, and it pours resources back into the community through education programs.

Rooms

Food

The restaurant has dining terraces overlooking the sea between Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania, and serves a delicious set menu based around local Zanzibari cuisine, which combines influences of Arabic, Indian and African dishes using fresh fish, octopus and seafood, beef and chicken, tropical vegetables, fruits and spices.

All food and non-alcoholic drinks are included in the room rates. Servings are plentiful and will satisfy both vegetarians and meat-eaters.

With no electric ovens or fridges, ice is brought in daily from Zanzibar and food is cooked over hot coals. Food is not grown on the island so as not to interfere with Chumbe's indigenous flora, but all ingredients are brought fresh from Zanzibar each day. Organic kitchen waste is composted and the rest is either recycled or burned. No plastics are brought to the island.

Features & Facilities

The historic lighthouse keeper's house built by the British in 1904 has been restored and adapted to be the Park HQ with a restaurant for visitors and a classroom for local schoolchildren. There is also a small library including local guidebooks and a selection of fiction and other reading matter.

The eco resort provides boat transfers to the reef for snorkeling; guides to show you around the reef and through the forest trails; use of snorkeling equipment and snorkeling lessons if you need them. Staff can also organize guided day-trips to Stone Town in Zanzibar.

Local Info & Activities

Chumbe Island is a nature reserve and includes:

The Chumbe Reef Sanctuary: the first declared Marine Protected Area of Tanzania, one of the world's most beautiful coral gardens and the best preserved shallow reef on the East African Coast. The sanctuary has more than 200 species of pristine stone corals, more than 400 species of fish and regularly visiting turtles and dolphins. This spectacular reef can be observed by snorkeling under the guidance of trained Park Rangers. Snorkeling equipment is available on the island. Please note that scuba diving on Chumbe is prohibited, unless for research purposes.

The Chumbe Forest Reserve: a coral rag forest with a unique flora and wildlife including numerous reptiles, birds, crabs and the rare nocturnal Coconut Crab. The island is formed from fossilised coral and throughout the trail it is possible to see the patterns of the coral and the remains of giant clams thousands of years old. The Forest Nature Trails are also visited under the guidance of trained Park Rangers.

The historic buildings: built by the British in 1904; these include the lighthouse, which offers breath-taking views of the Island and of Zanzibar, and the mosque that was built with an elaborate design and is still in use by the Chumbe team.

Zanzibar is just a 45min boat ride, with its fascinating history and UNESCO World Heritage protected town centre, Stone Town. Daytrips can be arranged to Zanzibar, where you can admire the architecture, learn about the history of East African slave trading and the struggle to end it, and soak in the richness of the island's amazing mix of cultures and ethnicities.

Sustainability

community connection

Chumbe Island Coral Park is a financially self-sustaining conservation initiative. It is run by a limited company without profit objectives, whereby income from visitors is re-invested into the conservation activities and education programmes operating in the park. Numerous experts have volunteered their skills and energy into the development of the project. The management of Chumbe is mostly comprised of Tanzanians with preference to local Zanzibaris.

environmental protection

Being a Marine Protected Area (MPA) the focal aim of the Chumbe Island Coral Park Project is to preserve Chumbe Island's exceptional environment. With that in mind, guests are housed in bungalows designed according to state-of-the-art of eco-architecture and eco-technology.

• As there is no ground water source in the rocky substrate of the island, each bungalow collects its own freshwater supply from rainwater (captured from the specially designed expanse of roof) during the rainy season. This rainwater passes through a complex filtration system and is stored in spacious underground cisterns (under each living room). The water is then hand-pumped through a solar-powered heating system into hot & cold-water containers for the shower and hand basin in the bathroom.
• The used water from showers and basins is filtered through particulate filters, ending in specially sealed plant beds so that no polluted water will seep into the Reef Sanctuary. These beds are planted with species that are demanding in water and nutrients, and therefore easily absorb any remaining nitrates and phosphates.
• Composting eco-toilets prevent sewage (from septic tanks) seeping through the porous ground into the Reef Sanctuary, (as this would lead to pollution of the fragile reef ecosystem, encourage algae growth and finally kill coral communities and organisms depending on them). Instead, human waste is quickly decomposed to natural fertilizer when mixed with compost (aerobic composting) in the compost chamber. To ensure the experience for the client is the same as with any regular toilet, specialized designs have been implemented with wind powered vent pipes and gradient storage so that it feels the same as using a regular toilet, except that composting toilets need no flush water at all, thus they also effectively economize on water.
• Lights are powered by photovoltaic panels on the roof that provide environmentally friendly 12V energy for normal use. The open design of the bungalows, with minimal barriers to the open air, allows for maximum through-draft for cooling of the bungalows; a form of natural air-conditioning. To enhance this, louvres are in place that can be lowered or closed depending on the desired temperature.
• A limit of seven bungalows prevents over-crowding, kitchen waste is either composted, recycled or burned and no plastics are brought to the island.

education project

The Chumbe Project aims at building environmental awareness in Zanzibar. The Chumbe Education Program sponsors local school visits to the island, prepared through in-service teacher training workshops and the development of teaching aids, all in an effort to educate Tanzanians about the natural environment at Chumbe and the best way to protect it. Part of the project is to offer Tanzanian school children a rare opportunity to explore the island in field trips, not normally part of traditional Tanzanian education, and to offer youngsters - especially girls, who are rarely taught water skills - the chance to learn to swim and snorkel.

Guided by our park rangers along the nature trails in the reef and the forest, the participating children benefit greatly from the insight they gain in Marine biology, Forest ecology and Environmental protection. The excursions are in cooperation with secondary schools in Zanzibar, and consist of one-day school trips to Chumbe Island that provide informal hands-on environmental education. At the same time these trips give accompanying teachers a rare insight into how to teach practical field-based environmental education. In Tanzania, few teachers have been trained to link classroom teaching to field excursions, so this is a novel and innovative approach.

The Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP) has also established outreach work within schools. One school in particular, Chukwani Secondary School (located directly opposite Chumbe Island), has developed an Environment and Coral Reef Club as part of their participation in the Chumbe Island Education Programme. The school has created an 'environment day' which takes place every Monday where students participate in environment related activities, e.g. litter picking, tree planting, composing songs and poems, designing posters, etc. CHICOP and the Ministry of Education will be working together to promote the development of Environment and Coral Clubs in all schools involved in the Chumbe programme, using Chukwani School as an excellent example.

The Chumbe Education Program is now leading environmental education in Zanzibar. The teacher training college incorporates classes on Chumbe for all trainee teachers in Zanzibar each year, and representatives from the Ministry of Education are encouraging teachers to introduce environmental education through fieldwork. This initiative has been developed and promoted by CHICOP with excellent results in creating field based learning and environmental awareness within the education system of Zanzibar.

awards

*** FINALIST ***

2005 SUSTAINALE TOURISM AWARD

Smithsonian Magazine/Tourism cares for tomorrow

*** BEST IN THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT ***

Responsible Travel Tourism Award, 2004 Finalist 2005

*** FINALIST ***

World Legacy Award, 2004

*** BEST INVESTMENT PROJECT FOR CONSERVATION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT AND BIODIVERSITY ***

Ministry of Agriculture, Zanzibar, 2004

*** MOST ROMANTIC ECO-LODGE ***

Harpers Abroad November 2003 supplement, Harpers & Queen

*** GREEN HOTELIER OF THE YEAR ***

Independent Environmental Award 2001

from the International Hotel and Restaurant Association (IH&RA)

*** WORLD WINNER ***

Condenast Traveller Magazine, ECOTOURISM DESTINATION Award 2001

*** FINALIST ***

Aga Khan Award for Architecture 2001 & 2004

*** GLOBAL 500 LAUREATE ***

UNEP OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENTAL ACHIEVEMENT Award 2000

*** PROJECT AROUND THE WORLD WINNER ***

Award presented at the EXPO2000, Hannover Germany,

where Chumbe was selected to represent Tanzania

*** GLOBAL WINNER ***

British Airways TOURISM FOR TOMORROW Award 1999

Getting There

Situated 8 km Southwest of Zanzibar town (Stonetown), the can be reached in a 45 minute boat ride from the Mbweni beach departure point south of Stonetown.

Boats to Chumbe Island depart at 10:00 from the beach at the Mbweni Ruins Hotel - you should aim to arrive 15 minutes in advance.

Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.

Rates & Bookings

low season:

1st Oct - 7th Dec 2007

US$165 p/per/p/night

high season:

12th June - 30th Sept 2007

8th Dec - 31st Dec 2007

US$220 p/per/p/night

Chumbe Island is closed from 14th April to 9th June 2008.

low season

1st March - 13th April 2008

US$165 p/per/p/night

high season

1st Jan - 28th Feb 2008

US$220 p/per/p/night

• Accommodation is per person, per night based on at least 2 people sharing.
• Single occupancy incurs a surcharge of US$30 p/night.
• Full-board - 3 meals a day
• Boat transport to and from the island on the morning transfer
• Sodas, water, coffee, tea and snacks
• Snorkeling trips including boat, equipment, guide and tuition.
• All taxes
• children under 2yrs are free of charge.
• Children under 12yrs are half price

not included

• Late boat transfers
• Alcoholic drinks (which are available for purchase on the island).

booking & cancellation policies

• Bookings are made on the payment of a deposit of 25% of total cost of booking.
• Full payment is due 30 days prior to arrival date in order to secure booking.
• Cancellations made more than 30 days before arrival date incur a cancellation fee of 10% of total cost of booking
• Cancellations made within 30 days of arrival date incur a cancellation fee of 60% of total cost of booking.
• Cancellations made within 1 week of arrival date will incur a cancellation fee of 85% of total cost of booking
• Cancellations made within 48 hours before arrival date will incur a cancellation fee of 100% of total cost of booking.

Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.