Chumbe Island Coral Park

An experience like no other - living on an island jewel in the Indian Ocean for a few days - utterly peaceful and wonderful experience. Staff awesome - even learnt how to play bao ! Just so magical. Arrive by boat from Zanzibar main island and turn off and relax. Even the land crabs arent that scary!

Spectacular! We were here for 2 nights (3 days) and it was the perfect amount of time. If you like being off the grid with eco friendly accommodations, you will love this but if you like your hotel amenities, well, this probably isn’t for you. The experience is equivalent to a Robinson Caruso type experience met by Tarzan’s accommodations. The food was delicious and the hospitality of the staff was unmatched. Definitely worth it if you’re looking for quiet, peacefulness and a slower pace while experiencing something extraordinary. Magical.

Our stay at Chumbe Island was amazing! This place is magical, exclusive. It’s the luxury of simplicity, of being in deep contact with nature. There are stunning views no matter where you look. The staff is so nice, helpful and sweet (many thanks to Vera, the charming manager who took really good care of us). They always have big smiles on their faces :) The food is delicious and very healthy. It’s amazing to diner under the starts. There is unlimited water, tea and coffee all day. The bungalows are charming, simple but comfortable. Beach beds on the shade to relax. The snorkeling is great, excellent visibility and rich marine life (we saw sting rays, octopus, sharks, dolphins and a multitude of colorful fish and corals). We spent three nights, which was a perfect timing (we could have stayed a week longer without getting bored). Everything is ecological, sustainable. Solar electricity, water collected from rain, and dry compostable toilets. The hotel is a non-profitable organization which helps to protect the island and invests in education. So even more reasons to go! We can’t wait to go back!

Fabulous friendly place to stay. We stayed here for 2 nights. Original intention was 1, but having followed Chumbe on FB for more than a year, I was so impressed with what they did we stayed 2 nights as we knew our money was going directly to an incredibly worthwhile cause. Keep it up guys! The quality of the coral reef is incredible and diversity of fish immense.

This might feel like paradise in perfect weather, but we unfortunately had very windy days for our two-night stay on the island. Snorkelling was only possible for an hour, and given the tide schedule there was no swimming off the beach during most of the day. Yes, there is a forest walk one can take and maybe stretch to 45 minutes. So it depends on your attitude: while we didn’t mind sitting and reading and disconnecting for the rest of the time, it felt like a very overpriced quiet time. The cabins are “back to nature”: no doors or windows (meaning you share your cabins with all the critters), no plumbing (compost toilet and rainwater shower), and of course no air conditioning ( 24/7 hot and humid). On the positive side you can pack super-light: bathing suit, flip flops and the lightest shirt will do for those two days (it all will be damp anyway). A few people who booked multiple nights left after the first night - it can be challenging to sleep in the heat with all those bugs (despite mosquito net). The food was good, the staff was caring (other than loud music during the night from the staff lodge), and of course you money helps the conservation effort for the reefs!

It was really a new moment in our lifetime, and discovered a lot of uncovered things from our side, nature, eco tourism, sustainability, humanity, and friendship assistances. There is no need to worry about where to execute your beloved holiday, Think about zanzibar Think about CHUMBE ISLAND

We had a great time in Chumbe and would highly recommend this experience to anyone looking for something a little less conventional. It met our expectations and was exactly what we had hoped for! As the island is very small there really isn't much to do outside of Snorkeling and a relatively brief walk in the forest or on the other end of the island beach during low tide but that is why it's such a great place to really disconnect, relax and get in touch with the surrounding nature and appreciate the simple things. On our first day there, we were lucky enough to see one of the most beautiful sunsets we've seen. The bungalows are super authentic and adequately equipped and they are cleaned every day. As far as the food, the 3 meals per day included the full board package were truly amazing. The food was healthy, simple yet delicious – without a doubt the best food we had during our 10 days stay around Zanzibar (Stone Town, Jambiani/Paje, Mbweni). The staff is truly lovely, very professional, and always available.

Brilliant trip and very well organised. We currently live on Zanzibar a short ocean view away but we still thought this trip worthwhile. It’s also fabulous that is trying to preserve marine life. As soon as we arrived on the sand bar and walked towards the lighthouse we felt we were on a bond movie.

An overnight stay in Chumbe is a must-do experience if you are able to afford the high price tag, most of which goes to conserving the stunning coral reserve. I would say the perfect duration is an overnight stay which includes: return boat trip from Zanzibar City; out of this world snorkelling, a generous lunch with soft drinks, an informative forest walk in the afternoon, another generous Swahili dinner, an awesome night-time crab walk; and uniquely rustic accommodation. The staff are incredibly friendly and knowledgeable about the island, with many having been with the conservation project for decades. The setting is unforgettable with the only inhabitants of the tiny island being the conservation and innumerable birds and crabs of all shapes and sizes (and a 25-year old duiker apparently!) There is a beautiful beach for swimming and sensational views whichever way you turn. The snorkelling is the best I have ever experienced anywhere and we were lucky to see all of the "big 5" - dolphin, reef shark, sting ray, green turtle and grouper along with thousands of species of tropical marine life. The only suggestion I would make is that for such a high price tag the hospitality offering could be improved slightly, for example offering guests a couple of complimentary glasses of wine with their meal (wine is $9 a glass). I know it's an island, the staff are largely Muslim and the main objective of the project is conservation/education but at such a price there does need to be a compromise between eco tourism and allowing guests to enjoy themselves. As such I would say one night is plenty to enjoy all the activities on the island.