The Safari Blue, Zanzibar: a dhow day in Menai Bay

What is the Safari Blue in Zanzibar?

Safari Blue is the name of a specific company, started in 1995, that sails traditional wooden dhows from the fishing village of Fumba into Menai Bay. The name is a registered trademark, but the day it created has been copied by many operators, so "Safari Blue" on a booking site often means a similar trip run by someone else. The original says its boats fly its logo on their flags and its crew wear its uniform, and it sells through its own booking site and a list of approved partners.

Copies are not necessarily worse, and some are good value, but quality varies. What you are really choosing is the boat, the lunch, the group size and the safety kit.

Menai Bay Conservation Area

Menai Bay, declared a conservation area in 1997, is Zanzibar's largest marine protected area: about 470 km² of reefs, sandbanks, seagrass and mangrove-fringed islands, including Kwale, along 61 km of the south-west coast. It is managed by the Fisheries Department together with the bay's villages, and it is home to resident bottlenose and humpback dolphins. Under the fees in force since 1 September 2025, non-East African visitors pay US$10 per adult per day; most operators include it, but check.

A typical Safari Blue day

Fumba is around 30 minutes by road from Stone Town; from Nungwi, Kendwa or the east coast, allow 1 h 30 or more. Boats usually leave mid-morning and are back in the late afternoon. The order changes with the tide, but most days include a stop on a sandbank that appears at low tide, with fruit and drinks; one or two snorkelling stops on the bay's reefs; time under sail, and on some trips a turn in a ngalawa outrigger canoe; and a seafood barbecue on Kwale Island.

After lunch, groups usually walk to a huge old baobab on Kwale that was blown over long ago and still grows on its side, and swim in a lagoon ringed by mangroves, at its best around high tide. Dolphins are sometimes seen on the way, but this is not a dolphin trip. Because the sandbanks and the lagoon depend on the tide, our Zanzibar tides guide is worth a look before you go.

Not the Nakupenda sandbank

The Nakupenda sandbank that fills social media lies off Stone Town, near Prison Island, and is usually a separate half-day trip, often combined with the tortoises. The Safari Blue sandbanks are in Menai Bay, an hour's sail or more to the south. If a listing promises both in one day, ask how the boat gets between them.

What to check in a Safari Blue copy

Whether you book the original or a copy, compare the boat (a proper dhow with shade, a working engine, a radio and life jackets for everyone), the group size (shared dhows often carry around 20 people), what the lunch includes, and whether the conservation fee, drinks, snorkel gear and transfers are in the price. A cheap trip that leaves out transfers and fees may not be cheaper at all. Ask whether a snorkelling guide goes into the water with the group, which helps less confident swimmers.

Who it suits and what to bring

It is a long, relaxed day rather than an intense snorkelling trip, so it suits families, mixed groups and first-time snorkellers; keen snorkellers usually find the reef at Mnemba more rewarding. Bring water shoes for the sandbank and the lagoon, a hat, reef-safe sunscreen, a cover-up, a towel and cash for tips. Do not stand on coral or take shells. For other ideas, see all our Zanzibar tours and the beaches guide.