Chumbe Island

The small Chumbe Island served as a military base for many years, during which no visitors were permitted to visit. It's perhaps for this reason that the island has retained its truly phenomenal natural heritage; a diversity of coral marine life that offers snorkelling as good as anywhere around Zanzibar.

These days the island serves a much better purpose - ecotourism - and it does this in spades. More than 350 fish species as well as dolphins and turtles have been recorded here, as well as 60 species of birds. Among Chumbe's rarer resident species are the roseate tern and the huge coconut crab, a nocturnal creature that can weigh up to 4kg.

The island, run in its entirety as a natural park, is circumnavigated by a walking trail and dotted with rockpools and beaches, home respectively to starfish and armies of hermit crabs. An excellent eco-lodge on the island offers accommodation in one of seven rustic bungalows, and all its profits are channeled into conservation and education.

Chumbe isn't a chill-out beach resort, but it's nothing short of a dream for naturalists or conservation or wildlife enthusiasts.

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