About Tanzania Northern National Parks

• Arusha National Park
• Tarangire National Park
• Lake Manyara National Park
• Ngorongoro Crater
• Serengeti National Park

Southern National Parks

• Selous Game Reserve
• Mikumi National Park
• Ruaha National Park
• Katavi National Park
• Udzungwa Mountain Park

Mountain Climbing

• Mount Kilimanjaro
• Mount Meru
• Oldonyo Lengai

Trekking

• Maasai Wonderland Trekking
• Tinga-Tinga in West Kilimanjaro
• Tinga-Tinga & Maasai Wonderland Trupa
• Kitumbaine & Longido Hills Trupa

Itineraries Hotels and Lodges Zanzibar

• Zanzibar History
• Stone Town
• Spice Tour
• Jozani Forest
• Prison Island
• Norht Coast
• Bawe Island
• Grave Island
• Dolphin Tours
• Safari Blue
• Chumbe Island Coral Park

Accompaniments Photo Gallery

CHUMBE ISLAND CORAL PARK

Chumbe Island Coral Park, situated a few kilometres offshore from Zanzibar, leaves us speechless every time we visit. Chumbe has all the attractions of an island paradise - glorious coral reefs, waving palm trees, thick coral-rag forests and sublime cuisine.

Chumbe offers the most pristine and colourful coral reefs you'll find on the East Coast with over 200 species of coral providing a sanctuary for more than 400 species of colourful fish. To protect these coral reefs, diving is not permitted in the marine park. The reef is shallow enough to see everything very clearly with a mask, snorkel and fins. There is also a coral-rag forest which is home to the endangered Ader's duiker, giant coconut crabs, hermit crabs and a variety of bird species. Knowledgeable guides take guests on daily snorkelling and forest tours. It all started when German visitor Sibylle Riedmiller went snorkelling on the Chumbe reef.

Stunned at the diversity of coral and fish species, she campaigned the Tanzanian government to declare Chumbe Island a marine park. In 1994 her wish for the protection of these reefs was granted and Chumbe Island was gazetted a protected marine area. Since many local fishermen didn't know the value of coral or how to protect it, Sibylle set up an education and conservation project. Fishermen were trained as park rangers, and school children were brought to Chumbe to learn about marine ecology. Of course, funds were needed to keep all this good work going, so the idea of a low-impact, self-sustaining tourism project began.

After continued efforts (the Tanzanian government favoured large hotel developments) Sibylle succeeded in building a small eco-tourism lodge. Today Chumbe operates as a non-profit organisation with all the funds generated from tourism channelled straight back into the conservation and educational programmes. It's a highly successful model of sustainable tourism development and we hope to see other projects like it in the near future.