Mnemba
Mnemba Island is a popular scuba diving site, with a wide variety of corals and associated species, as well as occasional sightings of larger species such as turtles and dolphins. Calm conditions are most frequent in November and March, with maximum visibility. The island itself is privately owned and can be visited only as a guest at a price of US$1155 to US$1600 per person per night (2015 rates). As Mnemba is a private island, non-guests are not permitted to land on the island. The island has a 200-meter exclusion zone around the island within which non-guests are not permitted.
Mnemba Island is a 90-minute drive from Stone Town across the main Zanzibar Island, before a twenty-minute boat crossing.
The marine reserve comprises four distinct habitats which are home to a diverse array of Indian Ocean wildlife:
- Nesting place of threatened green sea turtles (monitoring and protection project has been underway since 1996)
- Humpback whales (July to September)
- Three species of dolphin
- Whale sharks (the world's largest fish)
- Migratory and resident shore birds feed and roost on the Island
- Approximately 600 species of coral reef fish.
Green sea turtles can be seen laying their eggs on the beaches between February and September.
References
- Finke, J. (2006) The Rough Guide to Zanzibar (2nd edition). New York: Rough Guides.
- ^ "Pédalons dans la savane - Allons voir les poissons a Mnemba Island - Blog de voyage". savanavelo.uniterre.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ "Zamzibar". Archived from the original on 2004-11-12. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ "Some Zanzibar snaps | 2R+1L= some lovely chaos". poppyseedandmuffin.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.
- ^ "Mnemba Archives - Africa Odyssey Testimonials". africaodyssey.com. Retrieved 2016-07-24.