Marine Parks in Zanzibar

In addition to the nature reserves in Zanzibar, there are also reserves by and in the ocean. These reserves are protected due to their biodiversity. Among these are Chumbe Marine Park, Mnemba Marine Park, Misali Marine Park and Menai Marine Park.

Chumbe Marine Park

Chumbe Marine Park is officially called Chumbe Reef Sanctuary and is a privately owned institution. The park was created in 1994 and its purpose is to preserve the diverse ecosystem in the coral reef. You can go snorkeling in the area and there is a good possibility of seeing barracudas among other animals. But there are a lot of fish in the area – so when you go snorkeling you have to keep your eyes open so you see as many of the magnificent sea creatures as possible. There are batfish that tend to follow divers along the reef as closely as possible. There are hawksbill turtles that you can follow around if you move slowly. There are lobsters among the corals, bluespottet stingrays that think they are invisible when hiding under a thin layer of sand. There are also the colorful parrotfish as well as 400 other species of fish that you can see while snorkeling.

What makes snorkeling in this area unique is that the fish are not at all afraid of people. This is probably because there is no fishing in the area since 1994.

Mnemba Marine Park

Mnemba Marine Park is located 10 kilometers from Stone Town and is part of the northeast part of Unguja Island. It is a marine reserve and an atoll which is located between Matemwe and Nungwi which is an important asset both ecologically and financially. Previously the area was open to fishermen but for the last 33 years it has been under a lease contract which has made the area an exclusive island for people with substantial means.

Part of the park was recently declared a ‘no touch zone’ and named House Reef to ensure that the corals are maintained. In the park, there are various species of plants but it is also home to the green tortoise (which is an endangered species) that uses the area to nest.

Misali Marine Park

Masili Marine Park is part of the Pemba Channel Conservation Area which covers an area of 21.58 square kilometers including a 9.4 square kilometer circle of coral surrounding Misali Island.

The reef by Misali Island is an ecosystem with a high biodiversity and socioeconomic value. There are 42 different kinds of coral and the reef is also home to around 400 different species of fish for example the endangered humphead.

Menai Marine Park

Menai Marine Park has areas in the ocean and by the coast and is located on the southwest part of Unguja Island. There are plenty of tropical fish, sea grass and coral reef in the area where you can also see mangrove woods on the many islets.

Among the many species living there are moray eels, scorpionfish, lionfish, octopus, lobsters, stingrays and dolphins.

There are underwater rocks, shipwrecks, gorges, caves and spectacular coral reefs that all make this area a popular place for diving and snorkeling.

Menai Marine Park is a protected area which covers 470 square kilometers.