Private Dolphin Tour and Snorkeling at Mnemba Island reef

Mnemba Atoll felt like stepping into a postcard — warm turquoise waters, dancing fish, and a surprise sea turtle gliding by. We also swim with dolphins nearby. Pure magic. If you do one thing in Zanzibar, make it this.

Arrived to a rough sea. Was surprised we had no safety brief or reassurance about the sea conditions. In fact we were told very little. Arriving at the reef about a dozen body’s were already anchored. Less than 10% of people were venturing into the water. It was too rough. Others were visibly unwell. We did snorkel, it was an amazing if brief experience. There were no dolphins. Obviously superior beings to avoid the weather conditions. Dolphins of course we have no control over but I feel that today’s trip was purely to income generate and not good value.

Hmm a bit pricey. I suspected they act as the middle men between the toutists and those who actually own the boat and gear at the location. I highly recommend tourists to take a cab straight to the location, then hire a boat. It will be soo much cheaper.

We stayed in Zanzibar 4 days and have chosen Ali for our excursions thanks to very good reviews on TripAdvisor. Ali was really kind and caring. He organized 2 private excursions for us: - excursion to the island of Mnemba, where we were able to see dolphins and swim with them. After swimming we went back in our private boat and got a big and delicious platter of local fruits. Then we had a fantastic lunch in a small restaurant on the beach with a great view. We ate fish, octopus, shrimps and lobsters (all included). - We also trusted Ali for a second combined excursion: Prison Island, Stone Town and spice farm. Everything was perfect. As for Mnemba Ali came to pick us up at our hotel. Everything was perfectly organized. We had a fantastic guide to visit every thing. We learned a lot (history, culture, economy, way of life, the various spices the country is growing and exporting… The service offered by Ali is truly professional. He is an honest and serious person. In addition, his prices are affordable and very reasonable. If you are looking for good value for money, do not hesitate to contact him. He will be able to meet your needs and advise you based on what you want to do. He offers many customized quality programs. He can search a guide speaking your language. We strongly recommend Ali. Below are his contact details, do not hesitate to call him or contact him by WhatsApp : Ali +255 778 943 116 Thanks a lot to Ali for everything.

Let’s start with this was not a 4 hour tour. For us it lasted 2 hours - including from the time we were picked up at your hotel. We were picked up at 7am and were done by 9:10am. Then - swimming with the dolphins experience went south quickly. Once we navigated to a soo in the ocean we waited for the dolphins. That was ok… however, at least 10 more boats were already which, at the moment, was not a big deal for us… Once there was word that dolphins had been spotted, it become, literally, a boat race to get to the dolphins. All boats circled the dolphins and we were yelled to jump… by the time we and everyone else hit the water, the dolphins had been scared and submerged. We found ourselves in the water getting hit or avoiding being hit by the boats. We were asked to get quickly on the boat so we could chase the dolphins and repeat. By the second attempt there were just too many boats and we knew it was not safe nor worth to jump in the water at this point. In addition the dolphins were scared so they remain swimming on the bottom of the ocean. We felt awful for the dolphins! After this we went snorkeling. The experience was good but again too many boats and people. We snorkeled for about 15 minutes. When we returned to the boat, we were offered pineapple, papaya, ripe avocado, and small bananas which were just cut without any sanitary consideration, while we were swimming and placed in a tray on the floor of the boat. So the tray got salt water on it almost immediately. This is raw-No napkins, no plates, no sanitary protocol. NO SANDBAR - part of the tour included the sandbar. we were told there was no sandbar because at that time of the day the water is high. Wish they have clarified this in their promotion. So we headed back to the shore where we were dropped at a beach to get transported back to our hotel - under other circumstances I would have come to terms and accepted the disappointing experience but with a price tag of $135 per person - it is a rip off.

Amazing , swimming with wild dolphins is surnatural . The water is warm , the corals are amazing , not to many paole, well organnize from A to Z

This was one of the few places that do pick ups from further down the island which is such a bonus but the experience itself was absolutely amazing. The captain made sure we were ok the whole time jumping in with us when we swam with dolphins always checking in that we were ok and were able to see them. The snorkeling was also amazing the captain was showing us the different fish and telling us about them took photos close up further down of the reef and of us it was such an exceptional experience I would highly recommend to go with them especially seeing other boats with people jumping in without the captain it just made you feel safer with him there with you as he also held the hand of one of our friends so was slightly scared. The fruit was also amazing and freshly cut onboard.

The private taxi picked us up on time and he coordinated with the boat operators as soon as we reached the beach! I recommend going early around 6:30am. Not too many boats at all and more chance of seeing Dolphins.. we swam with the dolphins for a really good period of time. They didn’t seem alarmed by our presence. The guys on the boat held our GoPro for us and got some great footage! Couldn’t have asked for more!

Boat & ocean lovers, don’t miss this opportunity to Enjoy the beauty of the nature at Zanzibar - Mnemba Island. The Best part of the trip was seeing wild dolphins in their natural habitat. There was no need for all kind of fresh fruits or snorcheling with different type of fishes. Captain Mário did manage it all! Only thing we needed to do was come to the beach in the time that we selected. 100% recommended from us! Thank you Captain! 🩵

Lovely experience with my family, for the first time we had actually swim with the dolphins 🐬, the experience was completely different with what we have done in other countries. We started the trip early at 5:00 a.m, it was unbelievable and the only sad thing is that we didn't bring go pro to film it. Sutan Tours did an amazing Job.