Mnemba Island Snorkeling and Swimming with Dolphin Full Day Trip

We were hesitant to book this activity, since we had looked at other companies and the reviews were generally rather negative: they chase the dolphins / as soon as there is a group of dolphins, they tell you to jump off the boat to go swim with them, etc... These reviews did not appear on Tripadvisor, and we were therefore confident that this was not going to happen... We even asked our hotel to call them to confirm, and the receptionist confirmed to us that she had someone on the phone saying that they did not chase the dolphins and that they were respectful! To summarize: 1) They give you a speech at the very beginning on the boat, where they tell you that they are going to try to see the dolphins in a respectful way, without mixing with the crowd of other boats. 2) You mix with the crowd of other boats (1 meter behind them, that way you are not really with them, we don't chase the dolphins, I remind you) 3) They encourage you to jump into the water, they pressure you, they tell you to hurry up 4) They show you Mnemba Island, and then they explain to you that you are going to go snorkeling 5) You go snorkeling in the middle of a lot of other boats that don't look to see if you are close to them or not when they leave 6) They take you to a sandbar to eat fruit. Then your guide shows you the starfish, picks up a few, and gives them to the people with you 7) You head back out to sea and look for dolphins 8) They bring you back safely to port, and they take you to a restaurant What we take away: -The company chases dolphins just like absolutely all the other companies -The company is absolutely not respectful of marine life, whether it be dolphins or starfish -The experience is very expensive for what it is -The guides were nice anyway - The reefs were beautiful at the snorkeling site We didn't even particularly want to take photos, it was so crowded with tourists and the experience was frankly saddening.

Our experience was positive. However, there was disorganization in the preparation of the tour. They didn't have glasses for all the tourists. There were no stairs to access the boat. After starting the tour they were still asking for sticks and glasses to other boats and next to the fish market. They asked for stairs to another boat during the journey. In addition, the concern for the safety of tourists has to be greater because if someone felt bad at sea there was no salvation because knowing where the vest goes saves lives or the use of them is a mirage. Not being responsible for the tour I also have a negative aspect to report: on the beach we stopped to eat the fruit (which was very good ) the beach was full of plastic cans and remains of other boat passages there doing the same as us. I do not understand how it is that with a huge hotel next door ( iberostar ) or the companies that organize these tours together do not clean the beach, leaving a bad picture of what is extremely beautiful. As for what we made the trip was all spectacular, coral dolphins and landscapes.

It was a good trip, even though the weather was not good for snorkelling. The two lads who were our guides knew where to find dolphins in the choppy waters. We were lucky we got to the area where we saw and swim next to dolphins in early afternoon because there’s just few jellyfish larvae. The coral reef is slowly dying but we saw a few different, colourful fish. The zebra fish is the most common. The boys served fresh fruits on board, and we had a good lunch. There were masks and tubes to use for snorkelling but no fins. If you take this trip on an overcast day, take a windbreaker or warmer clothing, because the boat ride was long and when we got out of the ocean we had to shield from the wind.

Well organised and ethical crew. As previous reviews mention they don’t chase the dolphins like the other boats do, and it is horrible to witness other boats harassing the dolphins. People on our boat did get in the water with the dolphins but in a much more respectful manner. The sandbank was fabulous. Snorkelling was great, so much to see. Lunch at a local restaurant on the beach was delicious and tailored to your taste. Highly recommend using this organisation for your trips. Great communication via WhatsApp 10/10.

We had an amazing day that we are not likely to forget. Snorkeling like in an aquarium surrounded by hundreds of beautiful fish and swimming with dolphins, in a small group away from the crowds, with a very attentive team from Captain Barnaba focused on the well-being of the animals and a great respect for nature. Thank you again for these magical moments!

It was fun I enjoyed every moment of it

Great day thanks to the team that accompanied us. They followed us carefully to safety with lifebuoys for any difficulties during snorkeling. Then they gave us the opportunity for several dives among the dolphins, moving with the boat near their passage. During the return the atmosphere was very pleasant with local songs in which we all participated together. Break with fresh fruit carefully prepared before returning. Very good.

absolutely a perfect day with a great captain and mate in the beautiful Indian ocean...the dolphins were out in force , the snorkeling site was full of fish and the meal cooked and prepared by the captain was a local seafood feast!!! I highly recommend this day experience and make sure to setup early so as not to miss this perfect experience

Overall I enjoyed the trip but I am not sure I got what was promised. First, we were saying in Stonetown so the operator organized our pickup early in the morning for $50 roundtrip. The price is what was quoted by other drivers and took a little over an hour. At the restaurant we were pretty quickly hustled on to a boat after a stop in a nasty bathroom. Our guide and boat captain were great and explained what we would do that day. There were four other guests on the boat. The equipment provided was adequate - flippers and mask. Our first stop was to jump in and swim along with dolphins. On this day there were lots of boats surrounding small pods of dolphins who were quickly swimming away. So this even was not very exciting. Our guides tried several times to give us chances to jump in. I am sure on some days this could be a great experience but I was a little disappointed. Next we moved on to the snorkel site Mnemba Island area. The coral looked dead to me and the area small. We jumped off the boat and we were able to see Nemo, Dory, Grouper, Zebra fish, Cornet fish, Rainbow fish, and Trumpet fish. Snorkeling was the best part. Lunch was next and again our team had given us delicious fruit for snack and made sure we had a good lunch. My children did enjoy their time on the boat which was comfortable. I was expecting to have time on a pristine beach and a large area to snorkel off the beach so I was disappointed that this is not what happened. I guess this is when the sandbar is available. I guess it would be nice to have another beach to visit when the sandbar is not available. I really appreciate the organizers who I think did the best they could.

Great experience. We swam with dolphins and had a great fruit platter in the end. Our captain was more respectful to the dolphins then many other boats we saw in the area.