Snorkeling Tours ZanzibarSafari Blue Zanzibar: The Real One Costs $82
By Salim Haji · Zanzibar-based snorkeling guide · Updated August 2026
Safari Blue Zanzibar is one company running one boat trip out of Fumba village, and it is also a name that a dozen operators have painted on the side of their dhows. Knowing which you booked matters more than anything else about the day, because the original publishes its prices, has run the same route since 1996, and is the reason the trip has the reputation the copies are trading on. For reef rather than sailing, compare the snorkeling tours in Zanzibar that go straight to the coral.
Quick answer
Safari Blue is a full-day dhow trip from Fumba village into the Menai Bay Conservation Area, roughly 09:30 to 16:30. The original operator charges $82 per adult and $42 per child aged 6 to 14, all inclusive. Snorkeling is one stop of about 35 minutes, so book it for the sailing, the sandbank and the seafood, not for the reef.
Key takeaways
- Original operator prices, published directly: $82 adult 15+, $42 child 6 to 14, everything included
- Private options: a Bubble Boat at $250 per boat plus $82 per person, and a private dhow charter at $550 all-inclusive for two
- Running from Fumba since 1996. The company states publicly it is the only genuine Safari Blue from that village
- The day: sandbank picnic about 2 hours, snorkeling stop about 35 minutes, mangrove lagoon, baobab on Kwale Island, Swahili seafood barbecue
- Hotel transport is usually charged on top of the ticket
- Book the full-day Menai Bay trip at $99 if you want it packaged with fees, tax and pickup handled
Booking the Menai Bay Day
The listed option covers the same bay, the same dhow format and the same seafood lunch, with entry fees and government tax inside the ticket and shared, private and solo-traveller versions available.
from $99Full Day — Menai Bay Zanzibar: Safari Blue Day trip with Snorkeling and Lunch
- Sail the Menai Bay Conservation Area on a traditional dhow from Fumba
- Snorkeling stops plus a sandbank and the mangrove lagoon
- Seafood lunch, soft drinks and fresh fruit included
- Entry fees and government tax already in the price
What the Day Is, Hour by Hour
The Route
Pickup from your hotel is around 08:00 depending on distance, and the dhows leave Fumba village on the southwest coast at about 09:30. From there the day works its way through the Menai Bay Conservation Area and finishes back at Fumba around 16:30.
The order shifts with the tide, which is the point worth understanding: the sandbank only exists at certain states of the tide, and the lagoon is only swimmable at others. A crew that reshuffles the day is reading the water, not improvising.
| Stop | Roughly | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Hotel pickup | 08:00 | Transport usually charged separately |
| Depart Fumba | 09:30 | Traditional dhow under sail |
| Sandbank | About 2 hours | Swimming, fresh fruit, white sand |
| Snorkeling stop | About 35 min | Around 300 m off the sandbank |
| Mangrove lagoon | Tide dependent | Swim through the natural lagoon |
| Kwale Island | Lunch | Baobab tree, seafood barbecue |
| Back at Fumba | 16:30 | Return transfer to your hotel |
What $82 Actually Buys
The original operator publishes its rates rather than quoting on request, which is itself a useful signal. An adult aged 15 and over pays $82, a child aged 6 to 14 pays $42.
That covers the dhow, a snorkel guide, quality snorkelling equipment, and food and drinks all day with no extras added on the boat. The seafood lunch on Kwale Island is the part people talk about afterwards: lobster, prawns, calamari and octopus, cooked on the island and served family style, with tropical fruit through the day.
Two upgrades exist. The Bubble Boat is $250 per boat on top of $82 per person, and buys a private dhow with cushions and a private table at the Kwale restaurant. The private dhow charter is $550 all-inclusive for two, with a dedicated crew, a personalised itinerary and lunch served somewhere secluded.
Hotel transport is the line item that catches people. It is usually extra, and the distance from the north-coast beaches to Fumba is substantial.
The Copycat Problem
The original company states on its own site that it is the only genuine Safari Blue operating from Fumba village. That notice exists because the name has been copied so widely that hotels sell "Safari Blue" without knowing whose boat their guest is boarding.
A copy is not automatically a bad day out. Several imitators run a decent trip. But the differences show up in the things that cost money: the quality of the snorkel gear, whether the lunch is actually lobster and prawns or rice and a small fish, whether there is a guide in the water with you, and whether the crew is paid enough to still be there next season. The original has staff who have worked with it since 1996.
Ask your hotel one question before you pay: which company, by name, is operating the boat. If the answer is vague, that is the answer.
- Ask for the operating company by name, not just the trip name
- Check whether food, drinks and snorkel gear are genuinely all included with no on-board extras
- Confirm whether hotel transfer is in the price or added
- Ask whether a snorkel guide gets in the water with the group
- Book midweek if the photographs of an empty sandbank are what sold you the day
Crowds, and What This Trip Is Not
On a busy day travellers report twenty-five or more boats anchored at the same sandbank. The marketing picture of a lone dhow on an empty strip of sand is a midweek, low-season proposition, not a Saturday in August.
And the honest framing: Safari Blue is a sailing and eating day with a snorkel attached. The stop is about thirty-five minutes over a reef in Menai Bay that is decent and not remarkable. If the reef is the reason you came to Zanzibar, the Mnemba conservation area or the quieter coral off Tumbatu will do more for you, and both are half-day trips that leave the rest of your day intact.
What Safari Blue does better than anything else on the island is fill a whole day with variety: sail, swim, sandbank, lagoon, baobab, seafood, sail back. Families and groups with mixed appetites do very well on it.
Getting to Fumba
Fumba village sits on the southwest coast, about 40 to 50 minutes from Stone Town by road and considerably further from the northern beaches. From Nungwi or Kendwa you are looking at roughly two hours each way, which turns an eight-hour trip into a twelve-hour day.
If you are based in the north and want a full-day boat, weigh that drive against a Mnemba morning plus an afternoon on your own beach. If you are in or near Stone Town, Fumba is close and Safari Blue is the best full day available to you.
Menai Bay and the Safari Blue Route
The departure village and the stops the day works through, tide permitting.
Safari Blue Zanzibar: Questions Travellers Ask
What is Safari Blue in Zanzibar?
A full-day traditional dhow trip from Fumba village on the southwest coast into the Menai Bay Conservation Area, running roughly 09:30 to 16:30. The day combines sailing, a long stop on a sandbank, a snorkeling stop of about 35 minutes, a swim in a mangrove lagoon, the baobab tree on Kwale Island and a Swahili seafood barbecue. The original operator has run it since 1996.
What is included in a Blue Safari package?
With the original operator, $82 per adult and $42 per child aged 6 to 14 covers the dhow, a snorkel guide, snorkelling equipment, and all food and drinks through the day with no extras added on board. Hotel transport is usually charged separately. The Bubble Boat upgrade is $250 per boat plus $82 per person for a private dhow and a private table at lunch, and a full private charter is $550 all-inclusive for two.
What do they eat at Safari Blue Zanzibar?
A Swahili seafood barbecue served on Kwale Island: lobster, prawns, calamari and octopus, cooked on the island and served family style, with rice and salads alongside. Tropical fruit, watermelon, mango, pineapple and coconut, comes out on the sandbank earlier in the day, and soft drinks are available on the boat throughout.
Is Safari Blue worth it?
For a full day with variety, yes, and it is the best one available from Stone Town. For snorkeling specifically, no. The reef stop lasts about 35 minutes over decent but unremarkable coral, and a half-day boat to the Mnemba conservation area or Tumbatu delivers considerably more reef for less time and money. Book Safari Blue for the sailing, the sandbank and the seafood.
How do I know I booked the real Safari Blue?
Ask for the operating company by name rather than the trip name, and check that the boat leaves from Fumba village. The original publishes its prices openly at $82 adult and $42 child and states that it is the only genuine Safari Blue running from Fumba, because the name has been widely copied. Vague answers from a hotel desk usually mean an imitator.
How far is Fumba from the beaches?
Fumba is 40 to 50 minutes by road from Stone Town, which makes it easy from there. From Nungwi or Kendwa on the north coast it is closer to two hours each way, turning an eight-hour trip into a twelve-hour day. If you are staying in the north, weigh that against a half-day Mnemba boat and an afternoon on your own beach.
Is Safari Blue good for children?
It is one of the better full-day options for families. The child rate covers ages 6 to 14 at $42, the sandbank is shallow and safe, and the day has enough variety that children who lose interest in snorkeling still have a sandbank, a lagoon and a boat to occupy them. The full day is long, so factor in sun cover and a place to nap on the dhow.
Want the Menai Bay day without arranging anything?
Entry fees and government tax included, shared and private options, free cancellation up to 24 hours.