5-hour Snorkeling, Swimming With Dolphins And Sea Turtles Aquarium

We spent 15 days in Nungwi and organized numerous private tours with Aquarium Adventures. Suleiman and his team fulfilled our wishes and tailored the excursions to our desires. We shared many wonderful moments. The Blue Safari was a bit of a letdown for us; it was too crowded (but we are solitary travelers). You can visit Zanzibar with Aquarium Adventures; you won't be disappointed. Best wishes to Suleiman, his brother, and the team; not forgetting the captain of the "Pirates of Nungwi."

If you love the ocean, you won't want to miss this trip. In a small group, we took a boat to Mnemba Atoll. Life underwater is so diverse that I didn't realize how much time had passed. The special moment was seeing the dolphins up close - they were swimming alongside our boat in such a friendly way! A picnic in the sandbank and finally going to the turtle lagoon and getting close to those huge turtles - in a word, it is worth remembering for a lifetime.

The trip was average as the person that took us didn't engage at all and was not interested in explaining where we were going and what we were doing. We loved to see the dolphins and do some snorkeling even if we were not informed that could be some jellyfish in the water and some people got stung. Last part of our trip was the best one as we visited Mnarani aquarium and swam with the turtles. Trip is definitely overpriced, would suggest to find a cheaper alternative.

The tour started with a dolphin hunt, and luckily, within a few minutes, I saw a bunch of dolphins. The guides helped us get very close but also took care of safety. Snorkeling at Mnemba Reef was the best moment of the day - the clarity of the water and the color of the fish made me feel like I was inside an aquarium. Rest on the sandbank, eat fresh fruits, and just have blue water around - do not forget it in life. Finally, feeding the turtles in the Turtle Lagoon was peaceful and enjoyable.

We were really happy to see dolphins, and up close! There were a few boats around, but our guide chose the time so that it wasn't too crowded. The snorkeling spots were beautiful, especially the second spot - where the water was clear and there were fewer people. Eating fresh pineapple and bananas while resting at the Sandbank was an amazing experience. Our guide at the Turtle aquarium was a young guy; he explained everything with great interest. It would have been better if we had given him a little more time, but overall it was very enjoyable.

It's not just the locations, but the way this tour is conducted that makes it stand out. The team of Nungwi Aquarium Adventures is absolutely professional and sincere. The smiling faces of the guides, our constant attention, the personal support of each participant - everything is touching. Walking in the starfish garden felt like I was in a dream. Then when a clownfish passed in front of my glasses during snorkeling, it was one of the most memorable moments of my life. At the place of the turtle, our guide was telling the story with passion and enthusiasm - that was also the highlight of the tour.

I've been on many tours, but this one seemed to bring it all together - joy, nature, and connection. The moment when we were swimming beside the dolphins in the water was memorable. The guides were extremely careful - they always kept an eye out to make sure no one was at risk. While snorkeling we could not take our eyes off the colorful fish and corals. And the most peaceful was the experience of eating fresh fruit sitting on a small sandbank next to Mnemba Atoll. The moment of touching and feeding the turtles in Nungwi Turtle Lagoon cannot be expressed in words.

Having participated in this tour, I think I have never been so connected to the sea in my life. Bright blue water in the sun, the light of the boat, and the herd of dolphins in the distance - the whole thing was like a movie. Our guides were very knowledgeable. They took each place in a timely manner and explained each spot in an excellent way. It's best to see colorful fish under the reef while snorkeling and just the water and sky around while eating fruit in the sandbank! At the end, the moments spent with the turtles in the turtle aquarium are etched in the heart.

Great staff, excellent fresh fruit served on a sand bank in a quiet spot. The swimming with dolphins was way too crowded, but that's not our staff to blame for. After seing the dolphins where they recommended us to stay in the boat due to the danger of all the boats, they took us to the reef where we did snorkeling and saw beautiful, colourful small fish but still a bit crowded, they took us to a much more quiet spot for snorkeling again, then watching starfish and then the wonderful fruit. The turtle aquarium was also great with a very friendly and enthusiastic young guide. Highly recommend this tour!

Be prepared for the reality of overly touristy nature. The corals were nearly all dead, there were some fish, but nowhere near the variety one expects from corals, it was also a very small reef. You got very close to the dolphins, but so does the other 40 tourists snorkeling around, it felt a bit like animal cruelty, with the boats all chasing them from sun up to sun down. The seaturtle aquarium was impressive, their claims of being a conversation project is doubtful, but otherwise they seemed to know enough that it felt like they did care for the animals. It was fascinating and they space out visits so the small lake doesn't get crowded. (note that I visited in the low season) We skipped the starfish snorkeling due to bad weather, but you can always find loads of them along the beach when the tide is low

Hotel pick-up and drop-off were on time, operator was very friendly who handed me over to 2 more friendly boat tour guides. Scenery was beautiful. Unfortunately I didn’t see any dolphins but the snorkeling was still a lot of fun. The turtle tour guide was very friendly and helpful as well. The turtle tour and kayaking was a lot of fun!

The tour is such a great experience! It’s well organised and the whole team goes out of their way to make you feel comfortable. They also make sure you are safe at all times - which is something we saw lacking on other tour boats. Our highlights were the starfish and the turtles although it is so hard to pick from so many great moments made on this tour. If you get a chance go take an adventure on the Dory! You won’t be disappointed. Thanks again to Suleiman the whole Nungwi Aquarium Adventures team!

I really loved the snorkeling and visiting the turtle aquarium. I think our guides did a good job. I can certainly recommend this experience to everyone!

Don’t do it!! It’s a terrible hunt with way too many people and boats, super stressful! INSTANT REGRET. I felt bad for the animals.

Actually it was really awesome to see dolphins, exotic fish and turtles so close. But, the amount of ships and visitors was really annoying. To many people that were also diving deep were distributing the fish. Also, it looked like the dolphins were disturbed by all the boats and swimmers and were fleeing from the crowd and bad exhausts from the boats. Also be aware that the turtles bite! The time for snorkeling was to less (20 min). The most of the time you are on the boat driving from one place to the other.

We had an amazing experience on the 5-hour tour! Swimming with dolphins was such a fun highlight, and snorkeling around Mnemba Beach was absolutely breathtaking. Feeding the hawksbill and olive ridley turtles was an unforgettable moment. Our tour guides were incredibly friendly and helpful, ensuring we had all the necessary protective gear, which made us feel safe throughout the entire experience. Overall, this tour was definitely worth it! Highly recommend for anyone looking to explore the beauty of the ocean.

Overall, I had a great time and I would recommend. I had read plenty of reviews before this, so was well equipped for the things that other people are complaining about (constantly chasing dolphins the main thing). We also lucked out with fantastic weather. The experience with dolphins is great, but you have to be a pretty good swimmer to get close to them. If you’re after an authentic experience with wild dolphins, you’ll love it. If you just want an up close and personal experience with dolphins - go to a zoo. The only thing I would say the operator can improve upon is the start, we weren’t really given any form of a briefing or what would happen or any safety considerations (the boat was equipped with life jackets though and you can wear them at your discretion). The turtles were cool as well and a must I’d say. Given how long you’re out at sea, make sure to go the bathroom right before you leave!

Don’t think twice, book this tour immediately! Suleiman’s tour guides were the highlight of the entire trip to Zanzibar! They picked us up from the beach at our resort and we ended up being the only 2 to go, so it was basically a private tour. They first took us to Mnemba atoll for some snorkeling and then we left for the sandbank stop. The sandbank was SURREAL! I have never seen water that clear and beautiful. Our guides (Joumo and Karabu ?) were great and cut us up some fresh pineapple, mango, and bananas while there. It was literal perfection. We then left to find dolphins which was exciting and funny, literally jumping off moving boats into the water to see dolphins underneath us lol. Then we left there to go see starfish and a ton of sea urchins. After this stop, our last stop was at the turtle conservatory to feed and swim with turtles before heading home. So much was done in 5 hours and like I said, it was the highlight of our trip! Thank you all for this tour! Book it immediately!!!

Positive: - Turtle aquarium was good, transfers were included. - Didn't get to see dolphins but saw a Marlin Negative: - A warning for anyone who may get motion sickness- the ride is very very bumpy. - They first drove us into very choppy waters before pointing for us to put on the flippers and snorkels and to get in the water. The guide did not speak English as advertised and basically just pointed to the water. - My husband had never snorkelled before and although I am an ex competitive swimmer and an experienced snorkeler I felt apprehensive looking at the current of the water we were in. We had to ask several times for a life jacket for my husband and eventually along with the two other women with us found them ourselves on the boat for him and one of the women. - My husband got in and started to be swept under the boat and asked for help, the guy on the boat did not understand and just said "hakuna matata". My husband got back into the boat as he was scared. I stayed close to the boat attempting to snorkel with the other two women but the current was strong and pulling us along quite quickly and far. - When my husband got back on the boat, without ANYA communication, the boat DROVE OFF leaving myself and the other 2 women in the water on our own with only one of us wearing a jacket! They left for 5 minutes, we were waving to other boats for help and I was starting to feel really tired from treading water so after 3 minutes (I've got it recorded on my GoPro which was attached to me) two of us ended up having to hold onto the woman with the life jacket. - We quickly got back on and my husband said the guy rode off to talk to someone else on another boat. The man loosely asked if we wanted to snorkel more and we said no because he left us alone and we could have been in danger and he did not seem to care and just drove to look for dolphins - We did not see any dolphins and after looking for 30min on choppy water and rough driving we asked if we could stop looking for them, he did not understand the request so continued to roughly drive for another 30min at which point all 4 of us said we felt sick. - Did not stop at any sandbank for a picnic. They just cut some fruit to give us in a very bumpy boat ride - As we approached the beach near the title sanctuary, the second guy jumped off the boat and just threw 4 starfish onto the boat for us to look at, there was no snorkeling in this part. Overall, I would not recommend this as I had found another tour guide on here for another tour the day before and found him way more informative, a trained guide and he really cared about our experience. We then cancelled any tours booked on viator and went exclusively with him because this one broke our trust and we did not feel safe with them at all. Suleiman the owner did check in with us at the turtle sanctuary to see if we were OK and we said it had been OK but not good. But then we left in the cab to go home. The two stars they got on here were purely for the fact that we had a good taxi driver and the guys at the turtle aquarium (not from this company) were amazing and made it worthwhile. I'd recommend finding a local guide/cab company yourself to communicate with and book.

The pick up by boat at our hotel beach was nice and snorkeling was very good with abundant fish. However, do not expect to actually swim with dolphins. Our boat and 20 others chased a group of dolphins in the open ocean. A few people got in the water but roaring boats made that dangerous. The turtle rescue sanctuary was very good. As we left the turtles, a guide said that according to our contract, pickup at the hotel was included but return was not. He tried to swindle us. We had papers showing our drop off was at the meeting point - our hotel. We then got the taxi ride back.

The snorkelling was good and it was fun to visit the sandbank. Unfortunately the weather was not great which made it quite cold on the boat (but not that the organisers could do anything about this). Lovely fresh fruit as a snack. The weather also meant we couldn't swim with the dolphins as too choppy and we only saw them briefly. By far the best bit of the trip was the sea turtles aquarium. Getting so close and feeding the turtles and learning about the conservation was the best part of my whole time in Zanzibar.

Amazing experience! The guides know what they’re doing to help you spot the dolphins/find star fish! The dolphin spotting was good but seemed quite stressful with a lot of boats looking for one lot of dolphins. Defo recommend this excursion as you get to see so much in only 5 hours!

Great tour. We were picked up at our lodging and they came the day before to make sure they could find us, which was appreciated. You have to pay your way home but they provide a taxi you can use. Indian ocean is beautiful. Snorkeling was great, they provided delicious fresh fruit for a snack, we saw lots of dolphins and enjoyed feeding the sea turtles. The only downside was when we got caught in the rain-there is no cover on the boat so we were cold and wet for that part. Thankfully it did not last too long.

Amazing amazing amazing experience!! Suleiman and his brother Juma were great guides. They took us everywhere included in the itinerary and did not rush us. We were able to take our time and enjoy the experience. Highly recommend! Asante Sana!

I was really looking forward to this trip but unfortunately we did not have a good time. Within 5 minutes of locating the dolphins, coming back in from the water, I climbed up the ladder of the boat and slipping. Once I was back on the boat I realized I sliced inbetween my two toes quite deeply off the ladder and my foot was pumping bleeding. My partner had to wrap his tshirt around it and when he asked for first aid box, they had none! What kind of boat doesn’t have first aid? And offered a tissue? When we showed the man on the boat, he laughed and said it’s fine, you need the ocean, salt water is good! Bare in mind we still had another 4 hours on this boat! The doctors were horrified to see my foot, they had to deeply clean it and told me I had sepsis from the ladder as my foot was the size of a balloon and bruised, I got a tetnus shot and 3 stitches! And the men on the boat saying it’s fine! Offering no help whatsoever, just want their money. Highly disappointing. Regardless of my foot, i did not enjoy how many boats chase after these poor dolphins and corner them in for entertainment, from the dolphins, to this fish, to the beach, everything is so far apart that you spend most of the time on the boat. Would not recommend!! Do not book!

I wish I could split the day and rate it as separate experiences. Sea Turtles - 5 stars - amazing! This was so special. We were taken off the boat and walked a short distance to the aquarium and into the lagoon. The guy who met us was friendly, and told us about the turtles, got seaweed for us to feed them, and led us down the steps. The tide was out, so we couldn't "swim" with the turtles but we paddled, got to feed and interact with them and it was very relaxed with no pressure to rush our experience. Transfers - 5 stars - lovely driver and on time. Did exactly what we needed, with a friendly driver. He waited for us and took us back to the hotel too. Dolphins - 2 stars We waited around at the start with no explanation of how long we would wait or what to expect from the day. There was still no explanation when we got in the boat and set off. The crew hardly engaged with us being more interested in looking at their mobiles. When dolphins were spotted, there were so many boats and it was all really rushed to jump off the boat and get back on quickly because the dolphins had swam on and the boat needed to chase them. Some of the boats were positioning themselves to trap the dolphins, and I didn't enjoy the whole pursuit style of it. We spent approx 15 mins snorkelling which was enjoyable but with so many boats, and some of them moving off while you were in the water very close to you, it didn't feel safe. We then went and spent ages on the sandbank. There was nothing to do, and the crews from the boats all got together and sat around talking to each other. On the way back we went to a place where there were star fish but we were warned about the sea urchin so decided not to get in the water there. Wish we had just done the sea turtles without the rest of the day.

This is an amazing trip with the best team on the island. They take such good care of you from start to finish. Delicious fruits for a snack, fresh fish, rice and local veg curry for lunch. Ask him about any fish you see while snorkeling and he knows it. Be prepared to be tired after an action packed, fun filled day of experiences.

This was an excellent tour which was well organised and a great day out. Unfortunately it was raining the day we went but the crew on the boat made sure we had an excellent time and that the weather didn’t affect the tour. The fresh fruit at the sandbank was delicious too.

Swimming with the sea turtles one of the turtles bit him butt and he laughed and has not stopped talking about it.

This tour was fantastic and Suleiman and his team were really friendly and made sure we had the opportunity to spot the dolphins, starfish and tropical fish! The fresh fruits served on the sandbank were delicious and despite it being poor weather conditions (windy, cold and rainy) the team made sure we had a great time.

The tour was really amazing! Because of the low season we got a private tour. It was a new experience for me to snorkel with fish, but it was really cool. There was no rush we can swim how long as we want. After snorkeling we go to sand bank and chill, take same awesome pictures and eat fruits. Then we go to find dolphins. And we saw them! You can also get in the water and swim with them but they are very fast and when they swim too far you need get back in boat and go find them again. And again jump in water and swim with them. It was amazing but it also was kinda exhausting. After dolphins we go back at the start point and feed turtles. The tour was really good, absolutely recommend it, thanks Suleiman and his crew! 🙏🏻

It was a pleasant experience. The staff on the boat were very nice. I was lucky that there were only us people in the boat. I saw dolphins, swam with fish and went to a turtle reserve.

The tour was amazing, we got to swim with the dolphins, play with starfish and had great time snorkeling around Mnemba island. We ended up having private tour just for us and had nice picnic on the sandbank with some fruits and cold beer. Visiting the turtles was also great got to feed them and pet them and not many people were there. Everything was on time and very smooth.

The service was great. We managed to spot the dolphins . They gave us ample time to do snorkelling. They also provided us with delicious snacks

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate the day we went on the tour (it was raining pretty regularly and relatively cold), but we still had a great experience overall! We arranged transportation through Suleman and he was happy to work with us on providing a private tour at a time that worked best for us rather than going first thing in the morning (we wanted to sleep in ha). Upon arrival, we headed straight to the boat. After about 15-20 minutes of searching, we found a group of about 5 dolphins playing and they gave us snorkel gear and we jumped in to swim with them. From there, we just followed the dolphins around in the boat and then swimming with them for another hour or so. Next, we headed to Mnemba Island to snorkel nearby. It was a small area to snorkel with several other boats full of people, but it was a fine experience. Afterwards, they cut up a bunch of delicious fruit for us to eat on our ride back. Finally, we visited a wonderful sea turtle preserve that was right there where we started, and we got to feed them and swim with them! Overall, it was a wonderful experience (despite the weather)!

Well organized with optional hotel pickup in Stonetown for 40$. Excellent communication with organizer by whatsapp. It wasn’t a sunny day, but I did get to see and swim briefly with dolphins and lots of fish and at the end a sea turtle zoo-like place to finish the morning where you can feed them and pet them. Good food at the beach restaurant (grilled fish) before returning to Stonetown, optional also. Lots of fresh fruit on the boat.

Thanks Suleiman & Tom. Well-organized. I through Nungwi Aquarium Adventures Tours to arrange all our activities in Zanzibar. Airport pick up & drop off. Snorkelling with Dolphins, MUST SEE. Prison Island with turtles, Nakupenda & seafood lunch, Marine See Turtles Aquarium. Valued price.

Very good experience. We saw dolphins, snorkeled and then went to a beach to swim and eat fruit. The turtle aquarium was amazing.

Had the best time ever, very friendly team. Loved every minute, it was a half day 6 hour tour so worth it

The guides were nice and welcoming but sadly, the trip didn’t live up to our expectations. This was mainly due to reasons out of the guides control. The weather was quite bad, and during our trip out to the island the waves were insanely high and the sea was incredibly rough. We were in total 11 people in a very small boat. The boat kept taking in water and it seemed to be too heavy for the high waves. Absolutely everything the boat got soaking wet. The boat kept filling up with water and all of us got really scared. As the panic kept building up the captain was trying to get rid of the water with a tiny bucked while new waves kept flooding the boat. As this were happening we were offered no life vests. Because of the rough weather we weren’t able to see any dolphins. This was not of course at any fault of the crew or the guide, but there was a general lack of communication throughout the whole trip. Eventually the captain was able to get rid of most of the water. But the snorkeling experience was not that great either, as it turns out the island is privately owned and the boat had to anchor quite far away from the island. The water wasn’t clear at all because of the weather and the waves made it really hard to swim. Everyone was super relieved when we made it back to Zanzibar island where we ended the excursion at the turtle aquarium, which overall was such a nice and fun experience. The guide was great and and informative and swimming with the turtles was a fun way to end the day - but be careful as the they bite! Overall we were a bit disappointed. We think the trip would be more pleasurable if the weather was better, but wish the communication and care from the captain was a bit better given the circumstances.

After booking on Expedia, I promptly received a message from Suleiman with details of the day! I was updated throughout , up until the day of the excursion. The snorkelling and swimming with turtles was AMAZING & though it was a difficult start to find the dolphins, the captain was determined to find them and did everything he could (we definitely did see them in the end!!). Would definitely recommend for family & friends & a huge thank you to Suleiman and his team for providing such a lovely excursion!

We really enjoyed our trip, the team had great communication and confirmed our booking with us straight away on WhatsApp. We were collected right on the beach in front of our resort and we then travelled by boat 10 minutes to their shop where we fitted flippers and snorkel masks and collected more people who were also coming on the tour with us. We then started the tour by travelling 35 minutes out into the ocean to go and find dolphins. This was the worst part of the entire tour as it was quite rough so we we got completely soaked and so were freezing. This is of course not their fault as they cannot control the rough sea, however, we will definitely bring extra clothes, towels and ponchos next time. We then stopped with about 50 other boats with tours all trying to see dolphins swimming. After a few minutes of stopping we saw a big pod of dolphins swimming, you can jump in and try and swim with them however with so many boats all driving around it was quite dangerous and so we didn't do that. We stayed here watching the dolphins for about 15 minutes and then drove further to the reef where we were able to jump in and snorkel. This was really fun and we saw fish, coral and lots of sea urchins. After snorkeling for about 20 minutes we then drove to a private beach and had fresh fruit, chips and water. The beach was beautiful and we stayed here for about an hour exploring the beach, rock caves and looking for shells. After this we got back on the boat and travelled about 20 minutes to the sea turtle aquarium where we were able to swim with and feed rehabilitated sea turtles, it was an amazing experience, just quite busy with lots of other tourists. After about 45 minutes here we were taken back by taxi to our resort. Overall it was a great experience, the team was friendly and very experienced and we highly recommend it.

Seeing the pod of dolphins was just so magical. I felt my heart skipped a beat every time they appear. Our captain made sure we took time to see them and even helped out and guided our group with the swimming. It was so unfortunate that when it was time to go snorkel to see the reef and stay at the beach, the weather turned bad. I was adamant to snorkel but at the same time scared to go alone, and so our captain was kind enough to assist by swimming along with me the whole time, and even providing a lifejacket and safety ring. We were also offered fresh fruits (the mangoes were so delish!!!), water and some local chips. The last of the itinerary was the feeding of the turtles. We got the chance to swim with them and it is quite an interesting experience.

Wonderful and memorable experience. Suleman and his crew were friendly, knowledgeable and we felt safe at all times.

Very well organized We jumped in the see with dolphins We had snorkeling on the reef Every time someone from the tour stayed in the see whit us and looked for our safes We also have a stop for a delicious fruits in a logons and we had the experience with the turtle Very nice morning

We had a great experience Solomon and his crew were polite and very friendly he offered to pick us up from our hotel and drop us off by boat We were able to see dolphins and swim with them Snorkeling was amazing so many beautiful fish species I would have rated it 5 stars if it wasn't for the rain which made the boat trip unbearable

The tour was okay if you enjoy swimming and climbing on and off boats. Dolphins were spotted and you get off and on the boat many times due to the dolphins swimming away. The dolphins can be spotted on the boat itself, I did not feel the need to dive in and out as others have said on the same boat, feels redundant when you may catch a glimpse of them. Turtle sanctuary was alright, you get to feed and or swim with the turtles. If you like to swim and snorkel, this activity is nice. Beware the roads around the area, not ideal for a motorbike.

This experience was amazing ! We had a very good day. Very friendly, funny and nice crew ! We saw a lot a dolphins and the Sandbank beach was so beautiful.

It was a good experience. The crew is very friendly and the tour was on point. We had fun with the dolphins and the sandbank beach is out of this world. It’s worth it.