Positioned a few kilometres off Zanzibar, Chumbe is landmarked by a tall lighthouse, a sort of giant “You’re Here!” exclamation mark which rises sharply, bone white, piercing the blue of the sky. Built by the British in 1904 by the British, the lighthouse has a place in the annals of maritime history. Fitted with gas in 1926, the lighthouse still works today and winks encouragingly all night long at the dhows which ply these waters. 

Founded by German former aid worker Sibylle Riedmiller, who first swam in the waters surrounding the island 25 years ago, it is fully funded through ecotourism. 

The reefs here present extraordinary diversity — J.E.N. Vernon from Australian Institute of Marine Science has described them as “one of the most spectacular ‘coral gardens’ anywhere in the world.” More than 200 species of hard coral, and 450 fish species live within the mile stretch of the eastern side of the island.

Unusually — and pleasingly — for a reef on the tourist circuit, only observational surface snorkelling is allowed, although diving is prohibited. Chumbe is not just home to a secret host of sea life, it also boasts enormous, endangered coconut crabs and rare Aders’s duiker.

Enjoy Chumbe as a day trip from Zanzibar, snorkel the reefs and walk the coral rag island.

If spending the night, eco bungalows, seven glorious chalets raised on stilts, are the only accommodation available and only place to eat.  

Guides will escort you after dark in search of crabs. The coconut crab is the planet’s largest land-living anthropoid and can weigh up to five kilograms. They use a highly developed sense of smell to source food, including coconuts, which they pluck from trees and crack open with their claws like giant nutcrackers.