• Key involvement in ongoing Marine conservation projects
• 4 day cetacean (dolphins & whales) conservation program in partnership with KIDOTOA (Kizimkazi Dolphin Tourism Operators Association)
• Regular Boat Trips to monitor and identify the Kizimkazi Dolphins
• Spice Tour
• Environmental education workshops with local schools
• Shoreline safaris & beach clean ups
• Visit to Jozani National Wildlife Park to see the endangered Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey
• 2 night home stay visit
• 2 night Stonetown visit (bed and breakfast only at backpacker hotel)
• PADI Introductory course with one ocean dive.
• Optional 2 day Ras Nungwi Beach Party

Community

Camp Zanzibar was established in partnership with a rural Zanzibarian community where we fund ongoing projects and sustainable development, particularly for the marine environment and dolphins, which provide an income for many of the local people through organised tours.

Camp Zanzibar is based at Kizimkazi village, two villages in fact, each consisting of a cluster of huts and a couple of simple ‘dukas’ (shops), all backing on to their own small sandy bay. Since the villages are at the end of the road, they get no through traffic and village life takes place in the middle of the street. In the southern part of the village (Kizimkazi Mkunguni), a sandy cove provides moorings for fishing vessels and fishermen wander amongst the palms in wide-brimmed straw hats, making cane work fishing traps and pushing kapok into gaps to seal their hulls. The vast majority of the men in Kizimkazi are fishermen, carrying out some of their fishing activities in Menai Bay; hence fishing is the main source of livelihood for most households. Volunteers are encouraged to integrate with the local community throughout their programme with a long-term view of enhancing eco-tourism in the area.

The main focus of our community programme is based at Kizimkazi School that provides both primary and secondary education for the surrounding communities. The school was established in 1910, which makes it one of the oldest schools in Zanzibar! 2010 Zanzibar volunteers will need to organise a centenary party for that one! The school is situated only 50 metres from the beach and comprises 14 classrooms (many in disrepair), one old laboratory which needs refurbishing, a computer room, Head teachers office and a small library. Currently around 550 students attend the school daily. Some of the activities you may get involved in here include teaching with an emphasis on environmental conservation, school maintenance including painting, landscaping and general repairs, sports development and construction.

Volunteers are encouraged to promote the benefits of environmental conservation for our future generations, including Kizimkazi school students. Volunteers are encouraged to educate local students through teaching informal workshops held in the school, as well as the development of extra curricular activities to enhance awareness. Gaining support and educating the local boat operators on the importance of sensible dolphin observation practices is also crucial.

As part of the overall programme volunteers are expected to generate productive relationships with the school and community as a whole in order to effect the importance of environmental conservation in this area.

Stone Town

Located on Unguja’s west coast, Stone Town is the cultural and historical heart of Zanzibar. It is where Africa meets the Orient. Known locally as “Mji Mkongwe” or “Old Town”, Stone Town is a fascinating and atmospheric city. In many ways it resembles the medinas of Arabia and North Africa, with its maze of narrow twisting streets, bustling bazaars and markets, former palaces and grand Arab mansions permeating the town with a magical and otherworldly feel.

Stone town is the most extensive and arguably the finest of the several trading settlements that can be found along the coast of East Africa. A tour of the old town gives you a glimpse into the pitiful life that slaves experienced; cells where they were kept can still be seen. Two former palaces are now museums. There is an 18th century Omani fortress, two cathedrals and many more historical sights. Stone Town was declared a World Heritage Site in December 2000.

The fusion of the varied cultures can be seen in the faces of its inhabitants - African, Indian, Arabian, European, and every possible combination in between. A wide range of contrasts can be observed in this town and yet everything, even the tourists, seems to fit in. Motorboats alongside fishing dhows in the harbour, Internet cafés in old mansions, women in black “buibui” veils with children dressed in baseball caps, noisy scooters mingling with hand-carts, and hotels now flaunt satellite TV and air conditioning as well as traditional “semadari” four-poster beds.

All Zanzibar volunteers have 2 nights and 2 days Stonetown visit included in the programme

Wildlife

Zanzibar's first and only National Park is located in Jozani Forest only 15 minutes drive from Kizimkazi Village and is the largest area of mature forest found on the island. The forest lies in a shallow trough in a fossil coral bed, between the mangrove filled bays of Chwaka and Uzi. Seasonal flooding and a high water table have given rise to a unique groundwater forest. With mangrove forests and salt marshes to the north of the National park, the area is an extremely rich mosaic of Zanzibar's diverse natural habitats, a haven for much wildlife, including rare, endemic and endangered species.

The National Park’s primary purpose is the conservation of the forest and its surrounding environment. This is achieved in partnership with local communities who host and participate in conservation activities such as educational lectures, outings and mangrove replanting involving volunteers.

Perhaps one of the most famous and endearing residents of the Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park is the Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey, also known as Kirk's Red Colobus after Sir John Kirk (1832-1922), the British resident of Zanzibar who first brought the species to the attention of zoological science. Found only on the main island of Zanzibar, the Zanzibar Red Colobus is recognised as a separate primate species (Piliocolobus kirkii) and is said to be endemic to Zanzibar.

With a bit of luck you could join the few to encounter the Zanzibar leopard (Panthera pardus adersi). With the same luck you may spot the elusive Ader's duiker (Cephalophus adersi), a small deer-like forest dweller and one of several species found only on Zanzibar Island; only a relic population survives on Zanzibar Island which continues to dwindle as a result of habitat destruction and uncontrolled hunting despite being protected by Zanzibar law. All Camp Zanzibar volunteers are actively involved in conserving this pristine forest area. 

Ocean

Beyond the beach, there’s a rich marine ecosystem to explore, home to lionfish, barracuda, eagle rays, sharks and a rainbow of colourful reef fish. Unguja’s coral has largely been spared destruction, and many reefs, particularly in the southeast, are excellent for diving and snorkelling.

Pull on a mask and a portal is opened into a new, luminous world. Glide among the butterfly fish and snappers, search the nooks for tiny nudibranchs, gobies and shrimps, or just drift and dream.

Favourites among divers are the turtles, which are reasonably common in this corner of the ocean, thanks in part to a determined conservation drive. When the turtles begin to lay their eggs in the sand in April and May, volunteers excavate and preserve them, hatching each under controlled conditions before releasing them. They also educate fishermen in the ecological value of turtles. Humpback whales are regular visitors to these waters too, passing Unguja around November on their long migration south.

Read more about how you can get involved in our Dolphin and Whale conservation project here.