Chumbe Island Coral Gardens |
A good place to start a diving excursion in East Africa is a small island within easy striking distance of the Tanzania mainland called Zanzibar. The name itself envokes mystical images of ancient seafarers and spice traders which is not too far off. The island inhabitants are almost 100% muslim descendants of these spice traders of old and the exotic architecture on the island match.
This picture was taken off Chumbe Island, an even smaller island off of Zanzibar. It is still part of Tanzania which makes it a great side trip after an overland safari. The island and its surrounding coral gardens make up an award winning private nature reserve. And as you can it is not only worth protecting, but exploring as well. A day spent lazing in these waters will fill your expectations as well as your memory cards.