Snorkeling ZanzibarSafari Blue Lagoon Day Trip from Fumba
Sold and operated by Big Mir Tours & Safari; booked and paid through GetYourGuide. We may earn a commission if you book through our link, at no extra cost to you. Price and details checked August 2026.
The Safari Blue Zanzibar day trip is the only trip in this catalog that fills a whole day rather than a morning: a van to Fumba village, a dhow into the Menai Bay Conservation Area, snorkeling off the Kwale sandbank, a swim in a mangrove lagoon and a seafood barbecue on Kwale Island. Seven hours, $90, 4.6 from 512 reviews — and one thing about the name that is worth knowing before you book.
About This Safari Blue Day Trip
About 7 hours door to door, including a one-hour transfer each way
$90 per adult with lunch, drinks, fruit and equipment included
4.6 from 512 GetYourGuide reviews; value for money scores 4.4
Hotel van to Fumba village, then a traditional dhow
Two hours at the Kwale sandbank plus a 35-minute lagoon swim
Shared group needing a minimum of 4 travellers; private option sold
Listing at a Glance
The same fields on every tour page here, read from the operator's own GetYourGuide listing in August 2026. Prices, inclusions and availability are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout on their site.
- Tour name Zanzibar: Safari Blue Lagoon Trip with Snorkeling and Lunch
- Operator Big Mir Tours & Safari
- Booking platform GetYourGuide
- Product ID 891890
- Starting price $90 USD per adult
- Price last checked August 2026
- Rating 4.6 out of 5
- Review count 512 reviews
- Review source GetYourGuide verified bookings
- Duration 7 hours
- Reef visited Menai Bay Conservation Area, Kwale reef and sandbank
- Time in the water About 2 hours at the sandbank plus 35 minutes in the lagoon
- Pickup window Morning hotel pickup; be at reception 5 minutes early
- Arrival at the reef Kwale sandbank roughly 30 minutes after boarding the dhow at Fumba
- Expected return Late afternoon, after a 35-minute sail and a one-hour drive
- Transport Van transfer plus traditional dhow
- Group size Shared group, minimum 4 participants; private option sold
- Guide language English, French, German, Swahili, Italian
- Marine conservation fee None stated on the listing — confirm at booking
- Lunch Included — seafood barbecue on Kwale Island
- Drinks Soft drinks and seasonal tropical fruit included
- Equipment Guided snorkeling with kit provided
- Hotel pickup Included
- Cancellation Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity starts
- Reserve now, pay later Available
- Minimum age None stated
- Difficulty Easy, but it is a long day on the water
- Wheelchair access None stated
- Not suitable for None stated
- On-board rules No smoking, no littering, no touching marine life
- Weather and tide Departure times and dates can change for weather or safety; lagoon access is tide-dependent
- Alternative The Prison Island and Nakupenda day, for a cheaper full day from Stone Town
Check Dates and Availability
Live prices and departures from GetYourGuide. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity, and reserve now, pay later.
Quick answer
A seven-hour day for $90: hotel pickup, an hour's drive to Fumba, a dhow into the Menai Bay Conservation Area, two hours snorkeling and swimming at the Kwale sandbank, a mangrove lagoon swim, then a seafood barbecue on Kwale Island before sailing back. Lunch, drinks, fruit, kit and guiding are all in the price.
Key takeaways
- All snorkeling in Zanzibar tours compared — six trips, four reefs, prices from $41 before fees
- The shared departure needs a minimum of 4 travellers, or the operator will contact you to reschedule
- Guides work in English, French, German, Italian and Swahili — the widest language range in this catalog
- This is a Big Mir Tours seat on the Safari Blue concept, not the original Fumba operator
- Reviewers report sandbanks holding 25 or more boats on busy days. Why the crowd matters
- Want the quieter reef instead? Tumbatu caps its boat at eight
What the Day Is Really Made Of
Safari Blue is less a snorkeling trip than a full day on the water with snorkeling in it. That framing decides whether $90 is good value for you.
The itinerary, stop by stop
A van collects you from your hotel and drives roughly an hour south-west to Fumba village. From there a traditional dhow sails about thirty minutes into the Menai Bay Conservation Area, to the Kwale sandbank.
The sandbank stop is the long one — around two hours of snorkeling, swimming, marine-life viewing, snacks and photographs. Then fifteen minutes further to the Kwale blue lagoon for a thirty-five minute swim in mangrove-fringed water, and ten minutes on to Kwale Island itself, where about four hours cover the seafood barbecue, a guided walk and free time. The dhow sails back to Fumba in thirty-five minutes and the van returns you to your hotel.
Snorkeling equipment, the guide, lunch, tropical fruit and soft drinks are all included. Tips and personal spending are not.
The snorkeling, honestly
Menai Bay's reef is decent rather than remarkable. Reviewers consistently mention fish and starfish rather than coral gardens, and the operator's own review summary praises "enjoyable snorkeling and sandbank stop" alongside the generous lunch — the order of that sentence is telling.
If the reef itself is what you are buying, Mnemba or Tumbatu are the better half-day answers. If you want a day that goes sailing, swimming, eating and exploring, this is the only trip in the catalog that does it.
About the name
Safari Blue is a specific excursion that has run out of Fumba village since 1996, and its founding operator states publicly that it is "the original and ONLY genuine Safari Blue excursion operating from Fumba village", publishing its own prices directly. Over the years the format has been widely copied across the island.
What you are booking here is a $90 seat with Big Mir Tours & Safari on that concept. That is not a warning against it — 512 reviews at 4.6 is a solid record, and the guide named Omar appears in review after review across several languages — but you should know which company you are buying from, and that booking direct with the original is a different transaction at a different price.
The one number on this listing that reflects the trade is value for money: 4.4, its lowest sub-score.
Crowding and tides
The route is popular and the sandbanks are finite. Travellers regularly describe twenty-five or more boats anchored together at the same sandbank on busy days, which turns an advertised intimate dhow experience into something considerably more social.
The lagoon is tide-dependent too. The operator's review summary records the most common criticism precisely: travellers wanted clearer communication about tide-dependent timing, particularly Blue Lagoon access. Ask when you book what the tide does on your date.
Questions About This Trip
Is this the original Safari Blue?
No. The original excursion has operated from Fumba village since 1996 and sells directly at its own prices; this $90 listing is sold by Big Mir Tours & Safari on the same concept. It reviews well — 4.6 from 512 — but if being on the original boat matters to you, book with that company instead.
What is actually included in the $90?
Hotel pickup and drop-off, dhow sailing, guided snorkeling with equipment, the sandbank stop, the mangrove lagoon swim, a seafood barbecue lunch on Kwale Island, seasonal tropical fruit and soft drinks. Tips and personal expenses are excluded, and no marine conservation fee is mentioned — worth confirming at booking. See the fee stack.
How much time do you spend snorkeling?
About two hours at the Kwale sandbank covers snorkeling, swimming and marine-life viewing, plus a thirty-five minute swim in the lagoon. The rest of the seven hours is sailing, lunch and free time on Kwale Island.
What happens if fewer than four people book?
The shared group tour requires a minimum of four participants. If that is not reached, the operator's guest relations coordinator contacts you to reschedule. The private option avoids the issue.
Is it good for children?
The listing states no age restriction and the water at the sandbank is shallow and warm. The constraint is length: seven hours including two hours of driving is a long day for small children, and the Prison Island and Nakupenda trip is the gentler family option from Stone Town.
What Travellers Said
The snorkeling, starfish spotting, and sailing on a dhow were a fantastic experience. The lunch was also very tasty.
We don't speak English, so he spoke in exemplary French to explain everything to us. He made sure everyone had enough to eat and found us the best spots for snorkeling.
Everything was very well organized, and the tour gave us the opportunity to discover some of the most beautiful places and nature in Zanzibar.
Verified GetYourGuide reviews of this listing, quoted as published and read in August 2026.
Seven hours, a dhow, a sandbank and lunch on Kwale Island.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure
Page last reviewed August 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on August 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure · How we research tours