Chumbe Island

Charming, rustic accommodation, top-class snorkelling and a shining example of sustainable tourism. Chumbe Island Coral Park, situated a few kilometres offshore from Zanzibar, leaves us speechless every time we visit. Not only is it one of the most blissfully rustic and romantic places to stay, it's also one of the most environmentally proactive lodges in the world. 

Chumbe has all the attractions of an island paradise - glorious coral reefs, waving palm trees, thick coral-rag forests and sublime cuisine - but it's as far removed from a typical holiday resort as you'll get. There are no cocktail bars, catamarans, swimming pools, televisions or even electricity. If you're looking for entertainment it's all provided courtesy of nature.

Chumbe offers the most pristine and colourful coral reefs you'll find on the East Coast with over 200 species of coral providing a sanctuary for more than 400 species of colourful fish. To protect these coral reefs, diving is not permitted in the marine park. The reef is shallow enough to see everything very clearly with a mask, snorkel and fins. There is also a coral-rag forest which is home to the endangered Ader's duiker, giant coconut crabs, hermit crabs and a variety of bird species. Knowledgeable guides take guests on daily snorkelling and forest tours.

There's only one small lodge accommodating no more than 14 people, so you've got the island almost to yourself. The structures have been built using natural materials and have won numerous awards for their eco-friendly design. The main lodge was built in the shape of a giant clam over the ruins of the old lighthouse keeper's cottage. Besides the main lodge and seven bungalows, there's an old mosque, which the Swahili staff still use, and an abandoned lighthouse, which you can climb to admire the view.

From the top of the lighthouse, 132 stairs later, you'll see that Chumbe is about a kilometre long and 300m wide. The perimeter is dotted with coconut palms, mangroves and enormous baobabs. The emerald canopy of the coral-rag forest stretches towards the pristine blue ocean. Further out in the ocean are a few tiny coral outcrops, which can be accessed from the lodge during low tide. In the shallows you will find bright-red starfish, sea cucumbers and giant, fossilised clams. The only thing that's missing at Chumbe is a good sandy strip of beach, but with all the sun lounges and hammocks on which to laze about you'll hardly miss it. 

The staff at Chumbe is fantastic, providing all the individual attention you require. They also understand when you just want to be left alone to enjoy paradise with your partner. A visit to Chumbe, with its groundbreaking environmental policies, is guaranteed to make you reassess the way you live.

BACKGROUND HISTORY ON CHUMBE

It all started when German visitor Sibylle Riedmiller went snorkelling on the Chumbe reef. Stunned at the diversity of coral and fish species, she campaigned the Tanzanian government to declare Chumbe Island a marine park. In 1994 her wish for the protection of these reefs was granted and Chumbe Island was gazetted a protected marine area. Since many local fishermen didn't know the value of coral or how to protect it, Sibylle set up an education and conservation project. Fishermen were trained as park rangers, and school children were brought to Chumbe to learn about marine ecology. Of course, funds were needed to keep all this good work going, so the idea of a low-impact, self-sustaining tourism project began. After continued efforts (the Tanzanian government favoured large hotel developments) Sibylle succeeded in building a small eco-tourism lodge.

Today Chumbe operates as a non-profit organisation with all the funds generated from tourism channelled straight back into the conservation and educational programmes. It's a highly successful model of sustainable tourism development and we hope to see other projects like it in the near future.

Chumbe Island has won numerous environmental awards: 1999 British Airway's Tourism for Tomorrow, 2000 United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 and Conde Nast magazine's 2001 World Eco-tourism Award. 

The seven bungalows, or eco-bandas, are set a reasonable distance apart from each other and only a few paces down a sandy path to the ocean. 

Casuarina poles have been lashed together with coconut rope forming secure walls, and the roof has been constructed with palm fronds layered into sheets. There is an upstairs bedroom with a cupboard and a mattress on the floor underneath a flowing mosquito net. You have magnificent sea views as one side of the room is open, with a blind to pull down if required. Downstairs is a lounge area, which is decorated with African art, an extremely comfortable hammock and some chairs. The lounge is also open, allowing the gentle ocean breezes in. Leading off the lounge is a small bathroom with a hot-water shower, toilet and basin. 

The bandas lack all the mod cons of a resort (televisions, telephones, air-conditioners, mini-bars), but use some of the best eco-friendly technology in the world. The eco-bandas were designed to have minimal impact on the environment. Since there is no fresh water on Chumbe, rainwater is funnelled down the roof into large cisterns under each banda. The water is filtered and then pumped to the bathrooms through a solar-powered heating system. Once used, this water passes through a series of filters in special plant beds encased in clay, which are located on either side of the banda. These plants are specially selected for their ability to take up phosphates and nitrates from the soil. 

The toilets are the most groundbreaking. To economise on water and waste, a compost toilet handles sewage. It looks like your standard toilet, but instead of flushing it you scoop compost into the long funnel. The waste decomposes naturally in a closed chamber so that no sewage leaks into the ground or sea. There are no smells, thanks to a wind-powered extraction system. Sounds strange, but the system works wonderfully.

Lights and hot water all run off solar power as there is no electricity on the island. To aid ventilation in hot weather the banda roofs have been shaped to act as wind funnels, ensuring you stay cool and comfortable while indoors on a hot day.