Chumbe Island Lodge
Chumbe Island Lodge Chumbe Island Zanzibar
Chumbe Island Lodge, Chumbe Island, Zanzibar
| Destination: | Chumbe Island | | Rating: |  |
Chumbe Island Resort is charming offering rustic accommodation, top-class snorkelling and a shining example of sustainable tourism. Chumbe Island Coral Park, lies a few kilometres offshore of Zanzibar, it is one of the most wonderfully rustic and romantic places to stay, and it's also one of the most environmentally proactive lodges in the world.
Chumbe has all the attractions of an island paradise - superb 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 by nature. There's only one small lodge accommodating no more than 14 people, so you've got the island almost to yourself.
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Area AttractionsAccommodation at Chumbe Island Coral Park
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.
Dining at Chumbe Island Coral Park
The cuisine at Chumbe Island Coral Park is renowned for delicious local Zanzibari dishes, which combines influences of Arabic, Indian and African recipes using fresh fish, octopus and seafood, beef and chicken, tropical vegetables, fruits and spices from organic farming. Vegan and vegetarian dishes are also available on request. With there being no power on the island, all cooking and baking is done on coal fires and stoves. Meals are prepared and presented with great care, using the finest local ingredients.
Breakfast service includes an early morning tea or coffee waiting for you when you wake up under the palm-thatched roof of your open air eco bungalow. Dinner is taken with candlelight in the unique atmosphere of the historic ruin of the former lighthouse keeper's house, situated on a dramatic cliff just above the water level overlooking the crystal clear sea.
For honeymooners, private meals are also served in secluded small beach huts. In calm full-moon nights candlelight dinner is sometimes also served on the beach. On Chumbe, the settings are as memorable as the cuisine, another reason why this is such a special place.
Activities on Chumbe Island
There are numerous activities waiting for you on and around Chumbe Island.
The whole of Chumbe Island is a nature reserve and you may explore its beauties either under the competent guidance of our park rangers or at your leisure.
Snorkel through the beautiful shallow water Reef Sanctuary or explore the Forest Reserve and historical monuments. Take an excursion out, SCUBA dive in the nearby reefs, or perhaps just allow yourself a lazy day watching dhows and outrigger boats go by.
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