Oh our last day at Mnemba! How sad!

The night before, Ned went out after dinner to try to get a picture of the stars. The Milky Way was so clear. No light pollution here!

We decided to push back our departure to 9am (it was originally scheduled for 8am and the crew was like,…hells no). Some of us (Jackie and Car) got up early to walk the beach and take one final swim in the Indian Ocean. It was a beautiful morning, clear over the island, but cloudy in the distance.

After packing up, we met at breakfast to enjoy the hospitality of Chris and Rajab one final time. Chris and Marina came by our table and we made sure we got stamps in our dive logs and instagram connections!

Unfortunately, 9am came too quickly and it was time to board our boat back to Zanzibar. Our bags were loaded and we climbed aboard, waving big, two handed goodbyes to our new friends.

Luckily this short trip to Zanzibar was calmer than the first time. We forgot to mention that a few of us (namely Joan and Ned) got soaked on our ride to the island a few days prior. This time, we made it nice and dry. However, when we arrived, it was low tied and we had to walk quite a distance over the sand to our cars. Our boat captains had it the worst because they had the unfortunate job of carrying ALL of our luggage the long way to the car. They were champions.

Our drivers washed the sand off of our feet and dried them with a sarong before we got into our cars. An unnecessary but welcome luxury. While we didn’t want to track sand into their pristine cars, we probably could have washed our own feet!

We piled into our cars and were off to Stonetown. We met Conor at the hotel he and Alejandra had stayed at the night before and then met our guide, Mussa, who would take us around the city.

We took off from the hotel on foot and explored. We saw the site of one of the biggest slave trades in the world and stopped into a Catholic mass, which was wonderful. We saw the fish market and a number of mosques. Zanzibar, originally colonized by Arabs, is predominantly Muslim (90%). Zanzibar and Tanzania joined in the 60s to prevent from further colonization.

While our guide seemed very nice, some of us (Ned and Conor) that he was not please with us. Trying to keep a 3 year old entertained on a multi-hour city visit was not easy and, apparently, Mussa was not too thrilled that we weren’t all keenly listening at every moment!

We stopped for lunch at a roof top restaurant (Ned’s favorite) and then finished up the tour at Freddie Mercury’s house. It’s somehow easy to forget that he was born and raised in Zanzibar.

We piled back into our vehicles and headed to the airport for our flight to Arusha on the mainland. We should have been prepared for chaos given our experience entering the country….

When we got to the airport, everything seemed relatively uneventful. We said goodbye to our drivers and met our greeter, Julius, who would take us through one (of many) security checks. In line, Jackie took a look at the piece of paper which was apparently our ticket, and notice that her name was not listed. Everyone else was on there, including a “Mr. Freight”, which was the extra ticket we bought for our excess luggage.

At the ticket counter, we explained that not every name was on the ticket and there was massive confusion. The gentleman behind the counter was on his cell phone, calling “the manager”, and trying to figure out what to do. Shortly thereafter, “the manager” came out and told us we would have to buy another ticket. We asked if we could just use our freight ticket and he said, “oh no, you cannot buy tickets for freight.” really, dude? We have a paper ticket that says, Mr. Freight, seat 6B on it. OMGGG. Luckily, Car was able to get in touch with Katie, our travel agent from Travel Beyond, who is amazing. She jumped on the scene and reached out to our local agents, Bush and Beyond, to support. Bush and Beyond hopped on the phone with Car and gave her the reservation number. Car provided the number to the airline and they found Jackie’s reservation, kind of like, ohhhh, this passenger?

After the escapades, we all managed to get our boarding passes and went through security where we waited to board the Costal Airline flight to Arusha.

Our pilots were too bad ass chicks with red nail polish. We made it to Arusha in just under two hours.

We met our diver at the airport and made our way to the Legendary Lodge, which was about 15 minutes away. When we arrived, we were greeted by Serafina and Dora, two glorious hosts who told us about the 100 year old farmhouse lodge and showed us to our rooms. It was then we realized that, amidst the chaos at the airport, we left Max’s stroller behind. Dear god, we would need that for the next day and our layover in Amsterdam. Serafina got on the case.

We were shown to our rooms and two of us (Max and Funcle Cuh) took quick baths before meeting for a delicious dinner in the farmhouse.

After dinner, we all went back to our rooms and enjoyed the beautiful fires the staff had build in our fireplaces. It was sad to think this was our last night in Africa. We geared up for a very long few days of travel home….

The next morning, Ned decided to sleep in, so Jackie, Alejandra and Conor all met Chris early to dive the House Reef again. Similar to the previous day, it did not disappoint. We saw a tiger mantis, a nucibranc in the sand, pipe fish, snake eels, morays, and THREE seahorses. Great dive!

Everyone met at breakfast and quite a few of us enjoyed the eggs benedict. The divers decided to hang up their fins so Chris offered to take the entire group on a tidal pool walk. It was low tide, so Chris told us to expect to see some awesome creatures. We were pumped.

Our walk did not disappoint! Max absolutely loved swimming in all of the small little Max-sized pools. The rest of us went hunting for shells, urchins and starfish!

By the time we finished up our walk, Car had to run off to meet Lisa for her 90 minute Thai-style massage! The rest of us made our way back to camp and then to lunch.

After lunch, Jill, Joan, Max, Ned and Jackie headed for the beach where we swam, free dove, and wave surfed for most of the afternoon. Once Car was done with her massage, she joined us and did some snorkeling herself. Conor and Alejandra had to head back to their room to pack up.

About a half an hour later, we saw Alejandra sprinting down the beach with Conor followed behind with all of their bags. We later found out that Conor instructed Alejandra – if you want anything from the gift shop, you better move! About halfway down the beach, Chris met Conor to help with the bags back to the boat.

This was the time to say goodbye. We gave big big hugs to Alejandra and waved as they headed back to Zanzibar. We learned afterwards that they would have an amazing evening in Stonetown, staying at a super cool hotel on the water. They explored the city on foot and enjoyed a final evening together before Alejandra’s insanely early airport pick up of 2:15am for her flights back to Mexico via Istanbul.

After some big waves goodbye, the remaining crew spent more time in the surf and in the sand. It was a beautiful afternoon and all of us, including Max, were in our glory.

At 5:15pm, Jackie retreated to her cabana to meet Lisa for an exquisite scrub and oil massage. Much like Joan’s experience, it did not disappoint!

After the massage, Jackie found he whole crew enjoying sundowners  the beach with Chris (our dive master). We had a delightful time talking about past travels and future explorations.

Soon Rajab and Chris came to fetch us; it was time for a very special dinner in the woods. We all followed the sand paths to the middle of the island where Chris and Rajab had set up a beautiful table, lit by Christmas lights in the trees, lanterns, and brown bags full of sand and candles., It was spectacular.. We enjoyed dinner under the stars with our amazing hosts! Rajab was so much fun. We had no idea he was such a jokester and we had a playful evening, pretending we could speak Italian together. Oh, how we would miss him.

Following dinner, we all retreated once more to the comforts of our rooms. It would be our last night at Mnemba and, as with all of our lodges, it was going to be exceptionally hard to say goodbye!

The next morning, Ned decided to sleep in, so Jackie, Alejandra and Conor all met Chris early to dive the House Reef again. Similar to the previous day, it did not disappoint. We saw a tiger mantis, a nucibranc in the sand, pipe fish, snake eels, morays, and THREE seahorses. Great dive!

Everyone met at breakfast and quite a few of us enjoyed the eggs benedict. The divers decided to hang up their fins so Chris offered to take the entire group on a tidal pool walk. It was low tide, so Chris told us to expect to see some awesome creatures. We were pumped.

Our walk did not disappoint! Max absolutely loved swimming in all of the small little Max-sized pools. The rest of us went hunting for shells, urchins and starfish!

By the time we finished up our walk, Car had to run off to meet Lisa for her 90 minute Thai-style massage! The rest of us made our way back to camp and then to lunch.

After lunch, Jill, Joan, Max, Ned and Jackie headed for the beach where we swam, free dove, and wave surfed for most of the afternoon. Once Car was done with her massage, she joined us and did some snorkeling herself. Conor and Alejandra had to head back to their room to pack up.

About a half an hour later, we saw Alejandra sprinting down the beach with Conor followed behind with all of their bags. We later found out that Conor instructed Alejandra – if you want anything from the gift shop, you better move! About halfway down the beach, Chris met Conor to help with the bags back to the boat.

This was the time to say goodbye. We gave big big hugs to Alejandra and waved as they headed back to Zanzibar. We learned afterwards that they would have an amazing evening in Stonetown, staying at a super cool hotel on the water. They explored the city on foot and enjoyed a final evening together before Alejandra’s insanely early airport pick up of 2:15am for her flights back to Mexico via Istanbul.

After some big waves goodbye, the remaining crew spent more time in the surf and in the sand. It was a beautiful afternoon and all of us, including Max, were in our glory.

At 5:15pm, Jackie retreated to her cabana to meet Lisa for an exquisite scrub and oil massage. Much like Joan’s experience, it did not disappoint!

After the massage, Jackie found he whole crew enjoying sundowners  the beach with Chris (our dive master). We had a delightful time talking about past travels and future explorations.

Soon Rajab and Chris came to fetch us; it was time for a very special dinner in the woods. We all followed the sand paths to the middle of the island where Chris and Rajab had set up a beautiful table, lit by Christmas lights in the trees, lanterns, and brown bags full of sand and candles., It was spectacular.. We enjoyed dinner under the stars with our amazing hosts! Rajab was so much fun. We had no idea he was such a jokester and we had a playful evening, pretending we could speak Italian together. Oh, how we would miss him.

Following dinner, we all retreated once more to the comforts of our rooms. It would be our last night at Mnemba and, as with all of our lodges, it was going to be exceptionally hard to say goodbye!

The next morning, Ned decided to sleep in, so Jackie, Alejandra and Conor all met Chris early to dive the House Reef again. Similar to the previous day, it did not disappoint. We saw a tiger mantis, a nucibranc in the sand, pipe fish, snake eels, morays, and THREE seahorses. Great dive!

Everyone met at breakfast and quite a few of us enjoyed the eggs benedict. The divers decided to hang up their fins so Chris offered to take the entire group on a tidal pool walk. It was low tide, so Chris told us to expect to see some awesome creatures. We were pumped.

Our walk did not disappoint! Max absolutely loved swimming in all of the small little Max-sized pools. The rest of us went hunting for shells, urchins and starfish!

By the time we finished up our walk, Car had to run off to meet Lisa for her 90 minute Thai-style massage! The rest of us made our way back to camp and then to lunch.

After lunch, Jill, Joan, Max, Ned and Jackie headed for the beach where we swam, free dove, and wave surfed for most of the afternoon. Once Car was done with her massage, she joined us and did some snorkeling herself. Conor and Alejandra had to head back to their room to pack up.

About a half an hour later, we saw Alejandra sprinting down the beach with Conor followed behind with all of their bags. We later found out that Conor instructed Alejandra – if you want anything from the gift shop, you better move! About halfway down the beach, Chris met Conor to help with the bags back to the boat.

This was the time to say goodbye. We gave big big hugs to Alejandra and waved as they headed back to Zanzibar. We learned afterwards that they would have an amazing evening in Stonetown, staying at a super cool hotel on the water. They explored the city on foot and enjoyed a final evening together before Alejandra’s insanely early airport pick up of 2:15am for her flights back to Mexico via Istanbul.

After some big waves goodbye, the remaining crew spent more time in the surf and in the sand. It was a beautiful afternoon and all of us, including Max, were in our glory.

At 5:15pm, Jackie retreated to her cabana to meet Lisa for an exquisite scrub and oil massage. Much like Joan’s experience, it did not disappoint!

After the massage, Jackie found he whole crew enjoying sundowners  the beach with Chris (our dive master). We had a delightful time talking about past travels and future explorations.

Soon Rajab and Chris came to fetch us; it was time for a very special dinner in the woods. We all followed the sand paths to the middle of the island where Chris and Rajab had set up a beautiful table, lit by Christmas lights in the trees, lanterns, and brown bags full of sand and candles., It was spectacular.. We enjoyed dinner under the stars with our amazing hosts! Rajab was so much fun. We had no idea he was such a jokester and we had a playful evening, pretending we could speak Italian together. Oh, how we would miss him.

Following dinner, we all retreated once more to the comforts of our rooms. It would be our last night at Mnemba and, as with all of our lodges, it was going to be exceptionally hard to say goodbye!

The next morning, Ned decided to sleep in, so Jackie, Alejandra and Conor all met Chris early to dive the House Reef again. Similar to the previous day, it did not disappoint. We saw a tiger mantis, a nucibranc in the sand, pipe fish, snake eels, morays, and THREE seahorses. Great dive!

Everyone met at breakfast and quite a few of us enjoyed the eggs benedict. The divers decided to hang up their fins so Chris offered to take the entire group on a tidal pool walk. It was low tide, so Chris told us to expect to see some awesome creatures. We were pumped.

Our walk did not disappoint! Max absolutely loved swimming in all of the small little Max-sized pools. The rest of us went hunting for shells, urchins and starfish!

By the time we finished up our walk, Car had to run off to meet Lisa for her 90 minute Thai-style massage! The rest of us made our way back to camp and then to lunch.

After lunch, Jill, Joan, Max, Ned and Jackie headed for the beach where we swam, free dove, and wave surfed for most of the afternoon. Once Car was done with her massage, she joined us and did some snorkeling herself. Conor and Alejandra had to head back to their room to pack up.

About a half an hour later, we saw Alejandra sprinting down the beach with Conor followed behind with all of their bags. We later found out that Conor instructed Alejandra – if you want anything from the gift shop, you better move! About halfway down the beach, Chris met Conor to help with the bags back to the boat.

This was the time to say goodbye. We gave big big hugs to Alejandra and waved as they headed back to Zanzibar. We learned afterwards that they would have an amazing evening in Stonetown, staying at a super cool hotel on the water. They explored the city on foot and enjoyed a final evening together before Alejandra’s insanely early airport pick up of 2:15am for her flights back to Mexico via Istanbul.

After some big waves goodbye, the remaining crew spent more time in the surf and in the sand. It was a beautiful afternoon and all of us, including Max, were in our glory.

At 5:15pm, Jackie retreated to her cabana to meet Lisa for an exquisite scrub and oil massage. Much like Joan’s experience, it did not disappoint!

After the massage, Jackie found he whole crew enjoying sundowners  the beach with Chris (our dive master). We had a delightful time talking about past travels and future explorations.

Soon Rajab and Chris came to fetch us; it was time for a very special dinner in the woods. We all followed the sand paths to the middle of the island where Chris and Rajab had set up a beautiful table, lit by Christmas lights in the trees, lanterns, and brown bags full of sand and candles., It was spectacular.. We enjoyed dinner under the stars with our amazing hosts! Rajab was so much fun. We had no idea he was such a jokester and we had a playful evening, pretending we could speak Italian together. Oh, how we would miss him.

Following dinner, we all retreated once more to the comforts of our rooms. It would be our last night at Mnemba and, as with all of our lodges, it was going to be exceptionally hard to say goodbye!

The next morning, Ned decided to sleep in, so Jackie, Alejandra and Conor all met Chris early to dive the House Reef again. Similar to the previous day, it did not disappoint. We saw a tiger mantis, a nucibranc in the sand, pipe fish, snake eels, morays, and THREE seahorses. Great dive!

Everyone met at breakfast and quite a few of us enjoyed the eggs benedict. The divers decided to hang up their fins so Chris offered to take the entire group on a tidal pool walk. It was low tide, so Chris told us to expect to see some awesome creatures. We were pumped.

Our walk did not disappoint! Max absolutely loved swimming in all of the small little Max-sized pools. The rest of us went hunting for shells, urchins and starfish!

By the time we finished up our walk, Car had to run off to meet Lisa for her 90 minute Thai-style massage! The rest of us made our way back to camp and then to lunch.

After lunch, Jill, Joan, Max, Ned and Jackie headed for the beach where we swam, free dove, and wave surfed for most of the afternoon. Once Car was done with her massage, she joined us and did some snorkeling herself. Conor and Alejandra had to head back to their room to pack up.

About a half an hour later, we saw Alejandra sprinting down the beach with Conor followed behind with all of their bags. We later found out that Conor instructed Alejandra – if you want anything from the gift shop, you better move! About halfway down the beach, Chris met Conor to help with the bags back to the boat.

This was the time to say goodbye. We gave big big hugs to Alejandra and waved as they headed back to Zanzibar. We learned afterwards that they would have an amazing evening in Stonetown, staying at a super cool hotel on the water. They explored the city on foot and enjoyed a final evening together before Alejandra’s insanely early airport pick up of 2:15am for her flights back to Mexico via Istanbul.

After some big waves goodbye, the remaining crew spent more time in the surf and in the sand. It was a beautiful afternoon and all of us, including Max, were in our glory.

At 5:15pm, Jackie retreated to her cabana to meet Lisa for an exquisite scrub and oil massage. Much like Joan’s experience, it did not disappoint!

After the massage, Jackie found he whole crew enjoying sundowners  the beach with Chris (our dive master). We had a delightful time talking about past travels and future explorations.

Soon Rajab and Chris came to fetch us; it was time for a very special dinner in the woods. We all followed the sand paths to the middle of the island where Chris and Rajab had set up a beautiful table, lit by Christmas lights in the trees, lanterns, and brown bags full of sand and candles., It was spectacular.. We enjoyed dinner under the stars with our amazing hosts! Rajab was so much fun. We had no idea he was such a jokester and we had a playful evening, pretending we could speak Italian together. Oh, how we would miss him.

Following dinner, we all retreated once more to the comforts of our rooms. It would be our last night at Mnemba and, as with all of our lodges, it was going to be exceptionally hard to say goodbye!

Unfortunately, Conor and Alejandra did not make the first dive of the day. They had a little too much fun the night before! 🙂

Juddy came to Ned and Jackie’s room at 7:20am to watch Max – he was still sleeping.Ned and Jackie headed over to the dive shop to meet Chris. Today, Chris decided to take them right out front to the House Reef. Honestly, it could have been a shore dive, but they all were lazy and took the zodiac.

It was an awesome dive – there was so much to see – tiny shrimp, flounder, razor fish, pipe fish, and a seahorse! If you like digging around for small stuff in the muck, this is the dive for you. It was a blast.

After the dive, the group all met (the other) Chris and Rajab at breakfast. The hit was the donuts and the waffle of the day, which had ham and a soft boiled egg! We all discussed the plan for the day. It was action packed.

Joan had scheduled a 90 minute massage with Lisa. Jackie would dive at 10:30am with Chris while Ned watched the baby; Ned and Jackie would swap Max duty that afternoon, so Ned could dive again at 2:30pm. Jill and Jackie planned another yoga class. And then most of the group would take the dhow out again that evening. Busy busy!

We all met back up at lunch time to talk about the day.

Jackie’s dive was great. She and Chris went south again to Coral Gardens and saw rays, a turtle, morays and more. They even did a little ocean clean up and collected a bunch of discarded fishing line from the reef.

Jill and Car took out the stand up paddle boards. They cruised along the shoreline until they got to the end of the island where there is quite a meeting of the currents. The currents were so strong that Jill got stuck! The rescue boat came to her aid! Jill politely asked if she was being issued a speeding ticket. She didn’t want anything on her permanent record, especially for a first offense! They were kind and didn’t issue a ticket, but helped her out of the situation. Car, on the other hand, paddled her a** off and managed to power back to calmer waters. She sat on her board and waited while the authorities dealt with Jill. LOL.

Joan loved her massage so much that she convinced Jackie and Car to get one too. Car had already planned to get a 90 minute thai-style massage the next day but the chocolate, coffee and orange scrub and oil massage sounded too good to pass up. Not to mention, the massages are in the cabanas, right off the beach, to the sound of the ocean. Glorious!

It was an awesome day so far. Not to mention, lunch was beautiful and delicious – sushi and sashimi!

Following lunch, Ned headed to the dive shop and the rest of the team splintered. Some of us enjoyed the beach and a nice swim. Conor and Alejandra took the kayaks out and paddled around the island. While they had a great time, Conor forgot to wear sunscreen and wound up with a wicked burn on his back. Tisk tisk! 

 Then it was time for yoga and the sail!

After the sail, Car ran to meet Lisa for her first massage.

That evening, we had sundowners again on the beach. This time, dinner was on the beach as well. Rajab and Chris set up the table under the stars, lit by candles and lanterns. It was lovely. It was unfortunately our last night with Alejandra so we enjoyed every minute of it.

Pooped, we all said our good nights and hit the hay. So grateful for every minute!

With the long day of travel behind us, we decided not to meet for breakfast until 9:00 am. Some of us took the opportunity to sleep in a bit, while others went for early walks around the island to catch the sunrise. We had a leisurely meal together and talked about plans for the day. Marina came by with a big basket full of beach toys for Max.

Joan, Car and Jill planned to chill out on the beach and swim; Jackie, Ned, Conor and Alejandra would do their first dive with Chris, the dive master. And, Max would meet Juddy, the baby sitter.

After breakfast, we all split up to do our activities and planned to meet back together again at lunchtime, 1:00pm.

The four divers set out on the zodiac and headed around the southern tip of the island to the reef. It was a very short boat ride. Alejandra did awesome for her first real dive following the completion of her open water! She’s a natural.

The visibility wasn’t great and the current was pretty strong, and the group got separated. Jackie and Ned wound up at the bottom with Chris, while Alejandra and Conor took a little longer at the surface with Rob (the other dive master). Jackie, Ned and Chris surfaced to look for them. They found their bubbles and swam along the surface towards them. After a few minutes, the team was together again.

It was a nice dive. This part of Zanzibar isn’t known for sharks, but it is teeming with fish and macro life. We found rays and a number of different kinds of morays.

Reuniting at lunch, the divers talked about their under water adventure. Car, Joan and Jill talked about their leisurely morning and Max was very happy to see everyone. (He wasn’t too thrilled about staying with Juddy, but he was ultimately fine with his puter.)

That afternoon, Ned went diving again with Chris at 2:30pm at a site called the Coral Reef, also on the south side of the island. They saw more morays, a peacock mantis shrimp, and an electric torpedo ray! Jackie, Jill, Alejandra and Conor did yoga in the cabana; Max hung out with them. And Joan and Car took out the Dhow, which is a traditional sailboat.

We all met up again for sundowners on the beach.

Lucky for us, there was another turtle hatching that evening!

That night was barbecue night. The team set up all of the tables outside and even recreated the lounge with all of these white sofas and poof chairs on the beach. We had drinks with the other guests and the staff, and then sat down at our table. We had ceviche and then we enjoyed the BBQ – chicken, lobster, prawns, and grilled vegetable. Delicious.

Most of us hit the hay after dinner, but Conor and Alejandra decided to have a few more drinks together. The plan was to meet up in the morning for the 7:30 dive and then we’d all have breakfast together at 9am. We’ll see……

With the long day of travel behind us, we decided not to meet for breakfast until 9:00 am. Some of us took the opportunity to sleep in a bit, while others went for early walks around the island to catch the sunrise. We had a leisurely meal together and talked about plans for the day. Marina came by with a big basket full of beach toys for Max.

Joan, Car and Jill planned to chill out on the beach and swim; Jackie, Ned, Conor and Alejandra would do their first dive with Chris, the dive master. And, Max would meet Juddy, the baby sitter.

After breakfast, we all split up to do our activities and planned to meet back together again at lunchtime, 1:00pm.

The four divers set out on the zodiac and headed around the southern tip of the island to the reef. It was a very short boat ride. Alejandra did awesome for her first real dive following the completion of her open water! She’s a natural.

The visibility wasn’t great and the current was pretty strong, and the group got separated. Jackie and Ned wound up at the bottom with Chris, while Alejandra and Conor took a little longer at the surface with Rob (the other dive master). Jackie, Ned and Chris surfaced to look for them. They found their bubbles and swam along the surface towards them. After a few minutes, the team was together again.

It was a nice dive. This part of Zanzibar isn’t known for sharks, but it is teeming with fish and macro life. We found rays and a number of different kinds of morays.

Reuniting at lunch, the divers talked about their under water adventure. Car, Joan and Jill talked about their leisurely morning and Max was very happy to see everyone. (He wasn’t too thrilled about staying with Juddy, but he was ultimately fine with his puter.)

That afternoon, Ned went diving again with Chris at 2:30pm at a site called the Small Wall, also on the south side of the island. They saw more morays, and a giant grouper. Jackie, Jill, Alejandra and Conor did yoga in the cabana; Max hung out with them. And Joan and Car took out the Dhor, which is a traditional sailboat.

We all met up again for sundowners on the beach.

Lucky for us, there was another turtle hatching that evening!

That night was barbecue night. The team set up all of the tables outside and even recreated the lounge with all of these white sofas and poof chairs on the beach. We had drinks with the other guests and the staff, and then sat down at our table. We had ceviche and then we enjoyed the BBQ – chicken, lobster, prawns, and grilled vegetable. Delicious.

Most of us hit the hay after dinner, but Conor and Alejandra decided to have a few more drinks together. The plan was to meet up in the morning for the 7:30 dive and then we’d all have breakfast together at 9am. We’ll see……

Bleary eyed, the team assembled in the lobby at 5:30am. The hotel prepared boxed breakfasts and lunches for us, along with juice and coffee. While it was a nice gesture, it was too much to carry. Some of us tried to consolidate the bags and bags of food to take with us. Others of us gave it to Patrick and Omar who said it wouldn’t go to waste.

At the airport, we said our final goodbyes to Patrick and Omar and met our greeters. They helped get us through check in and security and left us at the gate. We boarded our Rwandair flight back to Nairobi where we we would transfer back to Scenic Air to take our private charter to Zanzibar.

In Nairobi, we met Sanjay again and piled into our small plane for the 2.5 hour ride to the island. We got the most incredible view of Mt. Kilimanjaro along the way!

We landed in Zanzibar around 1:30pm and what a cluster. When we got off the plane, we all knew we needed to purchase visas and go through immigration. But, the immigration officers just waved us through. We stood looking at each other in baggage claim like, this cannot be right. We went back towards the desk and some dude gave us the thumbs up – you’re good. It was the third time back at the deck before they were like, ooooh, you’re coming from Rwanda!

Thumbs up guy brought us back to the other side of the immigration desk and told us to fill out a bunch of forms. It was so disorganized – there were papers everywhere. Some of us filled out one form, others filled out a different form. Ultimately, it didn’t matter but it was insanely confusing.

Then, we stood in three lines. The first line was to check our forms and passports where they printed out a slip of paper with our information on it. Then, we needed to take that piece of paper and our other forms to a second desk to pay for our visas. Once we paid, a woman stamped our papers and we needed to go to a third desk to have a final human check our paperwork and stamp our passports. At any time, we could have waltzed through to baggage claim and no one would have blinked.

Finally, we got through the crazy, met our greeters and got our bags. We piled into two cars and headed for the “port” where we would meet a boat to take us to Mnemba – a tiny island in the Zanzibar archipelago with only our resort on it. The drive was pretty long – about an hour and a half – and we passed through a number of busy markets. Some of us fell asleep during the ride; it had been a long day.

“Port” is a generous term for the place we met our boat. Really, it was a beach with a handful of moorings. The Mnemba Island resort was there to greet us and two very nice gentleman hauled our load of 12 giant bags, plus backpacks and hand luggage, wading them out to the boat.

The first boat was so loaded down that half of us hoped on to another one. It was a real struggle to get them out of the sand. It took 4 guys to push our luggage loaded boat out far enough to drop the prop.

In the distance, we could see Mnemba island!

The boat ride was quick, probably only 10 minutes and, as we arrived, we received a super warm welcome from our hosts – Sade, Marina, Lisa, Chris, and our butlers, Rajab and Chris (who we would come to adore). They waved to us from the beach as we pulled ashore, jumped out into the crystal clear blue water, and waded up to shore. The gave us a yummy limey drink and brought us up to the lounge where we got a briefing about the island, diving, meal times, and activities. This was going to be a good time!

Before showing us to our rooms, we learned that at 5:45pm we would get a chance to see a baby green turtle hatching! They told us to meet them back in the main area for a sundowner and to watch the little hatchlings make their way down the beach to the sea. Yes please! It was already about 5:15pm so we just had time to check out our rooms, unpack a bit, and head back.

The resort, like the others we’ve stayed at, was very small – only 12 rooms total. Each was just off the beach with a cabana for chilling out (or yoga and massages) and the main rooms had big beautiful poster beds, a sitting area with comfy couches, and giant bathrooms. Everything was totally open air! We were told there was nothing on the island to worry about – no monkeys (phew!), spiders, snakes, or scorpions – just the world’s smallest antelope, crabs and birds. So, were could all sleep in the fresh air under our mosquito nets. It was at that moment that all of us ditched our shoes and wouldn’t put them back on again for the duration of our stay. We would get around by walking down the beach or through a collection of sandy pathways through the center of the island. Goodbye foot prisons!

We met back up again at 5:45pm, grabbed our sundowners (many of us tried the yummy dawa signature drink – mmm mmm) and enjoyed the show! Look at this adorable baby turtles!

We couldn’t get Max to focus on the turtles; he sprinted for the water!

After cleaning up a bit, we headed to dinner on the beach. It was lovely. Mnemba provides a menu every day so we had a chance to order different things, which was unique to this lodge. We enjoyed dinner by candle light and lantern, served by Rajab and Chris, and gazed up at the Milky Way.

After dessert, Max had this THIRD third birthday celebration. The crew came out with a huge slide of birthday cake to share and he even got his own sparkler. The birthday fund never ends.

We made as much room as we could for a bite of cake and then all retreated to our rooms. It was a long day but we were so happy to be on Mnemba!

La la Salama