Mnemba Atoll
Encyclopedia
The Mnemba Atoll is an atoll
, located off the northeast coast of Unguja
, the largest island of Zanzibar
. It consists of an oval reef seven by four kilometres in extent, containing the tiny Mnemba Island at about 1.5km in circumference. The surrounding reefs have been declared a Marine Conservation area.
Mnemba Atoll is a popular scuba diving
site, with a wide variety of coral
s and associated species, as well as occasional sightings of larger species such as turtle
s and dolphins. Calm conditions are most frequent in September and October, though visibility is at its optimum in January. The island itself is privately owned and can be visited only as a guest of the Mnemba Island Lodge, at a price of 1155 - 1500 US$ per person per night (2011 rates). At these prices, the average Zanzibar citizen would have to work 4-6 years to spend one night on this island. If, not being a guest, you accidentally set foot on the island you pay a hefty fine and are then told to leave. When people -snorkeling- approach within a 200 meter zone around the island they will be driven back by Mnemba staff in boats.
Mnemba Island is a 90 minute drive from Stone Town
across the main Zanzibar
Island, before a twenty minute boat crossing.
The marine reserve comprises four distinct habitats which are home to a diverse array of Indian Ocean wildlife, i.a.:
Green Sea Turtles can be seen laying their eggs on the beaches between December and May.
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
, located off the northeast coast of Unguja
Unguja
Unguja as mentioned in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is the largest and most populated island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania.-Geography:...
, the largest island of Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
. It consists of an oval reef seven by four kilometres in extent, containing the tiny Mnemba Island at about 1.5km in circumference. The surrounding reefs have been declared a Marine Conservation area.
Mnemba Atoll is a popular scuba diving
Scuba diving
Scuba diving is a form of underwater diving in which a diver uses a scuba set to breathe underwater....
site, with a wide variety of coral
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
s and associated species, as well as occasional sightings of larger species such as turtle
Turtle
Turtles are reptiles of the order Testudines , characterised by a special bony or cartilaginous shell developed from their ribs that acts as a shield...
s and dolphins. Calm conditions are most frequent in September and October, though visibility is at its optimum in January. The island itself is privately owned and can be visited only as a guest of the Mnemba Island Lodge, at a price of 1155 - 1500 US$ per person per night (2011 rates). At these prices, the average Zanzibar citizen would have to work 4-6 years to spend one night on this island. If, not being a guest, you accidentally set foot on the island you pay a hefty fine and are then told to leave. When people -snorkeling- approach within a 200 meter zone around the island they will be driven back by Mnemba staff in boats.
Mnemba Island is a 90 minute drive from Stone Town
Stone Town
Stone Town also known as Mji Mkongwe is the old part of Zanzibar City, the main city of Zanzibar, in Tanzania, as opposed to Ng'ambo . It is located on the western coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago...
across the main Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
Island, before a twenty minute boat crossing.
The marine reserve comprises four distinct habitats which are home to a diverse array of Indian Ocean wildlife, i.a.:
- Nesting place of threatened green turtles (monitoring and protection project has been underway since 1996)
- Humpback whales (July to September)
- Three species of dolphin
- Whale sharks (the world's largest fish)
- Migratory and resident shore birds feed and roost on the Island
- Approximately 600 species of coral reef fish.
Green Sea Turtles can be seen laying their eggs on the beaches between December and May.