Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027 · from CHF 4,500See the trip →
Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Africa

Africa

Tanzania

Surface-feeding whale sharks off Mafia Island, protected reefs and Swahili island culture on Zanzibar.

Traditional dhow on the white beach at Matemwe, Zanzibar
Matemwe beach, Zanzibar · Photo: Crispin Jones on Unsplash
Exploring

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: Visitor guide, Marine Parks and Reserves Unit, Tanzania; Occurrence and foraging activity of coastal dolphins in Menai Bay, Zanzibar, Temple et al., PLOS ONE, 2016; Mafia Island whale shark research, Marine Megafauna Foundation.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. The UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel within 20km of the border with Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, due to attacks by groups linked with Islamic extremism. Sources: UK FCDO travel advice, Tanzania Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

FreedivingScubaSnorkellingWhalesWhale sharks

Why Tanzania

Mafia Island is a quiet place where whale sharks often feed near the surface from October to April. Zanzibar, around Matemwe, Mnemba and Chumbe, has coral reefs, turtles and a protected reef sanctuary, with Swahili food and island culture. On the quiet southern coast at Mikindani and Mnazi Bay, coral restoration work is under way, and humpback whales may be watched from about July to November.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

FijiTanzaniaDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadSouth AfricaFranceZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaBeninNigeriaCameroonTogoGhanaBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaBurundiMadagascarIndiaEthiopiaSomalilandUgandaRwandaS. SudanMafia Island, TanzaniaMikindani and Mnazi Bay, TanzaniaZanzibar - Matemwe, Mnemba and Chumbe, Tanzania

When to go

Oct-Jan. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We have researched this place and keep learning about it. There is no trip here yet.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Mafia Island's whale sharks feed in Kilindoni Bay, near the marine park, and the park fee is paid at the gate. There is no full government swim code, so we follow the local operator network code and our own: small groups, short and calm swims, good distance, no touching. In southern Zanzibar, scientists name tourism as a threat to the resident dolphins, so we skip dolphin swim tours and do not join dolphin boats.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Tanzania

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Mafia Island

Exploring

A quiet island where whale sharks often feed near the surface in season, with reefs and turtles.

🤿 In the water: Whale sharks (seasonal), Turtles, Coral reef

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (Jul-Sep), Dugongs (rare)

When: Oct-Apr. Whale sharks often feed at the surface from Oct to Apr, most often Oct to Jan.

Rules and fees: Visitors to Mafia Island Marine Park pay a park fee at the gate. Whale shark swims follow the local operator code: no touching, no blocking the head, no flash and a quiet entry.

Mikindani and Mnazi Bay

Exploring

A quiet southern coast with reef, coral restoration work and humpback whales to watch in season.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish, Corals, Small reef life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Humpback whales (seasonal)

When: Jul-Nov. Humpback whales can be watched from about Jul to Nov.

Zanzibar - Matemwe, Mnemba and Chumbe

Exploring

Coral reefs, turtles and a protected reef sanctuary, combined with Swahili food and island culture.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish, Turtles, Rays, Reef sharks, Corals and small reef life

⛵ From the boat or shore, never in the water: Reef life from the boat, with no dolphin trips offered or referred

When: Year-round. Diving runs all year. The dry season, often Jun to Oct, is usually easier for travel.

Ocean + land

Whale sharks on Mafia, then a safari in Nyerere

In the water

Whale sharks feed near the surface in Kilindoni Bay, off Mafia Island, mostly from October to March, with the peak from November to January.

On land

Nyerere National Park, on the mainland, is about 30,900 km², the largest national park in Tanzania, and the Rufiji River runs through it. It is the northern part of the old Selous Game Reserve, which UNESCO lists for its elephants, African wild dogs, hippos and wild river system.

Late October to November is when both fit in one trip: the end of the dry season inland, and the start of the whale shark season at sea.

The wider Selous area has been on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger since 2014, first because of elephant poaching, then because of a large dam on the Rufiji. In 2026 UNESCO kept it on that list. Go with a licensed park guide, stay in the vehicle or boat, and never feed or call animals.

Hippopotamuses resting in a lagoon on Orango island with only their backs above the water and trees along the shoreCommon hippopotamusHippopotamus amphibiusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerable

Wildlife is never guaranteed, on land or at sea. This is research, not a trip on sale.

Sources for this section

Checked 7 Oct 2026.

Animals

Animals recorded in Tanzania

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Land animals
Humpback whale swimming close with long pectoral finHumpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeSeen in 87 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHuge spotted whale shark gliding through open blue waterWhale sharkRhincodon typusSeen in 54 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernScarred Risso's dolphin spyhopping out of the waterRisso's dolphinGrampus griseusSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernIndian Ocean humpback dolphin showing its pale dorsal humpIndian Ocean humpback dolphinSousa plumbeaSeen in 13 countries in the AtlasEndangeredPod of bottlenose dolphins swimming over a Red Sea coral reefIndo-Pacific bottlenose dolphinTursiops aduncusSeen in 29 countries in the AtlasNear ThreatenedTwo spinner dolphins swimming over sand in clear waterSpinner dolphinStenella longirostrisSeen in 66 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlue-spotted ribbontail ray resting on sand, seen from aboveBlue-spotted ribbontail rayTaeniura lymmaSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPale reef stonefish resting between anemones in KwajaleinReef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWell camouflaged scorpionfish on dark sand in Lembeh StraitScorpionfishScorpaenopsis speciesSeen in 22 countries in the AtlasVaries by speciesTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDugong grazing on seagrass over a sandy seabedDugongDugong dugonSeen in 32 countries in the AtlasVulnerableHawksbill turtle swimming, pointed beak in profileHawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 88 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredCommon bottlenose dolphin swimming over a seagrass bedCommon bottlenose dolphinTursiops truncatusSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableLoggerhead turtle at the surface feeding on Portuguese man o' warLoggerhead turtleCaretta carettaSeen in 89 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSpotted garden eels rising from sand, black spots clearly visibleSpotted garden eelHeteroconger hassiSeen in 19 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernEstuary seahorse with textured orange skin on dark sandCommon (estuary) seahorseHippocampus kudaSeen in 25 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWild coelacanth with white spots at 69 m off Pumula, South AfricaCoelacanthLatimeria chalumnaeSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernSilky shark swimming near the surface in blue waterSilky sharkCarcharhinus falciformisSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePortuguese man o' war floating with purple crest off Pico, AzoresPortuguese man o' warPhysalia physalisSeen in 36 countries in the AtlasNot EvaluatedSpinetail devil ray gliding in blue water off Crete with small fishSpinetail devil rayMobula mobularSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasCritically EndangeredHippopotamuses resting in a lagoon on Orango island with only their backs above the water and trees along the shoreCommon hippopotamusHippopotamus amphibiusSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableMasked booby on Ascension IslandMasked boobySula dactylatraSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPotato cod resting on sand under a coral overhang at Cod Hole, Ribbon Reefs, Great Barrier ReefPotato codEpinephelus tukulaSeen in 6 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant trevally swimming close to a coral head, with small reef fish in blue water behind itGiant trevallyCaranx ignobilisSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRobber crab on rough coral rock with bent legs and large claws, in daylightRobber crab (coconut crab)Birgus latroSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableMilk sharkRhizoprionodon acutusSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasVulnerableAldabra giant tortoise walking across short grass with its head raisedAldabra giant tortoiseAldabrachelys giganteaSeen in 4 countries in the AtlasLives on landVulnerableGreat cormorant perched on a branch, with white head plumes and a glossy blue-black backGreat cormorantPhalacrocorax carboSeen in 90 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernReed cormorant perched on a low stump among tall reedsReed cormorant (long-tailed cormorant)Microcarbo africanusSeen in 27 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAfrican darter with wings spread low over the water, droplets flyingAfrican darterAnhinga rufaSeen in 21 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBottlenose wedgefish swimming close past a reef, white spots along its backBottlenose wedgefishRhynchobatus australiaeSeen in 9 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered

Read before you go

Planning and destinationsBreakfast Before an Early Boat on a Remote IslandRead ↗Planning and destinationsOcean and Safari in Africa: Choose Both Parts CarefullyRead ↗Whales and wildlife ethicsMafia Island Whale Sharks: A Quiet, Ethical Snorkel in TanzaniaRead ↗Responsible travel and conservationHow “Ethical” Dolphin Tours Turn Into ChasesRead ↗
Dreaming of Tanzania?

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Also in Africa
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Swim with humpback whales in Moʻorea, September 2027

from CHF 4,500

See the trip →