African Green Sea Turtles
Today was another early morning. We left our hotel when it was still dark, around 5:45am in the morning. Zanzibar is a really safe place due to the high tourist population, but we still felt a bit spooked as we wondered the cobbled streets on our way to the Dallah-Dallah (bus) stand on Market Street.
We went about 2 hours on the bus to the North of the island to a town called Nungwia. Nungwia is known in Zanzibar for its beautiful beaches, dhow building shipyard, and turtle population.
Since coming to Africa I knew I wanted to swim with turtles, I just didn’t know when or where that would happen. Yesterday I spoke with every local that I met about their favorite adventure on Zanzibar. I came to the conclusion that Zanzibar is a very dynamic place. You can scuba, snorkel, swim with dolphins, swim with sea turtles, join locals on their fishing boats, learn how to build a ship, visit the spice farms, eat traditional food from nearly every East Africa and Middle Eastern Country, visit historical slave sights, and walk the Cobblestone streets of Old Stonetown.
This morning we chose to head North and try to find where the green sea turtles were living so we could swim with them. Well we found them! Near a little guesthouse on the beach called Baraka, there was a small inlet that fills with ocean water depending on the tide level. Recently there was a new moon, meaning the the tide is highest early in the morning (around 5am). We knew that the earlier we could get to the North of the Island the better, because the tide would be higher and we would have a better chance of actually swimming with the turtles.
We arrived in Nungwia village, got out of the bus, and decided to walk around and try to find a turtle inlet. We found one after a few minutes of searching, it was a little inlet right outside of some beach guesthouses. There were over 25 turtles in the inlet. We paid a local to take us to the turtles and give us some seaweed to feed them. As soon as I got in the water the turtles swarmed around me, it was a little terrifying at first. I have never been that close to turtles before, but after a few minutes I was absolutely loving it. We stayed in the water with the turtles for over an hour, swimming, touching, and feeding them.
After we finished with the turtles, we were shown a giant Python that lives on the island — also quite scary. We then headed to the beach where we decided to walk the entire north coast of the island. Zanzibar is beautiful. We walked along the coast and saw many local men and women building ships and fishing.
Later in the day we walked back through the village collecting snacks of oranges, bananas, and chapati to enjoy on our bus ride back to Stonetown. We caught the bus around 11am and arrived in Stonetown around 1pm. This gave us just enough time to visit the market once again, shower, and catch our ferry back to Dar at 3:30. We leave for Malawi tomorrow!
(Below: Andrew’s Post)
We woke to the sound of the Islamic call to prayer echoing down the streets of Zanzibar. As Kylie and I had plans to go to Nungwi we were off to an early start. We hurriedly got ready, washed ourselves, brushed our teeth and set out into the still dark streets of Zanzibar. Early morning was quite peaceful and there was a surprising number of people out at 5:30am. Ladies in colorful Islamic attire were getting an early start on shopping at the market, and several men were entering and exiting the nearby mosque. We made our way to Daryani market to catch a DalaDala (bus) to the northernmost point on Zanzibar. Our hostel manager had told us before we left to catch the 116. We found the bus without a problem and were on our way! The drive was pleasant since the roads were well paved and Kylie and I had seats to ourselves. However that changed as we neared our destination. Potholes began to appear all along the road and as we were passed by another 116 bus, our driver flagged them down. He told us that since there were two 116 buses on the sane stretch of road, he was going to head back to Zanzibar and that we should continue with the second bus. Or at least, that’s what his motioning hinted at. We boarded a packed second bus and had no place to sit. I stood wedged between Kylie and a couple others who were in a similar predicament. An unfortunate two guys had to stand at the door of the bus and hung out of the vehicle as we went. I’m pretty sure they found it funny that two Mazungu (white people) were standing with the rest of them as a couple laughed at the situation. Despite the cramped ride, the last 10km went smoothly and we arrived in Nungwi safely. We had come this far hoping to swim with sea turtles, so we found a local conservation site and started towards the place. We arrived at The Marangi(?) pools and asked to see the turtle area before paying. They took us down to an enclosed, almost cavelike area that was similar to the Mexican ceynotes. Our helper (Alan) grabbed a handful of seaweed from a bucket and tossed it into the water. Immediately it came to life and more than 20 sea turtles came out from their hiding spots from among the rocks or under the water. Kylie giggled with joy and ran off to go change into her swimsuit. After a failed attempt at Mkomba bay, she was finally able to spend time with sea turtles. After we had changed she climbed into the water excitedly. She began swimming around the mass off turtles laughing the whole time. I snapped a few photos and climbed in after her. The water was cool and salty. We later learned that water filters in from the ocean during high tide and you have to arrive early enough to swim with the turtles. As I swam around the turtles, Alan threw clumps of seaweed around me, causing the turtles to swim over. Their paddle like arms and legs were firm and smooth (many of them bumped into me as they tried to maneuver around to get the seaweed). It was pretty spectacular. The turtles in the various Nungwi sanctuaries were found by fishermen who accidentally caught the turtles. If they were harmed, they were given to the sanctuaries for rehabilitation until they are ready to go back to the ocean (anywhere from 3 months to 1 year). Swimming with the turtles was pretty amazing. They swam around us, bumped into us, and generally didn’t seem to mind our presence at all as they munched away at sardines and seaweed. We left feeling pretty excited.
With the morning still young, we decided to walk the coast of Zanzibar to find our way back to the mini city center we were dropped off at. As we walked the beach we stumbled upon the Dhow crafting area. On the northern most part of Zanzibar island, tradition Dhows (wooden fishing boats) are still made using ancient techniques. The boats are carved out in wood, burned to harden the bottom, and then rigged together in the low tide sand. When high tide rolls in, the boat floats and is moved out to a secure location. It was pretty cool to watch a half dozen or so men hammering away at the base of some of the Dhows. We continued along the shore into the more touristy area and saw an immediate change in the buildings design, shape and quality. Despite the changes, it was still a beautiful area. Kylie and I wound our way through the resorts to the local city area and boarded another bus for Stone Town. Our time in Stone Town was short but we spent it in the local market getting food, water, and other things for our journey. Kylie even bought one of the local baskets since she wanted one to remember the villages we’d seen all throughout Tanzania.
After a mad race to get to the ferry in time, we met up with Tom and Mariam and joined them for dinner at their place. They had a delicious meal of ‘local chicken’ which is a slow cooked chicken in tomato sauce. Interestingly enough, local chicken takes 6-9 months (give or take) to grow instead of the genetically modified USA chickens which take a couple weeks. There was a huge difference in flavor as local chickens just taste so much better! After dinner we gathered our things and prepared for the journey to Malawi in the morning.
Sometimes (or always) in Africa they never turn down a passenger despite the fact that there is no room left in the bus. That is why you see people hanging out the windows
My dream came true today when Andrew and I smaw with over two dozen huge green sea turtles that next on the coast of Zanzibar.
Nungwia, Zanzibar a village to the North, is known for it’s seaside fishing and Dhow ship building. In the photos above you can see how the local Islamic culture, African and Arabic influences, and sea all collide.
A view of Stonetown from the front of the Kilimanjaro Ferry as we head back to Dar.
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