Muyuni Beach — Attraction in Unguja

This is a stunning white sand beach, perfect for snorkeling and spotting dolphins offshore. You’re sure to have a great time, but here’s an important tip: If you plan to hire a captain and guide for snorkeling, ensure they have the proper local authorization and licenses. There’s a $3 tax per person for offshore trips, and guides must comply with local regulations.

We had a bad experience when we hired a captain who lacked these credentials. Mid-trip, we were stopped by another boat that tied a rope to ours and towed us to Mnemba Island without any explanation. The crew only spoke Swahili to our captain, and we feared they might be robbers. It wasn’t until the next day we learned it was the tourist police, enforcing rules our guide had ignored.

As long as your guide follows the regulations and provides proper equipment, you’ll have a fantastic experience. Be mindful of beach vendors as well—some may offer beautiful seashells, but keep in mind it’s illegal to export them. I can't blame them, they’re just trying to make a living, and may not know these rules, but it’s important to be aware of the rules...

Very nice beach with good conditions to swim in the ocean. There are much less algae in the water than on other beaches. Near main entry along the road there are plenty of gift shops. The only downside is that near the main entry whole shoreline belongs to large hotels that dominate most of the beach with their sunbeds which you can't even rent if you are not their guest. This part of the beach can be also a bit crowded. Therefore you must take quite a long walk past the hotels to enter an unclaimed area of the beach where you can find peace and shade where sand...

So they tel you this is the best place to snorkel and swim with dolphins. DO NOT GET SUCKED IN!! They take you out to a reef that is dead - nothing but rocks and dead coral with a few small fish and about 40 boats with 2-6 snorkelers in each all vying for space in the water. You use very used equipment Then you go over to an area to “swim” with dolphins. Only about 50 boats chasing these poor animals who are trying to nothing more than get away from the humans. ABSOLUTELY NOT...