Nungwi Mnarani Aquarium — Attraction in Unguja

Whilst in Zanzibar in Nov2020, we visited the Nungwi Mnarani Marine Turtle Conservation Pond which was formed by a local fisherman in the early 90's with the intention of educating the Zanzibar people to stop the exploitation of these beautiful creatures and teach people to rather be conscientious of their conservation. All turtles brought to the sanctuary are either as a result of being caught in fishing nets and/or injured, and they are fed & cared for in natural tidal ponds and tiled 'nursery' areas until the annual release date of 20th February, when those that are healthy and strong again, are set free and returned to turquoise ocean waters ... a very emotional and special day on their calendar. The sanctuary relies solely on donations and charges a minimal fee to visit, all of which goes toward the upkeep of this wonderful initiative. Although the Sanctuary is fairly rudimentary, when one considers globally how much damage is being done to our planet, their efforts really are are highly commendable; their guides are well spoken, informative and intensely passionate about their mission. For insight into the lifecycle of these gentle giants and to do your part in helping stop the vicious cycle of hunting and destroying these beautiful creatures, we highly recommend you take the time to visit this...

We visited this “aquarium” recently. We were really in two minds as on one hand it is an amazing experience to get up close with turtles swimming around and you are given seaweed to feed them. On the other hand there are a lot of people pushing the animals and the space for the turtles is small. Be mindful I was bitten on my hand as they are still wild animals. This ruined it for me. Luckily the children didn’t get a bite. The guides just offer to take pictures of you and then try and sell you drinks and souvenirs. You will spend about 30 minutes tops here. The space to enter the water is tiny and busy with people getting in and out of the water. There are steps and a drop into the water. The sea floor is uneven as you enter a cave area so be mindful of the steps you make. It is not an easy to move around with rough rocks everywhere and people pushing for a better view of the animals. Overall the children loved the experience but are a little blinded by conditions of the turtles...

I understand both the 1 and 5 Star ratings. Its a tricky situation. On the one side it is a tourist attraction, may be the natural pool (its connected to the ocean, therefore low/high tide dependent) is too small, but I can't judge as I have no knowledge. On the other side, someone needs to understand the whole situation (I got told by a local person from Kendwa). Hunting turtels is prohibited. But because it is, local fishermen still try to go for it, because it is good money that is being paid on the black market. To avoid those turtels being killed, the government is paying a similar price to those fishermen to avoid the killing. As those turtels get injured during the hunt, they put those in this kind of place. And how do you fund this place? Exactly, by tourists. At the end its a rat race. Honestly, I dont know if I should...