In Heaven on the Indian Ocean

Tuesday, July 23 and Wednesday, July 24

On Tuesday morning, we're picked up by Mr. Chimbeni, whose card says he's a tourist assistant, actor, and musical, to take us to the Mbweni Ruins Hotel to get a boat out to Chumbe Island. The tide is out -- very far out -- and we walk a good 50 feet out to the boat with all of our luggage and the walking stick that Ellen had bought for Sandy and carried all over Tanzania with her.

Within minutes of landing at Chumbe, we realize we're in heaven. While the guest limit on the island is 14, today there are five overnight guests (including us) and two day guests. We've never seen a place so beautiful, so secluded, and so pristine. My mother keeps running around, jumping up and down, and clapping her hands. The bungalows are simple, but elegant, and designed to be ecologically efficient. We get settled in and head down to the beach for snorkeling. A couple of the Chumbe rangers take the group of us out a half mile or so to an incredible coral reef. The variety and density of the coral is spectacular, and the fish are fairly impressive as well. We snorkel for about an hour before lunch. Meals on Chumbe are one of the highlights. For lunch, we have the most tender calamari we've ever tasted, plus pasta salad, and a beautiful fruit salad. Tables for each group are set up in the main building, out on the point overlooking the ocean.

After a too short nap in the hammock in our bungalow, we manage to get up for the afternoon activity of walking in the coral rag forest, but it was worth it in the end. One of the rangers walked us through the forest explaining the ecology and history of the island. Later on, we head up to the top of the working lighthouse (121 stairs) to watch the sun set and take some photos, then cocktails, and dinner of delicious beef curry and rice. After dinner, one of the rangers brings down a coconut crab. Relatively rare, these huge crabs are fairly common on Chumbe and can climb a coconut tree and crack a coconut with their claws.


Our bungalow	Getting ready for dinner on the beach	A view from the lighthouse

Every meal at Chumbe is something to look forward to. At breakfast, we sit out on the point overlooking the ocean, and have fantastic fresh fruit, juices, real coffee, spiced tea, omelets, and homemade bread. After breakfast, the tide is out, so we are able to walk all the way around the island. One of the rangers comes with us, and we see all kinds of sea life on the shore and in small tidal pools. While we see tons of sea urchins, crabs, sea cucumbers, giant clams, and much more, the starfish are the most exotic-looking. They're about three or four inches across with what looks like red piping all over them. After the walk, we're ready for more snorkeling, then lunch and a very long nap.

Click here to see more photos from Chumbe Island.

Tonight there's a full moon and little wind, so they bring the dining room table outside, and we eat on the beach. The moonlight, a gentle breeze, bare feet in the sand, eating fabulous prawn curry, lentil fritters, sweet and sour vegetables, and mashed potatoes, I feel like I'm in a movie.

Although it's not cheap, our visit was worth every penny -- the setting, the food, the snorkeling, the knowledgeable, attentive, and incredibly friendly staff. Moreover, we're supporting Chumbe's educational program, which brings local school children and teachers to the island to learn about marine ecology.

We've only been here two days but we don't want to leave . . . ever.