3-Day Safari Blue, Salaam Cave & Kendwa Beach — Zanzibar

This is our 3-day package for ocean lovers: two days in the water and a day on the beach. Day 1 is a full Safari Blue trip of about 10 hours including transfers, sailing a traditional dhow through the Menai Bay Conservation Area with two snorkel stops, a seafood lunch on a sandbank and time to look for dolphins. On Day 2 you swim with sea turtles at Salaam Cave in Kizimkazi, and the afternoon is free. Day 3 is a free beach day at Kendwa or Nungwi. You spend two nights in our private villa with breakfast. Prices run from $340 per person for groups of four or more to $610 for a solo traveller.

Safari Blue departs from Fumba on the south-west coast and runs as a small group of up to 12 guests on the dhow; snorkelling equipment, life jackets, lunch and soft drinks are included. Salaam Cave, on the south coast, is a natural cave with a clear turquoise pool where you swim alongside sea turtles and tropical fish.

It builds on our 2-day Safari Blue and beach package by adding the turtle swim, a free afternoon and a second villa night.

Salaam Cave is a natural cave at Kizimkazi, a fishing village on Zanzibar's south coast, with a pool of clear turquoise water. Its highlight is swimming with sea turtles: you swim and snorkel alongside them and tropical fish, then explore the cave's rock formations. It is one of the most memorable wildlife experiences on the island, and families and photographers especially enjoy it.

Over the first two days you snorkel in three different settings: the coral reefs of Menai Bay, the shallows around a sandbank and the clear pool of Salaam Cave.

Our Safari Blue tour page explains the day and snorkelling etiquette in more detail.

Day 3 is spent on the north coast, at Kendwa or Nungwi. Both beaches are on the north-west tip of the island, about an hour's drive from Stone Town, and both have a small tidal range, so the sea stays close enough to swim at almost any time of day.

After breakfast your driver takes you to the beach, and the day is yours until your departure transfer. Water sports, boat trips and meals on the beach are paid locally. Our Zanzibar beach guide compares every coast.

Pack light: your luggage stays at the villa for both nights, so you only need a day bag on the excursion days. Day 2 is a swimming day, so keep swimwear and a towel to hand.

• Swimwear under light clothing, and a towel
• Reef-safe sunscreen, a sun hat and sunglasses
• A light long-sleeved top to protect against sun on the boat
• A dry bag or waterproof pouch for your phone
• Seasickness tablets if you are prone to motion sickness
• Some cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings for drinks, Day 2 lunch, beach meals and tips

Good to Know

• Don't touch, chase or hold the turtles at Salaam Cave, or feed or touch the monkeys in Jozani
• Swimwear is for the beach, the cave pool and the villa; cover up in villages and towns
• Ask before photographing people, and during Ramadan avoid eating or drinking in the street in daylight

The package runs all year, but sea conditions for Safari Blue change with the monsoon winds. If the sea is unsafe, the boat trip is rescheduled or replaced with an equivalent land excursion at no extra charge. June to October and December to February are the driest periods and the most reliable for both the boat day and the beach day.

Our Zanzibar travel guide covers the seasons month by month.

All four of our 3-day packages include two nights in our private villa with breakfast, swimming with turtles at Salaam Cave and a free beach day on Day 3. They differ in the Day 1 excursion and in whether Day 2 continues to Jozani Forest or leaves the afternoon free.

The lower price applies to groups of four or more and the higher price to a solo traveller. Compare every option on our 3-day Zanzibar packages page, or see the shorter 2-day packages.