Globe hopping
22 / My journey
Island and safari
Tanzania Renette Hartridge experiences a tropical island in the Indian Ocean and a bush safari during an East African twin-centre escape
I
am sipping on a large, freshly harvested coconut. It is filled to the brim with natural water that sploshes onto my bikini. But I don’t care: I am taking my coconut for a walk straight into the gorgeous, turquoise blue sea that surrounds Tanzania's Fanjove Island. This remote, palm-fringed tropical island is just off the country's southern coast, in the Songo Songo archipelago. Travelling here is an adventure in itself: a 45-minute flight from Dar Es Salaam, down the Tanzania coast, with a quick stopover on Mafia Island, then hopping across to Songo Island followed by a short tuk-tuk ride and finally a transfer in a traditional dhow sailing boat. Fanjove Island is tiny: it takes just 30 minutes to walk around it. My beach banda is one of only six, positioned perfectly to benefit from sunrise and sunset views. The rustic wood and thatch a-frame has a four-poster bed and upper viewing deck from which guests can enjoy the million-dollar sea views. Thoughtful amenities include kikoy towels (brightly coloured, pure cotton beach wraps), woven grass beach hats and pure coconut oil, to be applied to sun-kissed skin.
Spinner dolphins The quality of the food is simply off the charts. Head chef Issa serves up delicious Swahili islandstyle fusion sea-fare delivered daily by local fishermen: shellfish,
calamari, snapper and grouper - but more on the grouper later. Local knowledge is everything! A fisherman tells me he has just seen dolphin, so we commandeer the resort's speedboat to find them – and It is not long before we are in the middle of two large pods of spinner dolphins. I can hear them inhaling loudly as they breach the surface. A few do those classic dolphin spins, for which they are named. It is an awesome sighting and I am overcome by emotion. I know just how lucky I am right now: it is the last week of January and, with much of the world in lockdown, I am in the Indian Ocean surrounded by the sheer majesty of this big blue, in the company of these beautiful, playful mammals. The 11 kilometres of pristine coral reef that envelopes Fanjove Island is a nursery for blacktip reef sharks and I make sure to snorkel very close to Abdullah, the water sports instructor.
Birdlife and sea turtles Within minutes of wading into the warm sea (28 degrees) I am floating above vivid orange and purple corals. There is up to 30 metres of visibility, shards of sunlight piercing the water and illuminating the pretty pelagic fish. We clock lion, clown, butterfly, damsel, angel fish and a turtle. It is easy to lose yourself for hours in this underwater, marine dreamscape. The island is also a haven for migratory birds and the Songo Songo archipelago is an important nesting area for hawksbill
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My Journey Tanzania v9.indd 22
4/7/21 03:37 PM
