Bike Tour — Nungwi Village
Boatyards, weaving and the returning catch, by bike through the island's oldest village.
TanzaniaFull dayEasy
Best time
June – Oct + Dec – Feb
Currency
USD
Climate
Tropical
Flight
10h
Language
Swahili
Nungwi sits at the northern tip of Zanzibar and is home to one of the island's oldest fishing villages. This outing crosses the village by bike, steering clear of the big hotel resorts, to get close to daily life and the trades that still shape the local economy.
First comes the boatyards, where carpenters still assemble dhows by hand, from saw-cut wood and hardwood pegs: a technique more than a thousand years old, passed down from father to son with no written plan. Then the weaving and basketry workshops, the Mnarani natural aquarium that takes in juvenile turtles before releasing them, then the lighthouse and the small harbour.
Highlights
Handmade dhows
Thousand-year-old boatbuilding
Weaving and basketry
Mnarani natural aquarium
Fish auction on the sand
What's included
Bike and helmet
Guide adapting the pace to the group
Local lunch: grilled fish, rice and coconut-tamarind sauces
Itinerary
- 1
The boatyards
Dhows assembled by hand by the village carpenters.
- 2
Weaving and basketry
Baskets, mats and hats from dried palm leaves.
- 3
Mnarani aquarium
A tidal pool home to juvenile turtles.
- 4
The lighthouse and the harbour
The canoes coming in and an impromptu auction on the sand.
Cancellation
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
