Nungwi Mnarani Aquarium

Great experience to swim with the turtles! It looks like turtles feel quite well in this big pool. Aquarium workers take care of them. Every year some of these turtles get freedom. Some turtles are rescued from the fisherman’s nets. Looks like these people are doing a great job!

Go early for the best experience we had a private swim and feeding session - we could have stayed longer even though we had ages with the turtles, all the staff explained everything really clearly, it was absolutely amazing! We had a tour of the rest of the place and the guide was so knowledgeable - would love to go back one day :) thank you everyone!

Place where they hold and cure injured marine turtles. When turtles are healed then they are released to the ocean - every year on 20th of february ( on release day).
You can feed the turtles, be in the water with them, touch ! But be aware thatvthey can sometimes bite 😊 not because they are evel but just they are wild animals!

This experience was unique and true to Zanzibar culture. If you love wildlife and aren't afraid of interacting with animals you should definitely try it out.

They have a changing area and shower for people who get in the water. But you can feed the Turtles without getting in, they will come to the edge where the food is.

10/10!

That’s such an unusual and unique experience! That was really cool and totally worth the visit.
We came quite early in the morning, there were not too many people and plenty of hungry turtles. They come close, they eat seaweed from your hands, they are huge and impressive!
Some people were just sitting on the stones near the water and were feeding and touching turtles. Others - and we among them - were swimming with the turtles, enjoying a lot.
Our 8 year old son spent more than an hour in the water, that was such a pleasure for him, that he didn’t want to leave, and I totally understand him. The place is a bliss.
The entry fee if I remember correctly is 10 usd per person.

Very unique experience to swim with tortoises and feeding them. We had so much fun

The guide gave us a lot of food for the tortoise or are the turtles? The receptionist was also nice. Experience was nice. Did i swim? Maybe

Beautiful spot with rescued turtles from the sea. Fun to feed the turtles and you can go in the water with them.

You can swim with turtles and feed them. They claim the turtles are saved from fishing nets and that they spend one year in this aquarium and then they send them back to the sea. The oldest turtle here is 35 years old and it is really big. I’d be very curious if they will really let her go in one year ;)
They also have small pools for baby turtles that are still carnivorous.

This aquarium is doing a great job at rescuing turtles, help them heal and then release them back in the ocean. Also, on the tour inside they educate you a lot about the danger to the turtles in the wild and also to the ocean in general.

When I first considered visiting the turtle exhibit here, I was concerned that the turtles were being exploited purely for commercial gain. Once here we realised that it was better to see them like this than to have large numbers of visitors harassing them in the wild. They are well taken care of here and no animals appeared to be distressed in any way. The genuinely appear to enjoy the interaction with people and come and nudge you to be petted. The environment is clean. Well worth a visit.

Wow!!! Amazing place!
From the outside it doesn't look like much but the guide is very knowledgeable about all the turtles. This place rescue the turtles from being eaten by fisherman, they take really good care of them, and after couple of months they release them to the sea.

5$ per person to get in, you get a personal guide and to feed the turtles :)

Very nice experience. Better than expected. It’s the locals initiative to conservate nature and save turtles. Please visit it. They need our support.

The turtle sanctuary adopts turtles as young as the egg stage and up and also wounded, sick turtles. They monitor their health, raise them and return them to the Ocean when they are ready. They really care about the turtles and their habitat. The tour guides give adequate information about sea turtles.

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 special place.

The most unique experience I've ever had. Was amazing swimming with the turtles

Amazing experience, turtles have plenty of space. They have also the baby turtles. Highly recommend 🐢❤

Nice place to learn everything about sea turtles. It seems like they really care about the animals! 👍🏼 it’s a rescue center for the turtles, so you can’t swim with them, what I didn’t really miss!
We had a really nice guide who explained us a lot and was happy about a small tip.

Turtle conservation, turtles are released every year.
Plan to spend a good 45 minutes there, it is a guided tour.

Entry fee is 10 USD.

You cannot (and frankly should not try to) swim wir the turtles, however you can feed them and pet them.

Feeding and swimming with the turtles was a memorable moment. There is also an onsite hatchery where you see 1 week old turtles.