Kizimkazi dolphins at first lightKizimkazi — humpback dolphins at first light, done properly

• Free cancellationUp to 24 hrs beforeFull refund up to 24 hours before
• 5 hoursBack by 11:30Back at your hotel by 11:30
• Hotel pickupIncludedIncluded from the south and east coasts
• Live guideEN, KiswahiliEnglish, Kiswahili
• Max 8 guestsOne boat, engine offOne boat, engine off

What you'll do

Out of Kizimkazi at 06:00, before the other boats, to watch the resident humpback dolphins feed. We keep our distance and cut the engine — no circling, no dropping swimmers on top of them. If they come to the boat, that is their decision.

• First boat out, before the crowd arrives
• Engine off, no chasing and no circling
• A reef snorkel afterwards while the sea is still flat
• Breakfast on the boat

The day, hour by hour

1. 05:15Pickup from your hotel

   Early, but the whole point of the trip is being first on the water.

2. 06:00Out of Kizimkazi· 2 hrs

   We find the pod, hold position and cut the engine. Nobody gets dropped in on top of them.

3. 08:30Reef snorkel and breakfast· 1 hr 30

   The inner reef south of the village, then coffee, fruit and mandazi.

4. 11:30Back at your hotel

   With the rest of the day still in front of you.

Where we pick you up

Good to know before you book

• We do not guarantee dolphins and we do not chase them. Roughly four mornings in five we find the pod.
• Swimming with them is not part of this trip. That is a deliberate choice, not an oversight.
• Not suitable for children under 6 — it is an early start and a long morning.
• Anyone prone to seasickness should take something before the drive, not on the boat.

Questions people ask

Other operators let you swim with the dolphins. Why not you?

Because the boats that do it chase the pod until someone can jump in front of it, and the pod has been leaving the bay earlier every year. We watch from a stationary boat instead. If that is not the trip you want, we would rather you booked elsewhere.