Cruzeiro Safaris

Over the last 5 years we have a success rate of 98% for seeing Dolphins and over 50% success rate for swimming with them at the shore of Indian Ocean.

Dolphin Dhow is a unique experience. We are the only company that can boast of a 98% record for spotting Dolphins and a better than 50% record for swimming with them. We really are “ your best chance to see and swim with Dolphins naturally “.

We pick from 90% of the hotels in Kikambala, mombasa north and South coast, Diani and Shimoni Hotels.

Price ranges from USD 120 to USD250 depending on the number of clients and hotel where you are staying..

A TYPICAL DAY

Our guests’ day starts with collection from their hotel and a scenic drive down to Shimoni beach, where our adjacent property provides a reception centre with toilet facilities. From here they board our dhow Subira (patience). After a brief orientation/introductory talk we serve Tea, Coffee and snacks as we motor out along the Shimoni channel, around the eastern edge of Wasini island and into the area of Kisite marine reserve marked by the two islands of mpunguti wa chini and mpunguti wa juu. Here we are well into spotted dolphin territory and patrolling to meet up with part of the pod consisting of, in our estimations, about one hundred and fifty individuals. Groups of mothers/females and young calves are often seen traveling together, as are groups of males. Often as we watch, smaller groups merge and become larger groups- often interacting together in bouts of play and as often occurs, a little love making! We are usually lucky enough to see at least one group early on but if this isn’t the case our snorkel sites provide not only a beautiful insight into the underwater world but a perfect vantage point to look for passing dolphins. More than once our guests have been snorkeling only to find that they are sharing the reef with a group of curious dolphins.

After snorkeling, we move over to mpunguti wa chini, tuck in to a sheltered cove and prepare to serve a traditional Swahili-style lunch of fish (chicken or vegetarian options) rice, chapatis, kachumbari and coconut sauce. Here a further swimming is a possibility.

The day is rounded off by a leisurely sail back to shimoni, all the time looking for further signs of both the spotted dolphins and their cousins the indo-pacific humpbacks, whose territory we will be traversing.

A friendly, personal atmosphere prevails, allowing the guests to get to know their hosts and talk as much as they like about their favourite subject – dolphins! Ours is designed to be flexible enough for us to give everybody the best chance possible of seeing dolphins.

If necessary we will look for them the whole day.

The last part of our day includes a visit to the shimoni slaves caves to see and get to know some history of the coastal area. (This is optional) guests interested have to pay Ksh 200 directly at the caves as it’s meant for the community services.