Since Zanzibar is an archipelago, it seemed only right to take to the seas for our penultimate day here. We booked an all-day excursion through Safari Blue, a well-known local snorkeling tour company. When we arrived at the launch site, there were crowds of other people trying on flippers and buying water shoes for protection from the sharp coral. We were quickly sorted into individual boats – ours was shared with four Norwegian university students and a lawyer from DC, all on holiday.

Our first stopping point was seemingly in the middle of the ocean nowhere near land, but our guide said that dolphins often congregated at this location, and sure enough, we soon saw tail fins. With mask and snorkel we could see them better and follow them for short stretches, but they were in their element and clearly in control of the situation.

Stop number two was an isolated sand bar in view of several islands (see lead photo). Apparently it’s a popular destination for all-day beach parties, and even mid-morning was quite well populated. We only made a short stop, long enough to circumnavigate the shoreline on foot.

Stops 3 and 4 were both snorkeling sites. Of the four in our immediate family, only Nick had ever snorkeled before, so this was a new experience for most. The first location was fairly shallow with a diversity of coral, including some in blue, and the largest sea urchins we’ve ever seen (foot-long spines!?) The second location was much deeper with huge schools of fish of different kinds and a few much rarer types.

The water was a perfect temperature and we could have stayed longer, but as they say, time and tide wait for no one – soon it was time to move on to our next destination: a massive seafood barbecue buffet under a spacious tent pitched on a long sandy beach. Because our outfitter specializes in this one tour, they enjoy economies of scale and serve up a varied and delicious menu with plenty of food and drinks. For dessert we again sampled a number of different local fruits, including baobab and sugar cane.

Two more experiences still awaited us. For a bit of postprandial exercise, we were taken to an enclosed tidal lagoon ringed by coral for a swim. The mangroves in the area make the water extra-salty so it was especially easy to float.

After a bit of paddling around, we climbed aboard once more for the last leg of our journey. Our previous travel had been powered by outboard motor; this time, the crew shipped the engine and raised the sail. One crew member acted as DJ and we all relaxed to music as we sipped our drinks and sailed the turquoise seas in the slanting light of the late afternoon sun – delightful!