Tanzania sailing expedition

Planet

Sailing is often assumed to be a low-impact way to travel, and compared with flying or motor cruising, wind propulsion does significantly reduce the carbon footprint of a voyage. But it is not zero, and we think it is important to be honest about that. We were the first sailing operator in the world to publish the CO2 footprint of every trip on its website — calculated across fuel, food provisioning, marina services, and accommodation. That methodology was developed by us and has since been incorporated by Marineshift 360 into a freely available industry tool, which other operators can use to measure and reduce their own impact. We continue to encourage transparency across the sailing industry on this issue.
On Tanzania Explorer, the group is never more than four guests alongside a skipper and first mate. Smaller groups mean fewer provisions, less fuel, and a lower footprint per person than a larger vessel carrying more passengers. The catamaran's twin-hull design also allows efficient sailing under wind alone for much of the circuit, with the engine used primarily for entering and leaving harbours.
We do not sail at night in inshore Tanzanian waters, both for safety and to minimise noise and light disturbance to marine wildlife — including the nesting turtles and whale sharks that make Mafia Island Marine Park significant. Marine reserve entry fees at Mafia are charged directly and go entirely to the Tanzanian marine park authority responsible for protecting this ecosystem. We actively brief guests on respectful behaviour around nesting sites, reef systems, and marine mammals before any in-water activity.
Fresh provisions are sourced from local markets in Zanzibar at the start of each departure. We carry reusable water containers and request that guests avoid single-use plastics on board. The tender, rather than a motorised dive boat, is used to reach reef sites — a quieter, lower-impact approach that also gets the group closer to the water

People

The Tanzanian island chain sits at the intersection of Swahili, Arab, South Asian, and East African cultures — a trading crossroads that shaped the architecture of Stone Town, the dhow-building traditions of Songo Songo, and the fishing communities of Mafia and Pemba long before tourism arrived. Tanzania Explorer is deliberately designed to reach communities that larger-vessel tourism bypasses entirely, and to do so at a pace that allows genuine interaction rather than a scheduled stop.

Our first mate, is a local sailor with deep knowledge of the Tanzanian coast, its people, and its waters. His involvement is not incidental, it is central to how this trip works. Local knowledge shapes every anchoring decision, every approach to a fishing community, and every conversation with people along the route.

Fresh provisions for each departure are sourced from the Darajani market in Stone Town rather than imported suppliers — supporting local traders, reducing the carbon footprint of the food on board, and meaning the group eats what is actually in season and available locally. Where possible, fish is bought directly from fishermen encountered along the route or fished directly from the boat.

The Songo Songo Archipelago and the smaller islands around Mafia are working communities, not visitor attractions. We ask guests to approach them accordingly — to observe, to ask permission before photographing, and to buy from local traders when invited rather than treating cultural encounters as a spectator experience. A small group of four guests makes this kind of interaction more natural and less disruptive than a larger party would be.
We run a special "Open Oceans" programme which grants a fully funded berth for someone who would not otherwise have the financial means or confidence to join a sailing expedition. Open Oceans recipients sail as a full member of the crew, not as a guest in a separate category. The programme has already taken sailors from disadvantaged backgrounds on our expeditions in Scotland and the South Atlantic; Tanzania Explorer extends that commitment to East Africa.