Matemwe Beach Village

Activities

• Being on the east coast, your day really does start at dawn, as the sun clears the horizon and slants in through the slatted windows. Wandering bleary-eyed onto the beach, you’ll find a table with flasks of tea and coffee, and a tin of crumbly biscuits that the hard-working staff have already prepared. Follow it up with a swim in the new pool, and you are well and truly awake!
  
  
• By 8am it’s already hotting up – time for breakfast of fresh fruit, bread, juice and spicy tea – before retiring to a sunlounger or thatched parasol for some sunbathing or reading
  
  
• If you’re feeling active, you can go diving with the on-site school, One Ocean (5-star PADI certified). Using a traditional dhow with diesel motor, you can reach the best spots around the Mnemba atoll, whose clear waters teem with colourful reef fish; or head into the deep ocean for some wall and drift dives among trevally, dolphinfish and other pelagics. Timings are tide-dependent, but most days a double dive is offered, with lunch in between. There are 5 or 6 popular sites, enough for 3 full days’ diving locally. Beginners can take lessons in the swimming pool
  
  
• Non-divers can hire mask and snorkel and, even within the confines of the lagoon (fringing reef), see a surprising array of multi-coloured little fish, not to mention rows of cultivated seaweed in the tidal zone. If you enjoy this, you might consider one of the introductory diving courses offered in English or Spanish. Beginners can take lessons in the swimming pool
  
  
• Depending on the divers’ schedule, you may be able to cruise around the lagoon on the hotel’s dhow, either by sail or motor, stopping for a quick dip or snorkel
  
  
• Or, with some prior planning, you can go sailing or fishing with local fishermen on their ngalawa outriggers – a fascinating glimpse into this marine culture, complimentary of the hotel
  
  
• Finally, if you prefer dry land, hire a bicycle from the nearby stall and pedal up to Matemwe Bungalows for a buffet lunch; or wander through the tiny village of Matemwe, with its simple houses and stalls; or join in the local kids’ sunset football kickabout