Mnemba Island local community visit
An interactive, privately guided community excursion
Offered in partnership with
Experience and explore community highlights
Private, personal and participative; this half-day experience offers you the opportunity to explore local village life beyond the crowds on Zanzibar Island and interact with transformative education* and healthcare community projects. You will be hosted by Wild Impact, &Beyond’s long-term community and conservation development partner; for over 25 years &Beyond and Wild Impact (formerly Africa Foundation) have worked together with Zanzibari partner communities and other stakeholders on projects supporting education, healthcare, enterprise development and marine conservation.
Your experience will start with a boat transfer across from Mnemba Island to Muyuni beach; here you will be met by Bakari, your community visit host, and hop into your private vehicle for the morning’s excursion. Following a short drive to the village of Mbuyutende, which lies outside busy tourist surrounds, you’ll leave the vehicle for a gentle 30-minute stroll; a window on local community life that will take you past local fruit and market stalls and which will end at the house of Pandu, &Beyond Butler. Under the welcoming shade of a tree, you’ll be invited to share some fresh seasonal fruit, juice and “chapatti” breads prepared by Pandu’s wife. Your vehicle will be there with some additional refreshments.
From this stop, a short drive will take you past the Kijini School and then 5 km (3.1 mi) along a quiet dirt road to the Mlimboni Primary School, one of our current education development projects. Before the establishment of Mlimboni (originally known as Kimbembe Preprimary), learners had to walk to and from the Kijini School every day. At Mlimboni you will have the opportunity to learn a little more about the school from the principal, wander the school grounds and participate in an interactive ECHO environmental education lesson conducted by Wild Impact teaching stewards.
From the school, you’ll be driven to Matemwe village, stopping enroute at Pandu (yes, another Pandu) the weaver’s small shop on the side of the road, where he will have some items on sale. At Matemwe village, which is a lot busier than Mbuyutende, you’ll drive past Matemwe School (where Bakari was a pupil) and visit the Matemwe Health Centre and maternity ward; this Wild Impact project pays testimony to the fundamental importance of a community healthcare facility.
Enjoy a fresh coconut or sugar cane juice from the Matemwe market, before the short drive back to Muyuni beach and your return to the island for lunch.
*The education touchpoints of this experience may change out of school time / school terms. This experience must be booked in advance (can be booked once on the island) and is subject to the availability of the Wild Impact Project Officer. Guest participation in this experience includes a Wild Impact project donation.
Your guide and host
Bakari Jaha Muhidini
Mnemba Island Community Project Officer
A deeply experienced senior leader, keynote speaker, healer, and facilitator, with an extraordinary understanding of the transformative process and the human return to wholeness Jonathan is a two-time bestselling author. With a PhD in comparative religion focusing on Indigenous healing traditions and cross-cultural research, Jonathan has experienced countless trainings in a wide range of complementary and alternative fields of healing, integrative medicine, and spiritual growth. Drawing from travels to meet and study with healers and teachers from more than forty cultures around the world, he has been featured in film, radio, print, and in multiple event forms as an expert on mastering change, integrative wellness and resilience, mindfulness, and holistic approaches to spiritual growth.
He has spoken at events along with Wayne Dyer PhD, Deepak Chopra MD, Don Miguel Ruiz, Gregg Braden, Alberto Villoldo PhD, Carolyn Myss, Brian Weiss MD, Andrew Weil MD, and many other international icons. From his work with Grammy award-winning and Academy award-nominated celebrities and multinational millionaire and billionaire CEOs, to his wellness travel groups in remote villages of southern Africa, workshops for Indigenous communities, presentations in the board rooms of corporations he has a heart-centred commitment to meet and surpass the expectations of those he surrounds himself with.
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