Loved the boat trip. The boat driver and the guide were just great. We had a wonderful snorkelling... read more
Loved the boat trip. The boat driver and the guide were just great. We had a wonderful snorkelling... read more
Best boat and snorkeling tour ever! Saw dolphins inthe first 20 mins and turtles! Great food as... read more
One of my best days of a 10 day trip through Kenya.
Day described below:
7am Early morning pick up from my hotel in Diani
Hour long drive and arrival to the boat pick up
Hour+ long boat ride to the first snorkel site, INCLUDING SPOTTING DOLPHINS
40 minute snorkel WITH DOLPHINS
Boat ride to another site
30 minute snorkel
Boat ride to lunch, which was DELICIOUS. Crabs, fish, coconut rice, seaweed veggie dish. yum.
Afternoon itinerary is either a walk to Winani village or a siesta.
The staff were so incredibly friendly and helpful. I had never been snorkeling before and I'm not a strong swimmer. I can swim and survive but am generally not confident. Staff were incredibly kind and supportive. The trip was made by being able to swim with 16 dolphins nearly a foot away. Dolphins aren't promised but are very common. If you're in Diani for more than a day, I highly rec doing this. It is well worth it!
Charlie claws is technically a restaurant however they own their own boats, dhow, and snorkel and diving equipment.
Thus, they offer a day trip excursion to go and see the Dolphins and allow their clients to snorkel in the ocean.
I went for the package that included snorkelling, diving, lunch at the restaurant and also a tour around the village (total cost USD$160).
This is inclusive of equipment hire and all transport.
I must say this experience was fantastic. The staff were friendly, knowledgable and really put our group at ease.
The dhow is very bumpy on ocean waters so I recommend taking anti-motion sickness tablets (well in advance) to those who are sensitive to it.
I initially was only going to snorkel however took up the offer of scuba diving (to a maximum depth of 6m) for a $30 fee (usd). The snorkelling was fantastic with a wide range of colourful fish to see.
The diving however was beyond anything I've ever done and was simply amazing. We had an excellent teacher who showed us exactly what to do.
I recommend this day package to anyone and everyone visiting the Mombasa area. Charlie claws offered a fantastic day and we all enjoyed ourselves.
A wonderful experience. The staff were really friendly and the swimming in the indian ocean was incredible Highly recommend this for anyone as was travelling around the island. They also catered wonderfully for our vegan palate
Charlie Claws runs a day trip on a local dhow that includes snorkeling or scuba diving (for a modest additional fee) around the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine National Park then lunch at their facility on Wasini Island. After lunch you can walk around the island or relax at some saltwater lagoons until time to head back to reality. Because of security warnings issued by several countries many of these local attractions are suffering from lack of tourists. The crew of Charlie Claws were great, the dhow was fun and lunch tasty. I felt bad for the crew that business is suffering but they were all in good spirits and FUN to be with.
Fantastic day, saw dolphins, a sea turtle and an octopus as well as beautiful coral and lots of fish, delicious meal to follow at Charlie Claws, the whole team involved were brilliant, they couldn't do enough for us
We arranged our trip through Chui Adventures in Diani. Joan was wonderful to work with for our arrangment. The day on the dhow was nothing short of amazing. To scuba dive from a wooden ship in some of the most gorgeous reef ever was icing on the cake. The Charlie Claw crew is so incredibly accomodating. Our dive guide, Malik, took my husband on his first scuba dive--he was so patient and thorough in explaining the safety and plan. Then on the dive made sure my husband saw as many things as possible even while taking him through the first dive agenda.
The crew also gives insightful information to the area, the wildlife and reef, and ensures everyone's comfort and safety in the boat. Sailing in a dhow is so much fun, too!
The meal on Wasini Island was perfect--crabs and fish so fresh and delicious. We then visited a Swahili village on the island and the crew once again took us through the village, but made sure all were comfortable in the situation. We didn't experience any haggling and just had a nice visit.
I will recommend the Charlie Claw excursion to anyone I know visiting the area!