Mnarani Aquarium
The project
The goal of Mnarani Aquarium is to contribute to the conservation of endangered sea turtles, by aiding those that live off the coast of Zanzibar. We take care of sea turtles that were hurt in accidents or accidentally caught by local fishermen. Once they are able to continue living in the wild by themselves, we release the sea turtles on our official sea turtle release day. The Aquarium itself is open to tourists and offers them the opportunity to see and learn more about the amazing sea turtles. Take a look at the Aquariums‘ page on TripAdvisor using the button below.
Working as a
Volunteer
As a volunteer at Mnarani Aquarium you will participate in a variety of activities. Most of your time will be spent taking care of the turtles. For example, you will feed juvenile turtles with small fish, feed adult turtles with seagrass and examine turtles to make sure that they are not injured. During breeding season, you will also aid in the collection of turtle eggs on beaches, where they are threatened by human activities.
Besides the activities that are directly related to the turtles, there are other tasks, in which volunteers participate. Among them are seaweed gathering on the beach to feed the turtles, changing the water in the pools for the juvenile turtles and cleaning the beach, which is an activity that is part of a community project. You will also get the opportunity to guide tourists through the Aquarium, teach them about turtles and explain the project to them.
If you are lucky and working as a volunteer on the 20th of February, you will participate in our annual release-day and get a chance to witness the turtles return to the sea.
Here at Mnarani Aquarium we place a huge emphasis on improving the living conditions of the turtles that we are taking care of. We encourage volunteers to contribute their own ideas to the project and collaborate with us on their implementation. For example a volunteer who was studying Marine Biology collected data about our turtles and added them to an international database, which enables the monitoring of the turtles behaviour after their release back into the sea. Another contribution of volunteers was the painting of a wall with safety and hygiene guidelines, to ensure a safe encounter between tourists visiting Mnarani Aquarium and our turtles. We are always keen on adopting new ideas and do everything we can to implement them.
The cost of volunteering at Mnarani Aquarium
Visa &
Work-Permit
To enter Tanzania/ Zanzibar, you will need to apply for a Visa. The processing fee is 50$. Since you are „working“ as a volunteer, you are also required by law to acquire a work-permit, which costs 200$ for a timespan of 3 months. We handle the technical aspects of obtaining the Work-Permit and will not charge you.
Dormitory
As a volunteer at Mnarani Aquarium you are free to choose your accomodation. However we highly recommend the Aquarium Beach House as your place to stay at during your time as a volunteer. It is situated right next to the Aquarium and has just recently been build. Since most volunteers choose to stay at the Beach House, the staff is accustomed to volunteers and can take care of your needs very well. The prices per night at the Aquarium Beach House are 50$ (Single Bedroom) and 35 $ (Double Bedroom). Both prices include three freshly cooked meals per day.
Transport
The Airport of Zanzibar is located approximately 80km southwest of Nungwi. We offer a taxi-service to and from the Airport to the Aquarium. The cost for a return trip is 80$, a one-way trip costs 50$. The drivers we hire for the service are well-experienced in the transport of tourists and speak English fluently. We highly recommend using either our service or a registered taxi-company, since taxis at the airport are often operated by sketchy businessmen and public transport is usually overcrowded.
Summary
Whilst the opportunity to work at Mnarani Aquarium is free, there are some expenses you should consider when planning your trip. To give you an example how much a two-week stay as a volunteer may cost:
250$ (Visa & Work-Permit)
700$ (Single Bedroom)
80$ (Transport – Airport)
sum: 1030$ (excluding flight)
Talk to us
Have any questions? We are always open to talk about your business, new projects, creative opportunities and how we can help you.