Fumba Beach Lodge opened its doors in June 2005, and has been a fantastic addition to the beach-side lodges on Zanzibar. It is a fabulously original place that oozes style and has been elegantly crafted with clean, crisp lines and bold colours. All of the rooms and the main areas are beautifully put together – this is one of our favourite beach lodges on Zanzibar.
There is a large open-sided thatch area at Fumba Beach Lodge where you will find the main bar and lounge, as well as the dining area. Outside is a large patio which is furnished with tables and chairs and leads across to the fabulous infinity pool. Adjacent to the pool, under a huge baobab, is the open-air 'sunset bar' made from an old African dhow. This is a great place to have a drink at the end of the day whilst enjoying an unobstructed view across the ocean towards the sunset.
All of the bedrooms are nestled around neatly manicured gardens and reached via meandering sandy paths. The rooms at Fumba Beach Lodge are divided into twenty Deluxe Rooms, four Luxury Suites and two Baobab Suites. All are colourful and stylish with plenty of space, though the suites do have much larger bathrooms.
For those who wish to indulge themselves during their stay at Fumba Beach, there is a new spa, and a brand new scuba diving centre. Fumba can also organize the full-day 'Safari Blue' trip which explores nearby islands and the lagoon. This departs from the next bay so makes for a very convenient excursion.
Though we think that Fumba Beach Lodge is a fantastic lodge, you need to be aware that it doesn't have the kind of perfect, idyllic powder-white-sand beach that you will find on Zanzibar's East Coast, or Michamvi Peninsular. Instead Fumba is situated on a yellow-sand beach that is dotted with exposed coral rock. It still has clear turquoise waters; it still has great spots for swimming and sunbathing – but it's not quite as aesthetically pleasing as the powdery beaches on the east coast of Zanzibar.
To see Fumba's location and beach, have a look at the satellite map. However, this satellite photo was taken prior to Fumba Beach Lodge being built in 2005, so currently you can't see the actual buildings!
Ideal length of stay: 3 days or more, or can combine with Unguja Lodge (3 or 4 days in each) and transfer by dhow for full-day sailing and activity.
Central facilities: The main areas at Fumba Beach Lodge are all centered around the large kidney-shaped infinity pool which has a spectacular view across the ocean. Around the pool is a large red-stone patio with plenty of comfortable loungers and tables and chairs for dining.
Adjacent to this is the bar/lounge and indoor dining area, which is a large open-sided thatch banda. The lounge/bar is beautifully designed, with low built-in sofas around the edge, scattered with lots of comfortable cushions. Next door is the immaculate dining area, furnished with intimate tables and comfortable chairs, on highly polished stone floors.
Nearby, on the other side of the pool is the 'Dhow FumBar'. This bar is constructed from an old dhow and sits under an enormous baobab tree on the edge of a coral cliff. It is a stunning spot for sundowners with a perfect view of the setting sun and is also a sociable spot. The guests usually gather here before dinner – the result is a lovely buzzing atmosphere.
Fumba Beach Lodge also has the new Baobab Massage Centre – this is cleverly built around a baobab tree and features a massage room as well as jacuzzi that sits 6 metres above the ground in the tree itself!
For the more active, there is also a new PADI scuba diving centre. Visiting early 2007, the scuba kit was very high-quality and brand new, and the team of instructors were great fun as well as very professional. Fumba is the only lodge in this area, so the diving from here is peaceful and quiet.
Heading out to the sites on a dhow (albeit with an engine) rather than a huge speed boat is really relaxing. Furthermore, Fumba, unlike most resorts on the east coast, have a relatively small dive boat, so you are likely to be one of only a small number of divers on each trip; not one of twenty.
Directions: It is about a 35-minute flight to Zanzibar from Dar es Salaam, and then it is a further 45 minutes south along bumpy roads to Fumba. Note that Fumba Beach Lodge is on the right side of town for the airport; so it's a good lodge to end at if you're leaving on an early-morning flight from Zanzibar.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Key personnel
Owner: Independent/Owner-run
Staff: Camp Owner: Edwin Camp Manager: Natasha Chef: Mwgani – a local chef who trained in Tanzania and has 15 years of experience. Dive Centre: David and Lauren.
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Half Board
Food quality: Fumba Beach Lodge are very relaxed about their meal timings and they will happily accommodate any dietary requirements. Breakfast is usually a variety of fruits and cereals as well as a full English breakfast.
Lunch can be chosen from an a la carte menu. On our last visit, choices ranged from gazpacho soup (one of 7 starters) to catch of the day (barracuda), calamari, and more familiar burgers and club sandwiches.
Dinner is a more formal 4-course affair. Steaks and lobster often feature.
The food was beautifully presented and really tasty – it was some of the best that we experienced on Zanzibar!
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Room service: On request Fumba Beach Lodge will do private dinners, however all room service should be arranged in advance as there are no phones in the rooms.
Drinks included: Drinks are not included.
Special interests
Family holidays: Fumba Beach Lodge has a relaxed atmosphere and some Deluxe rooms have interconnecting doors – perfect for families. There is a beautiful pool and the PADI dive-school will take children out on trips to learn to snorkel. There are no special facilities at Fumba for children, but we've seen the team here making a big effort to ensure that kids staying were having fun.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for family holidays in Zanzibar
Honeymoons: Fumba Beach Lodge is a luxurious and stylish beach retreat that would be perfect for celebrating a special occasion. The excellent service, beautiful rooms and fantastic food make staying here a real treat. The managers will pull out the stops to make your stay special.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for honeymoons in Zanzibar
Diving & snorkelling: Fumba recently opened a PADI scuba diving centre with brand new equipment. Though the diving from Fumba is less spectacular than the best of the East Coast; the corals here are especially beautiful and in better condition. There aren't as many fish, but you'll usually see no other boats in area. It's a blissful experience after the relatively crowded dives around Mnemba Island.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for diving & snorkelling in Zanzibar
Wellbeing: There is a new Baobab Spa located around yet another baobab tree. The salon is well-stocked with beauty products, and under some shady trees are 2 treatment tables. On the roof the spa, there are comfy sofas and more treatment tables. But the highlight must be the Jacuzzi built on a decking in the higher branches of the tree. This lovely vantage point can be used to relax or even enjoy breakfast!
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for wellbeing in Zanzibar
Children
Attitude towards children: Children are welcome at Fumba Beach Lodge (except in the Baobab suites).
Age restrictions: There are no age restrictions at Fumba Beach Lodge.
Activities: Fumba Beach lodge can offer babysitting. (No charge for this, but a tip for the sitter is expected).
Equipment: Beautiful Zanzibar cots are available on request.
Generally recommended for children: We would recommend Fumba Beach Lodge for children.
Notes: When we were last there, there were a few families with children staying with us at Fumba Beach Lodge. They particularly enjoyed the pool. The lodge's team was very good, organizing lots of activities – from snorkeling to dolphin-watching, to help keep the children entertained.
Central communications
Power supply: Mains Electricity
Communications: There is an email facility in the office that guests can use for about $5 for 30 minutes. There is intermittent cell-phone reception in the area.
TV & radio: There is no TV or radio at Fumba Beach Lodge.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: There are trained first aiders who live on site at the dive centre. The nearest doctor is in Stone Town, which is about half an hour away in the car.
Dangerous animals: Low Risk
Security measures: Fumba Beach Lodge has a closed gate and security guards.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers dotted around the main areas of Fumba Beach Lodge. Each room has fire drill instructions.
Extras
Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: The laundry is an extra charge and when we were last there it was around $2 - 3 per item.
Money: Fumba Beach Lodge will happily exchange US dollars, pounds and euros.
Accepted payment: You can pay for any extras in US dollars, euros and Tanzanian shillings cash. If you wish to pay by Visa there is a 3.5% charge, and for Mastercard there is a 5% charge. Travellers' cheques are not accepted.
fumba - great hotel great staff
Fumba is very well organised, the staff make sure you know where you are, what you can do,
We were given the twin room we asked for, we had the electricity problem explained to us on arrival. We di...
Fumba Beach Lodge review
We very much enjoyed our stay at Fumba. An all-round good lodge is blessed with having a wonderful setting along the beach front with very well tended grounds. We were greeted with a very warm welco...
Bad start but overall a beautiful place
The start was poor, left hanging around for half an hour while we waited for our reservation to be found and rooms made ready. The first night was grim - a buffet with 20 people queing for below avera...
We want you to understand more about Fumba Beach Lodge. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
Fumba Beach homepage This is a short but clear website that's light on hard information, but does have the right feel for the lodge.
