Mbudya Island Vs Bongoyo Island

When you’re in Dar es Salaam, your two best island beach choices are Mbudya or Bongoyo. The latter is much closer to Dar; you only need to take a short boat ride from the Slipway. Mbudya can take up to an hour or so from Slipway by boat, so many often decide to drive to White Sands and take a five-minute speed boat ride from there. Mbudya, however, is totally worth the extra time and driving. Compared to Bongoyo, the beach itself is larger, there are more huts and covered areas, the facilities are nicer, and the coral around the island is in much better shape, which means that you will see a lot more should you decide to snorkel around the island.

There are bathroom facilities in Mbudya and there are snacks and fresh-caught fish and lobster available too. When you arrive and pay the park entrance/hut/chair rental fees, someone will ask you what you wish to eat for lunch. You can ask for lobster, and the lobster will be caught, grilled, and immediately served to you with lime and chips. My friends and I often bring a cooler with drinks to Mbudya since the drink selection is not that good. You should go in the morning and leave after lunch, since the island will get crowded with University of Dar es Salaam students by 3 or 4pm. They come with large speakers and often compete with each other to determine who can play R Kelly or Nelly the loudest.

Snorkeling is a must in Mbudya. Dynamite and net fishing have devastated most of the reef surrounding Dar, but the authorities in Mbudya have somehow convinced the fishermen to stay away, so the reef around the island is actually quite beautiful and teeming with life. I have even found a few different types of pipefish on some of the more shallow reefs while snorkeling. If you’re in Dar and you have a free morning, you will not go wrong with choosing Mbudya over Bongoyo.