If you want to enjoy a small piece of paradise, the idyllic Chapwani Private Island is so delightful you won’t believe it is true. It is a tiny coral island nearly a kilometre long and some 100 metres wide. It’s sixteen acres, and it is surrounded by small coves, sandy bays and crystal blue waters, with a beautiful white sand beach running down one side. At low tide you can walk around the entire island exploring the exposed coral and small coves and inlets.
It is only fifteen minutes by boat, which is just over a mile from Zanzibar’s capital Stone Town, but you are miles and miles away from its’ hustle, bustle and smells.
Privacy and a high level of service are the real feature of Chapwani, which has a maximum of twenty guests at any one time. What this effectively means is ‘no crowds’!! As it is a private island you won’t be disturbed by beach hawkers, or people walking by and staring at you, which is wonderful.
Everybody staying on Chapwani must ensure transfers are organised. This will either be from the airport or the sea port. For all guests staying on Chapwani it is necessary to arrange a transfer from the airport or port, into Stone Town and across to the island by boat. As an alternative, you can get one of the regular boat transfers everyday at 09.00hrs and 16.30hrs. The boat arrives at and leaves from Mercury’s Restaurant in front of the Old Dispensary in Stonetown.
You will need to wade calf deep into the ocean off the beach to board and again when you land on the island, so waterproof shoes are useful.
Your arrival is at the southern end of the island, where a jetty sticks out into the sea.
ACCOMMODATION
You will be accommodated in one of ten bedrooms in five thatched bandas, nestling into coconut palms, mangrove trees and baobabs. Inside you’ll find a spacious room with large double bed – the traditional Zanzibari four-poster with a mosquito net draped over it – whose plump pillows are adorned with a freshly-plucked hibiscus flower. They are decorated with colourful African prints and furnished with local antiques, and a ceiling fan!! There’s just enough space for a cot or an extra bed.
At the back is a bathroom with basin, shelves; and a separate toilet. Please note the bathrooms are attractive with a sunken bath, but no plug, and an open plan hand shower. There is now solar heating so hot water is available, but don’t forget that as there is no fresh water on the island, and it is all shipped from the mainland, so don’t use too much water.
The generator that supplies the Lodge is switched off in the evenings, so the ceiling fans don’t work as well, and you may want to keep cool by opening the banana leaf shutter to let the sea breeze in.
No television, no telephone, no airconditioning, so no 21st century disturbances, just adds to the wonderful feeling of escapism and romance. In the evening when the main generator is switched off, the ceiling fans operate only on their lowest settings. However this should not be too much of an issue as there is usually a good sea breeze.
Outside is a wooden terrace with deckchairs, and just beyond that a thatch parasol with your own sunloungers. The sea is so close that at very high tides it practically laps at your terrace. The terrace is a lovely place to sit and watch the sunset.
You can take your sun loungers onto the beach and find a secluded spot to sunbathe.
FACILITIES
On this magical little private island the open-plan thatched lodge is in the centre of the island with views to both sides. This might give you some idea of how narrow the island is!!
It is reached by sandy paths, which are lit by paraffin lights at night, and it blends in perfectly with the landscape, and consists of a bar, dining room and lounge decorated in Swahili antiques.
The lounge area, might better be called a lounging area because of its handmade furniture and comfortable sofas is a nice place to hide from the heat of the day. The whole place is airy and pleasant and has the kind of laid back beach atmosphere, that has long gone from the Maldives and the Pacific Islands.
All your meals are taken in the restaurant which is right by the waters edge, where Swahili chefs prepare delicious three-course set meals which have a definite Italian bias, due in no small part to the Italian owners!!
If you have a special celebration then it is possible to arrange a table on the beach for a romantic dinner, or lunch to your room..
The food is superb and often includes freshly caught fish, crayfish, prawns and other tasty treats, although having said that it is possible to eat the odd steak!! If you are worried about eating in a place like this, then don’t!! The food here is safe, tasty, well cooked. It is worth adding that the menu changes daily, and as you might expect in a small intimate lodge like Chapwani there is a reasonable amount of choice, and discussion.
If you are a breakfast lover, then you will have a choice of fresh fruit, juices, hot drinks, bread, jam and eggs to order.
Many visitors take the dinner/ breakfast half board option, so they can visit Stone Town and have lunch out, but if you just want to relax and stay put, then you can have light lunches cooked for you.
The bar is a relaxed place to gather in the evenings. The bar is well stocked with soft drinks, beer, South African wine and liquor. It is a great meeting place, and there is nothing quite like cocktails at sunset on a tropical island, especially when you can see the sunset.
There is a diesel generator for electricity, this goes off at about midnight and starts again in the morning. For the remainder of the time a small generator keeps the lights working in the rooms
Chapwani’s sixteen acres are covered with massive ancient baobab trees, coconut palms, passion fruit and giant cacti.
The jetty sticks out into the sea at the southern end of the island, where there are a number of small sandy coves, and where there is a large sandbank which emerges at low tide, meaning you can swim no matter the state of the tide.
The north shore of the island is principally reef with fossilized coral cliffs rising 3 to 4 metres out of the ocean and fringed with vegetation. This side of the island bears the wave action and has been carved into interesting shapes In one place there is a small gap in the coral which lets the sea in and out at high tide, leaving a tranquil inland lagoon in which to swim. The southern shore has a wide sandy beach. The centre of the island is generally covered with dense vegetation, through which winds a network of paths.
The island is good for bird watching, with many birds using the island as a roost. In the early evening the egrets flock from their feeding grounds on Zanzibar island, back to Chapwani for the night. During the day you can sit in the bar and watch out for Sundevall’s blue duikers, a rare endemic species of which there are about sixty on the island.
The thick vegetation here may be why it is home to a stray colobus monkey whose presence on the island no one can explain. Shy and reclusive, he is only occasionally seen swinging from one tree to another.
The large herd of some 60 dik-diks, miniature antelope, native to Zanzibar hide here during the heat of the day in the thick undergrowth, to emerge in the evening in the open.
One of the trees at the southern end of the island is also home to a large flock of fruit bats (over 1,000), these sleep in the safety of the island during the day and leave in large swarms at dusk towards the mainland, returning only shortly before dawn to their resting place.
Along the South West Coast of the island runs the sea wall protecting the small but fascinating British seamen’s graveyard. This is a historic monument of great interest and beauty and the graves through their inscriptions tell the stories of tall ships, battles with arab dows during the slave wars and the sinking of HMS Pegasus, the first shot to be fired in the First World War. You’ll notice that there is also a small cemetery on the island, which explains the island’s English name, Grave Island. The British used it in the late 1800s and early 1900s to bury Royal Navy sailors who lost their lives at sea. It also contains gravestones for the crewmen of the HMS Pegasus, which was bombed in Zanzibar harbour in 1914 by the German cruiser SMS Konigsberg. The cemetery hasn’t been well-maintained, but it has a certain atmosphere and is interesting historically. It’s worthwhile taking a walk around to read the inscriptions on the stones.
From here the long sandy beach stretches for over 500 yards all the way to the Northern tip of the island. The sand is fine and white and perfect for swimming for some eight hours out of twelve. At low tide, the coral reef surrounding the island is uncovered, revealing crevices and pools in the coral full of multi-coloured small shore life. Shoals of flying fish can often be seen off the island and dolphins regularly pass close by the shore.
In the early morning a flock of white egrets and other sea birds gather at the Northern tip of the island. An early morning dip in this spot is an unforgettable experience, the birds dive in the water all around you, totally oblivious to your presence.
The two little coves at the North of the island provide perfect privacy and must be one of the most idyllic spots in the whole of Zanzibar to spend a day on the beach in total isolation.
Moving round the island to the North Eastern coast of Chapwani, we come to a natural pool, emptied at each low tide through a small gap in the coral but refilled with fresh sea water with each tide. This is another idyllic spot to swim and sunbathe.
The remainder of the North East coast is lined with rugged coral broken by only a couple of small isolated coves suitable for swimming only at high tide.
At night the island is superb. The lights of Stonetown sparkle in the distance and the stars above are breathtaking.
The island is surrounded by small coves, sandy bays and crystal blue waters and is perfect for snorkelling, windsurfing and diving at the many interesting locations near the island.
Another great plus is that you can swim out from the beach as far as you like at any time of the day. Chapwani is one of very few locations in Zanzibar when you can swim all day, regardless of the tide. When the water is low you can also walk out onto the reef, where you can join local fishermen in looking for starfish, sea cucumbers and that kind of thing.
In truth it’s a bit basic, and would be more of a fantasy escape island could you not always see the boats anchored in the harbour.