Our trips are designed to get children, teenagers and adults alike actively involved in marine biology and environmental projects and research.
Active Programs
Reviews by our participants
Tanzania? Mafia island? Who has heard of it? Swimming with sharks, planting coral and mangroves?
No electricity or running water? What does a mother of three hear when she hears that? Not this!
Still, after Emil’s enthusiastic presentation, I went home to the family, exhilarated, and asked if we should go. It had been a long time since I had received such a clear, enthusiastic yes from my children. So off we went the whole family off on a great adventure, not knowing what was in store…
Now away from Africa, we are eager to get back. The whole trip was perfectly organised. Everything was there when we needed it. There were small, breathtaking planes with professional pilots. Departed on time, arrived on time from Dar es Salaam to Mafia Island and our luggage was not lost! The scenery, the beautiful turquoise blue of the Indian Ocean, the mangrove forest and coconut palm trees of the island, impressed us from above. The small airport is decorated with flowers. People smile and welcome us.
The Kitu Kiblu camp, founded by Prof Jean de Villiers and his wife Anne for the sea-
biologists, divers and sea rescuers, is set in a beautiful tropical forest on the ocean shore.
Monkeys scurrying in the trees, birds flitting about and making all sorts of interesting noises, and on the ground millipede caterpillar-like creatures scuttle about. All this with such naturalness that one is immediately
you feel at home. Our houses on foot were quickly occupied, and we learned to lock the toilet, which is the the entrance to the room, which is surrounded by a small wall made of reeds, by crossing it with a rope made of coconut, that it was occupied. We heated the hot water with kerosene. Some of the family members preferred the cold water but in the 30 degree heat it was more refreshing than unpleasant. We got used to the all the curses of civilisation, a wonderful place without lights, neon signs, city noise, TV etc.
Our stay at the Chole Mjini Treehouse Lodge on Chole Island was even more special, as it was there was virtually no electricity. A truly calming, wonderful lap of nature.
We had so many activities every day. We arrived early the next morning to find a small and we set off for the shark watching. It was exciting and full of anticipation right up until the the biggest fish in the world appeared… The team, my kids, my husband, our friend’s daughter Emil and her little girl
all jumped into the water as one and went after the animal, which swam majestically, so well that it was we could observe it. I took some pictures and videos and then jumped in after the group. In the water to see, to swim face to face with such a creature is an indescribable experience. Of course I had Emil and Hatibu – the Tanzanian the confidence and instruction of our tanzibu guides. Without them we would never have thought of swimming together in a with a shark. But they are very peaceful animals. We heard more about this in Emil’s educational presentation.
In the afternoon, we harvested mangroves and collected them, so that the next group of would arrive, the little seedlings would have sprouted and could be planted. Mangroves are the real a real lifeline for the islands, protecting the soil from erosion and the most potent CO2 eliminator. That’s why we plant it.
Another rescue operation for marine life was the creation of a coral nursery. Our diving buddies brought up small live corals from the beautiful coral islands, which we cut into small pieces and strung on ropes.
The divers tied these ropes to wooden beams on the sea floor, where the little coral babies start to grow. In a few months they grow so big that they can be glued back together to places where vandalism by man or climate change has killed the coral.
We watched the whole thing with a snorkel mask. The action was led by Jean. About the corals Pap Lili, an ocean biologist friend of ours, we learned a lot.
Between the activities we also visited the villages of Kilindoni and Chole. We met the lovely people who live there people who were happy to show us the art of coconut rope spinning or chapati baking and taught us a few Swahili words and a song.
Although there was no mirror near us for 8 days, the beautiful patterned dresses of the women were a sign of femininity and man-made beauty. We couldn’t even buy pretty fabric…without buying a nice piece of cloth.
Our outlook changed a lot during the 8-day trip. We learned that perfection is not the only thing that matters, but to do what you can for the environment, for the Earth. If everyone just a little bit in the right direction instead of polluting and damaging the environment, then maybe even we can save the Earth. Thank you to Emil Karáth, Jean de Villiers PhD for for the organisation and the opportunity.
Szilvi
It is difficult to summarize this wonderful experience in a few sentences, on a boat on the water for a week, often without phone signal, just us, our small team, and the sea. (I would write a prescription for everyone
😄) I already learned a lot during the online education before the expedition, but the field training there is incomparable. Getting to know the fish species, observing and monitoring them in their natural environment, assessing the condition of the corals and many other activities that we were a part of during the week, it was an incredibly great experience and I look at this ecosystem with completely different eyes during dives. If I had to highlight 1 thing about the expedition, I would choose our dive at the Sha’ab Malahi coral reef. Malahi is also called the ‘divers’ playground’ by the locals, and this is no accident. We monitored the corals there for the first time, I was completely captivated by the place and the wildlife there.
In addition to the sea creatures, I also got to know many people during the trip on the ship, a super team gathered from several countries who also contributed to enriching me with a wonderful experience of a lifetime.
Reni
I’ve been passionate about biology since I was a little kid and have always wanted to make my environment a better place. This eco-tour gave me the opportunity to do both. It was an amazing trip, where I got to see and do things I never dreamed of. Probably my favourite memory was swimming with the dolphins. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget. I learned a lot about marine life during the program. Under the guidance of Emil and Ahmed I learned something new on every dive. This trip was an adventure of a lifetime and I hope I will have the pleasure of participating in more of these adventures.
Ricsi
It was a very special experience that I will never forget. We learned a lot of interesting and useful things about the wildlife, fish, and coral reefs, about their protection, and we did a lot to ensure that these wonders could survive. I believe that every opportunity should be taken to protect aquatic life and its beauty. I thank Emil for all of this because I couldn’t have experienced it without him.
Berci
Since I was little, the protection of sea and ocean life has been important. Many times we just get from nature, or we use it to the point of suffocation. That’s why I applied so that I could give something back to nature under Emil’s leadership. Emil taught us a lot, we learned a lot about the wildlife there. I loved every moment of the tour, but if I could single out one, it would be swimming with the whale sharks. Swimming with 6-8 meter sharks in the middle of the Indian Ocean is an unforgettable experience. I really loved the tour, I hope I will be able to take part in many more Adventure Learning.
Dávid
I want to be a biologist and I had a great desire to see the jungle. It’s really cool to program in the primeval forest under the guidance of a biologist! I learned a lot from Emil about marine life, environmental protection, ecology. I will never forget how we swam with the huge whale sharks! I hope to go elsewhere in the world under Emil’s leadership.
Bálint
