Zanzibar - Chumbe Island: Forest Reserve

A network of nature trails crisscross the southern part of the virgin coral rag forest that covers about 90% of Chumbe.

The bedrock of the island is made up of an impressive substrate of fossilized coral. You can still see the skeletal structures of corals and giant clams - a gentle reminder of the passage of time. More staggering still is the coral-rag forest. You would be forgiven for thinking it a rainforest at first, before closer inspection reveals that on Chumbe a highly specialised plant community has developed that survives without any groundwater. Instead some of these remarkably adapted trees depend on capturing moisture from the humidity in the air while others are able to store away months' supply of water during the rainy season. You will notice leaves that are either fleshy and waxy, or fold up during the heat of the day to reduce transpiration, and spiky euphorbia thrusts forth wherever it can get a stronghold. The dense canopy keeps the scorching sun out of the forest where aerial roots tangle and compete to form the incredibly dense matrix of this special forest habitat. To watch out for:

the birds hiding in the thicket. Our bird list consists of 64 species including the Mangrove and Pied Kingfishers-Halcyon senegaloides and Ceryle rudis-, Fish Eagle-Haliaeetus vocifer- and Peregrine Falcon- Falco peregrinus.
the hermit crabs that busy about searching for new shells to adopt as their homes. Notice the early morning mosaic of trails across the sand where they have been exploring the beach while you sleep.
the exceptionally shy Ader’s Duikers -Cephalophus adersi-, the rarest antelope in the world. Under threat of extinction in its endemic Zanzibar, where less than 500 individuals remain; CHICOP, in collaboration with the Zanzibar Forestry Department, undertook the translocation as part of a program to protect this species, making Chumbe home to the only Ader’s duiker sanctuary.
observe the rare giant Coconut Crabs -Birgus latro-. They can reach up to 45 cm in diameter!! These magnificent invertebrates roam about at night and are able to climb palm trees to reach their sought-after coconuts.
identify the best examples of petrified stone corals and giant clams that are 15,000 years old, in the rocky lunar landscape on the eastern side of the island where salt sprays from the sea prevent vegetation.