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Pilli Pipa Dhow: Snorkeling Experience in Kisite Marine Park, Kenya
4.7
202 Ratings
Diani Beach
Experience the best snorkeling and diving boat safari in Kenya’s Kisite Marine Park. Explore pristine coral reefs and encounter dolphins, turtles, stingrays, and a variety of fish and coral species. Enjoy a traditional Swahili seafood lunch on Wasini Island. Book now!
Experience the best snorkeling and diving boat safari in Kenya’s Kisite Marine Park. Explore pristine coral reefs and encounter dolphins, turtles, stingrays, and a variety of fish and coral species. Enjoy a traditional Swahili seafood lunch on Wasini Island. Book now!
Duration:
9 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Pilli Pipa Dhow Safari - Guests will be picked up from their accommodations along the South Coast and transported via minivan to Shimoni, where they will embark on our dhow to visit Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park. This tour is not recommended for pickups from hotels on the North Coast of Mombasa due to the extended travel time. Despite this, numerous…
- Pilli Pipa Dhow Safari - Guests will be picked up from their accommodations along the South Coast and transported via minivan to Shimoni, where they will embark on our dhow to visit Kisite Mpunguti Marine Park. This tour is not recommended for pickups from hotels on the North Coast of Mombasa due to the extended travel time. Despite this, numerous visitors still choose to participate, though they may encounter significant delays at the Likoni ferry. Participants will have the opportunity to snorkel at two distinct diving locations and may spot dolphins during the journey or within the park. While dolphin sightings are not guaranteed, they are quite likely, as dolphins are frequently observed and the area is rich in marine life. The excursion continues with a trip to Wasini Island, where a sumptuous lunch featuring fish and crab will be served. Options for chicken or vegetarian meals are available upon prior request.
What's Included
- Carbonated beverages
- Morning tea and snacks
- National Park fees
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- All snorkelling equipment hire including: Snorkelling masks, prescription snorkelling masks, snorkels, fins, life jackets and buoyancy rings. All our equipment is imported from the Netherlands and regularly serviced and replaced.
- Tea and coffee…
- Carbonated beverages
- Morning tea and snacks
- National Park fees
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- All snorkelling equipment hire including: Snorkelling masks, prescription snorkelling masks, snorkels, fins, life jackets and buoyancy rings. All our equipment is imported from the Netherlands and regularly serviced and replaced.
- Tea and coffee
- White wine or beer included with lunch
- Pick up and drop off from your Diani Beach, Msambweni or Tiwi hotel
- Bottled water
- Cold soft drinks and water on board throughout the tour
- Buffet style seafood lunch (vegetarian or chicken option available if ordered in advance)
- Fully owned and licenced boat and captain
- Snacks
- Goods and Services Tax (GST)
- Professional marine guides and snorkelling/ diving instructors
What's Not Included
- Your own beach towel
- Sunscreen
- Water friendly shoes
- Hat and sunglasses
- Camera
- Swim suit
- DIVING at extra cost. Pay on the day. 40 USD
- Your own beach towel
- Sunscreen
- Water friendly shoes
- Hat and sunglasses
- Camera
- Swim suit
- DIVING at extra cost. Pay on the day. 40 USD
Additional Information
Experience the excitement of Kenya’s most sought-after snorkelling and diving boat safari at the renowned Kisite Marine Park, situated just 50km away from Diani Beach. Diving is available at an additional charge, payable on the day.
Submerge yourself in the warm, clear waters brimming with untouched coral and diverse marine life, which includes dolphins,…
Experience the excitement of Kenya’s most sought-after snorkelling and diving boat safari at the renowned Kisite Marine Park, situated just 50km away from Diani Beach. Diving is available at an additional charge, payable on the day.
Submerge yourself in the warm, clear waters brimming with untouched coral and diverse marine life, which includes dolphins, turtles, stingrays, moray eels and a stunning array of fish and coral species.
Pilli Pipa has two sailing dhows in operation, thus ensuring limited crew members on each one for increased safety measures and personal attention.
You’ll get the opportunity to snorkel twice in Kisite Marine Park before heading to your exclusive Robinson Crusoe style restaurant on Wasini Island to relish in a fresh, traditional Swahili seafood lunch (options for vegetarians are also available).
Our package includes round-trip transfers from your Diani/ Mombasa hotel, all Kisite Marine Park entrance fees, use of high-quality and well-maintained snorkelling gear, all snacks and beverages during your dhow trip as well as alcoholic drinks and seafood lunch on Wasini Island.
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Evidence of dive certification is required from all divers wishing to participate in a certified dive (fun dives available for non-certified divers). Dives incur additional charges.
- Not normally possible to pick up from Mombasa or North Coast hotels but please ask first to see if we can make special arrangements.
Location
Pilli Pipa Dhow Safari
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(202 Ratings)
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Traveler23679564635
Jul 29, 2024
Great Experience! - We were picked up punctually at the hotel at 0700. From there we travelled to Shimoni, where we set off by boat. After three minutes we saw the first dolphin. On the boat we were told about the programme for the day and what to expect. Due to my longer diving break of 18 months, our dive master, Mr Mohamed, explained the most important things to me again in a very professional and detailed manner. I felt very safe again afterwards and was able to enjoy the two dives to the full! The underwater world was a dream. The subsequent lunch on Wasani Island was the crowning glory of this great day. The place is beautiful, the staff is attentive and helpful. The sea food is so fresh and extremely tasty. Thank you to the whole team at Pilli Pipa, everyone was very friendly and professional. It was a great day!
We will be back!
Ella, Barbara and Marc
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Voyager25420305980
Jul 6, 2024
superb snorkelling and dolphin sighting experience - the staff are helpful and friendly.
Once on board they serve us drinks and snacks. There are hot tea , coffee , water, coke and some soft drinks with biscuits and bread.
They take good care of us as son and me can barely swim. They give us life jackets and a staff leading our family to do the snorkelling.
The kid equipment fits my 6 year old boy. This is his first time doing snorkelling and thank you Pillipipa giving him a superb experience!
We had lunch at Pillipipa restaurant on Wasini Island. The mangrove crab and fishball in the lunch are gorgeous. what an unforgettable family trip!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Janelle_f
Apr 15, 2024
Not to be missed! - Excellent Tour with attentive awesome guides. They are so caring and attentive. They want to meet the needs and desires of every attendee and do a magnificent job of providing that. Beginning to end fantastic trip
Truth: I only wish they had their sail and we utilized the sail instead of motor.
Nonetheless a brilliant, fun trip with exceptional guides.
Review provided by Viator
287isabelr
Apr 12, 2024
Excellent trip with snorkelling and dive masters - We booked this trip at our hotel. Arrangements were smooth. The trip includes hotel pick up and transport to the port to join the Dhow. All staff were really friendly. The dhow is a traditional boat. Good sun shade on board. Basic but clean toilet. My husband as a certified diver did the dive option. Two dive masters on board - excellent equipment and support - and my husband really enjoyed the dives around the corals and sea life in the area. Teenagers and I snorkelled with snorkelling guides who pointed out sea life and talked about the corals. Snacks and drinks on board were lovely and then lunch at Wasini Island was amazing. The quality and quantity were fabulous and chicken and veg alternatives. The most delicious crab any of us had ever eaten. It was great to see the sea life off the Kenyan coast and travel on a traditional dhow.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Simonabranca
Feb 16, 2024
Beautiful experience in the Indian Ocean! - We were able to book this excursion directly at the resort. At 7 in the morning a minivan came to pick us up at Diani beach and, after about two hours of travel, we arrived at the port from which we set off for this beautiful excursion. Once we left we immediately saw some dolphins and after quite some time sailing we arrived at the first site to dive and do some beautiful snorkelling. There is a great variety of fish, a beautiful coral reef and the waters are crystal clear. After going back up, we went to the second site where you don't actually snorkel but you can swim to a beach in the middle of the ocean with very clear water and you can take a swim while enjoying the view in "Pirates of the Caribbean" style. After this last excursion we went to Wasini Island where we were served a typical African style lunch. A positive note must be left to the guys who ran the boat who were very kind and tender.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Tulakitty
Feb 15, 2024
Fantastic Crew and Experience - We have gone on snorkeling trips in many different countries, and this company is one of our top experiences. The crew were friendly and just fantastic. There were a few hesitant swimmers, so they had a personal flotation device so you could just float while snorkeling. In addition, they had the crew get into the water and kept the nervous swimmers together. They would dive down and point things out that you might have missed. To me, that service is above and beyond.
The boat was rocking on the way back from the marine preserve and I was very happy to be wearing a motion sickness patch. Highly recommend Dramamine or something before getting on the boat. They had plenty of water, soft drinks and some snacks on board (all included with the price). There is a small toilet on the boat; its not ideal, but it gets the job done if needed.
The crab lunch on the island was also very good and wine and beer were included. I would not hesitate to book this excursion again - it really was a great day with money well spent.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Richmoj
Feb 11, 2024
Dhow Safari adventure - Such a wonderful trip, a bit of an adventure at 72 years climbing in and out of boats with choppy sea, glad I took a seasick pill 😀 as it was a windy day. The rest of the customers were much younger. The crew were safety first and happy all the time which was reassuring. There were no hidden extras except for tips. The trip had been recommended by our friend who lived in Arica otherwise we may not have have booked. It was great to meet the eclectic mix of travellers on the boat from all over the world. The lunch served by the Swahili ladies was out of this world in a wonderful location it occurred after we had a leisurely cruise entertained by dolphins and 2 snorkelling sessions with wonderful fish and corals to see in this protected reef. We were informed very clearly every step along the way about our itinerary and felt very safe. At the end of the day we were taken to the slave caves, a very sobering experience, and we saw bats down there. Some people stayed on the minibus but I would recommend that you go. Then driven safely back to our hotel. An exciting end to our African holiday.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
K8222gzstephenb
Jan 24, 2024
Snorkeling and dolphins - We were collected at 0815 bang on time at our hotel by Muhammad our friendly driver in a comfortable but not luxurious minibus. The drive took about 45 minutes from our hotel in Diane beach.
A short briefing later we walked to the jetty past vendors selling drinks and hats ( a hat is a must , as is sunscreen and ideally a rash vest or t-shirt to swim in ).
From the jetty a short trip on a smaller motorised tender . You need to be reasonably agile to get on and off tender . We had two fit and active 75 year olds who managed with a little help from the crew .
We saw several pods of dolphin which came close to our boat whilst we drank the offered tea/ coffee and pastry.
A 45 -60 minutes boat ride in q rolling sea for onlly 15 minutes then we were dropped off to snorkel. The fins and masks were good . Your dropped 20 meters at least from the reef the swam . We were in the water for 45-60 minutes on each reef . We had three crew with saftey rings in the water with us . Its not difficult but you are in the sea and some way from the boat so you need to be confident. A couple in our group wore life jackets. After snorkeling you'll need to climb up a step ladder put over side with about 4-5 steps from the sea to get back in . The crew helped if needed. Two of our group didn't snorkel but still really enjoyed this trip
The crew were cheerful, made us feel comfortable but also professionally and we felt safe .
After snorkeling we motored to Wasini Island. You are offered water , sprite or coke .
Arriving at Wasini we transfered into the tender . The tide was high and trip in to Wasini never felt unsafe but there were a few waves . You need to wade ashore in about 30 cm of water and climb some steep steps from the sea to get ashore. Again this was managed by the two 75year olds in our group . The food was fantastic, they said chicken was an alternative to the seafood but no one in our group had this option. Service was attentive. The dinning area clean but basic and traditional protected from the sun . Soft drinks , beer and wine along with coffee and tea were plentiful. I declined the offer of a third beer or wine , opting for coffee and cake on a seat overlooking the sea.
A tender ride back to our boat and a 10 minute trip took us back to the jetty and pretty much straight onto our minibus.
A really enjoyable day . I would recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cagiva_raptor79
Dec 10, 2023
What a great experience! - What a trip! When you said that yesterday we swam for 20 minutes with dolphins, but we also had the chance, so what a life experience, 2 times snorkeling and 2 times a group of 7 to 11 dolphins at arm's length.
Top experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jana_w
Aug 11, 2024
Recommendable trip - Very helpful and friendly staff on the boat and on the island. We saw many colorful fish, corals and sea stars. On our way we even met dolphins. Unfortunately there were no fins left for our daughter since all were taken by the other kids, so she was the only one without fins which made her sad. Apart from that it was a very nice recommendable trip!
Review provided by Viator