Langi Langi

Langi Langi

We arrived at Langi Langi, our waterfront resort in the north west of the island early afternoon where we were to spend the next seven night of our dive holiday. The water was crystal clear and came right under the restaurant deck. Dhows with sunset cruises were intermingled with the fishing boats at anchor in the water at high tide.



As the sun slowly sank into the distant horizon the orange light of the sunset painted the scene the exotic pictures that I had imagined before this trip. The water was like glass and the gentle lapping of the waves was very relaxing after a long day traveling.

In the restaurant that first evening our group of ten divers on this trip re-established their friendships from previous dive holidays where they had met in the Red Sea, Mozambique and other far away dive destinations.

We were an interesting group mixture, Louis our tour leader, had once again found an interesting mixture of characters and “what happens in Zanzibar stays in Zanzibar”, unless of course you read this travel blog.



After a reasonably early first night we met for our first dive the following morning having been awakened by the local cockerel in the early hours. This bird was the butt of many a discussion over the next week on the best way to catch him and cook him to ensure a full nights rest. We were also tested by the local crows who hovered around the pool and restaurants.

Breakfasts at our resort were exceptional. The home-made fruit cocktail mix was a blend of pomegranate, mango and pineapple, but the experience was enhanced by eating this on the deck watching the early morning fishermen and women starting their toils for the day.



A group of women would wade the shallow waters this side of the reef and make a large circle and then splash the surface of the water to drive the small fish into a net held between several of them.


Other mornings when the tide was right out, the men would light fires under their beached dhows and spread I presume a tar or bitumen on the keels to repair the leaks.

Our first dive was a close one where we were taken by dhow onto the reefs. The water was calm with not a cloud in the sky with a surface temperature of 26 degrees. The reefs were full of abundant fish and the visibility around 30 meters. My buddy was Emma and holding her hand as we drifted over the coral was a wonderful experience. As we saw anything of interest we squeezed each others hand and pointed to the attraction.
She is an excellent buddy, checking my air supply every few minutes and making sure that we were not far away from the dive master at any time. If only all buddies were as conscientious.

The food at the resort is good and it seems as if there is a cartel amongst the restaurants along this strip of coast as they all charge the same for similar dishes. The Langi Langi Restaurant is great though because you can take your own booze (TYOB)

One of my favorite meals is red lobster curry at the restaurant next door known as “lovers Restaurant” the cost there is 13,000 shillings which is about $US10, while my favorite cocktail is Mambo Jambo which I think is a mixture of Maliboo, Bacardi and coconut milk, delicious.

Spice tour tomorrow

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Part of trip: Ex Pat in Port Elizabeth

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