Jozani Forest – Zanzibar

As soon as I spotted the giant crab sitting just underneath the water, Mwana shouted to the two guys nearby. They were carrying wood to fix the broken parts of the raised walkway we were all stood on. As soon as they heard the mention of a big crab they dropped their wood and in an instant one of the men took his shirt off and climbed down into the water. Lunch was sitting there in plain sight. However, as he entered, the crab became startled and moved beneath a rock. This crab was huge. A real monster, with giant claws and it was now hiding in a desperate bid to rescue its life. Claire and I chuckled, we were on a tour of the Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park and our guide was showing us the huge mangrove forest, when I spotted the crab down below. Suddenly our tour was put on hold as our guide Mwana, Claire and I stood watching this man trying to get his hands on a tasty lunch.

He had wrapped his shirt around his hand to protect it from those giant pincers and kept ducking under the water as he tried to find the crab under the rocks. He kept coming up for air, with no success. Each time he surfaced we were hoping to see this gigantic monster in his hands. However, time and time again the crab eluded him. After about ten minutes we were about to move on when he had success. Well, some success. He came back to the surface with one of its mighty claws. The poor crab was now lacking an arm. Mwana didn’t mind. She took the claw for herself and we continued on our tour of the ancient mangrove forest. I asked Mwana if she was going to eat the delicious claw meat for lunch that day. “I will give it to my daughter. She loves crab meat,” was her reply. Mwana’s three-year-old daughter Hanifa was in for a treat!

Claire with the claw

Before we got distracted from our tour, Mwana had been showing us around the National Park. Jozani Forest is the main part of the park and initially we’d wandered around the giant mahogany trees and other interesting specimens taking a look at the fantastic Zanzibar red colobus monkeys. We watched them for around half an hour as they played about in the trees above our heads. As we made our way to see them Mwana was telling us all about them. Their gestation period, their diet, all the usual facts and figures you get on a wildlife tour. She ended by saying “and then, at the end of the tour you can take one home with you.” Mwana was a wonderful guide and was incredibly friendly making us laugh with her dry wit. She was one of those people whose smile was enough to draw you in. There was an air of mischief about her that made us want to spend more time with her.

After spending our time with the monkeys and getting some good snaps it was time to wander around the magnificent forest. Giant trees stretched into the sky and other bushes and shrubs covered the floor. The recent rain meant the forest was a bit flooded in places, but luckily we were wearing flip flops so waded through the muddy water. It wasn’t quite the adventure of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest – there were walkways for a start – but it was great fun seeing the amazing variety of trees on display. What was even more interesting was the fact that the national park is relatively new, with most of the trees being planted around 70 years ago. The trees were initially planted to be cut down and used as mahogany wood, but now the area has National Park status they’re safe from the saw.

Mwana also mentioned the Zanzibar leopard, which unfortunately is extinct. There used to be many in the forest but they sadly have died out. Apparently they are the subject of a local legend that states these mythical leopards are kept by sorcerers to scare people away. They have stories of the animals appearing from thin air before disappearing from whence they came. Sadly we saw none of them.

Claire and Mwana

After wandering around the forest we had to travel a kilometre to the mangroves. However, with no car how were we to get there? Well, Mwana jumped on a moped and Claire jumped on the back. I was handed a push bike. The three of us then made our way across to the other side of the national park to see the huge mangrove forest in all of its glory. All the way I was pedalling away to keep up with the moped on the bumpy gravelly road. And all the way I could hear Claire and Mwana laughing and joking. It was a nice little trip and was nice to be on a bike again. I hadn’t cycled since Jinja in Uganda.

After walking around the mangroves, watching a man dismember a gigantic crab and hearing about Mwana’s daughter, our tour was over. But not before we made our way back to the reception. I was back on the bike, Mwana and Claire were back on their moped. I jokingly challenged Mwana to a race and sped off. She stayed around ten yards behind me the whole way there, before speeding past me right at the end laughing.