Humpbacks travel from cold feeding grounds to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean to mate and give birth. Boat trips off Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia offer chances to spot them, though sightings are seasonal and never guaranteed.
Whales & dolphins
Humpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
A giant baleen whale that migrates through Tanzanian waters from July to October.
Size
Up to 16 m and 40,000 kg
Lifespan
45-50 years
Diet
Krill and small fish.
Habitat
Open ocean and coastal channels.
About the humpback whale
Did you know?
01
Males sing complex songs that carry for kilometres.
02
A calf drinks about 200 litres of milk a day.
03
They breach, leaping fully out of the water.
When to see it
Gold months are usually the easiest time to find it.
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Where to see it in Tanzania
Trips that go there
Where to meet the humpback whale
More wildlife to discover
Whales & dolphins
Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops aduncus
A friendly, resident dolphin that lives in the bays around Zanzibar.
Kizimkazi, Nungwi +3 more
Endemic
EN
Primates
Zanzibar Red Colobus
Piliocolobus kirkii
A rare monkey found only on Zanzibar, easy to see at Jozani Forest.
Jozani Forest, Zanzibar Stone Town +1 more
Sharks & rays
Whale Shark
Rhincodon typus
The world's largest fish, a gentle filter feeder that visits Mafia Island.
Mafia Island
Fish
West Indian Ocean Coelacanth
Latimeria chalumnae
A "living fossil" fish, thought extinct for 66 million years, found off the Tanzanian coast.
Start Planning
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Tell us what you most want to see and we will plan the season, the place and the guide to match.
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