LABA Fanjove Island
A Tanzanian coral island with a nineteenth-century lighthouse and no mains power.
Fanjove is a small coral island in the Songo Songo archipelago off southern Tanzania, reached by light aircraft and boat from Dar es Salaam. The island is uninhabited apart from the lodge, carries a working lighthouse built in 1894 and is ringed by reef with a drop-off close offshore. Very little tourism reaches this stretch of coast.
Around twenty accommodations make up the property after a rebuild — earlier figures of six bandas are out of date, which this register notes because both numbers still circulate. The lodge runs off-grid on solar, uses local materials and employs from the neighbouring fishing communities, whose boats work the same water.
A Victorian lighthouse on a coral island. Built in 1894 and still operating, it is the island's landmark and the reason the site was inhabited at all.
Southern Tanzania, almost unvisited. The Songo Songo archipelago sees a fraction of Zanzibar's traffic, and the reefs reflect it.
Who it is not for
Fanjove is wrong for guests expecting resort comfort, since the lodge is off-grid and simple. It is wrong for travellers who need connectivity or medical services nearby. And it is wrong for those wanting a spa or a choice of restaurants, neither of which exists. Those wanting Tanzanian islands with more comfort should look at Mnemba or Jumeirah Thanda Island.
Sources
- labalaba.com — around twenty accommodations after rebuild; earlier sources give six bandas.
- CONFLICT — inventory figures differ between current and archived material. Confirm before publication.
Booking
Private Island Resorts arranges each stay on request, quoting the rates available for the island and dates. No benefit should be assumed unless it is confirmed in writing for the individual reservation.
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