Recently Viewed
Pilli Pipa Dhow: Snorkeling Experience in Kisite Marine Park, Kenya
4.6
232 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
4.6
(232 Ratings)
5 stars
4 stars
3 stars
2 stars
1 star
Khalidmt9127bw
Jan 28, 2026
Amazing experience - This was one of the best experiences in Mombasa.
We really enjoyed the service, pick up from home to Shimoni, the boat crew, lunch everything was superb.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Aurores995
Nov 6, 2025
Amazing. - Incredible experience, everyone is very friendly and accompanies us in safety and kindness in these moments of boating, diving and snorkling.
The incredible Indian Ocean too and the almost daily dolphin show is to be done. Thank you for everything
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nathterrien971
Oct 26, 2025
Seaside Safari! - Very well organized from hotel pickup to return. Snorkelling time, supervised by a guide, is quite long: think of your top to protect yourself from the sun! Besides, the visit to the cave at the end of the day is a very interesting historical break (if possible, plan a few shillings for the association 😉)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
M8010lwrogers
Oct 21, 2025
A fantastic day trip, totally exceeded expectations - A fantastic day trip, totally exceeded expectations. We booked through our hotel the evening before our trip , were collected at 07.30 from reception by a lovely driver. At every stage of the trip the itinerary was explained clearly and in multiple languages as necessary. All the staff were so friendly, professional and nothing was too much trouble. The snorkels and fins were high quality and time was spent fitting them properly. Sliders were provided for the short walk over the rocks to the island.
A stunning pod of Dolphins came to play in the wake of the Dhow just before we got to the reef. The briefing for the snorkelling was detailed and guides swam with the group ensuring we were all safe. Life jackets were worn by nervous or weak swimmers and the guides had floats if anyone needed a tow or rest.
The reef was beautiful, the fish stunning and the guides pointed out hard to see fish, like the octopus, moray eel, sting rays and at one stage called us away from the reef for a most incredible experience , the pod of dolphins came and swam with us. Truly amazing.
We had two snorkels and then motored in the Dhow to Wasini Island where we had the most delicious sea food lunch and gorgeous welcome by the ladies, then time to relax in this stunning setting before a quick boat ride back to the mainland. The crew were so attentive that our towels etc had been neatly folded and tidied for us. The taxi then met us from the jetty and dropped us back at the hotel. A totally seamless excursion, exciting and fun . Thank you for a very memorable experience.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Crystaladventure
Sep 21, 2025
Beautiful day - Great day! Everything ran exactly as written. Staff was very fun and professional. I loved that we got constant updates about what was next - how long transfers were, where there would be washroom stops, when we would be eating etc. The included lunch was in a beautiful setting and so delicious!! Note that the ladies at lunch will ask for a tip, so prepare enough for the driver, boat staff and lunch staff. I just wish we had a bit more snorkeling time and less time at the restaurant. Saw dolphins in the way and tons and tons of fish snorkeling. The sea was pretty rough so take meds if you get seasick.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
H5225ygkenb
Sep 21, 2025
Good full day snorkeling experience - Overall a great experience. They offer pickup/dropoff from Diani and lay out very clearly what the itinerary of the day will ve like.
We had two chances to snorkel - I was not timing the exact length but they both felt plenty long. Great variety of sea life.
The lunch was good but I am fairly sure I got food poisoning from it.
If you plan on tipping, there are three separate times - once at lunch for the lunch ladies, once at the end of the boat ride for the crew, and once for your driver when you get dropped off.
The lunch ladies are pretty pressure-y as they come around with a basket asking for tips. But other than that it was overall a good experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
N7205ramarkc
Sep 12, 2025
Holiday day out - What a fantastic experience we had on this day out. The crew on the dhow were really good guys who were informative and very friendly. We had a lovely lunch and snorkeling, added bonus we saw dolphins. Highly recommend 👌
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Katie26
Nov 3, 2025
Great day out - Excellent day out with the team - seamless organisation from pick up to drop off. We had a few hours snorkelling over two sites and guides are available for those less confident. They also pointed out things we might have missed like cottons, calamari etc. we had dolphins swim along side as we sailed out to the island and then come quite close when we were on the reef.
Lunch was served in a lovely island restaurant owned by the company. We had a 7 min jungle walk to get there as could not offload at the main jetty due to high tide so take shoes that can cope with roots etc. it isn’t far just potential ankle twister ground! The food was very tasty - soup and chapati then crab and seafood main with various side dishes. There was some fruit and cake afterwards and delicious lemon grass tea. Wine, beer etc served too.
All in all we throughly enjoyed our day so thanks to all the team.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomas
Sep 13, 2025
Friendly excursion - We made this excursion to the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park in early September 2025. The staff were welcoming and attentive with drinks and snacks at all times on the boat.
We had the chance to see dolphins on the way to the swimming area.
We saw a lot of fish at the Snorkelling but we didn’t stay very long in the water compared to what was announced, it’s a shame because there are very nice fish and we would have liked it to be longer.
The seafood meal on the island of Wasini was good and the restaurant had a great view of the sea.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
G7297djandrewc
Nov 30, 2025
Poorly organised and fairly dangerous - We went with an extended family group ranging from 75 years old to 4 years old. Pickup from hotel was good and we got on the boat ok. The boat is a traditional dhow with tarps providing decent cover from the sun. We got a bit of dry plain cake and a cup of juice, I think the cups were clean at the start but as the day progressed, if you asked for a drink, you got whichever cup they laid their hand on, they certainly weren't cleaned from customer to customer. We got issued with snorkelling gear, which was pretty worn, again I assume it was cleaned before we got it but it seemed a bit grubby and we all used cleaning wipes to try to improve it. Although we had checked that their would be suitable gear for our kids, they had limited options and the masks weren't a great fit for our youngest, luckily we had his swimming goggles with us, the fins again were a poor fit with unsuitable options for the kids. The snorkelling itself was pretty haphazard, we stopped at the crowded snorkelling site and all jumped in and it was very hard to keep together as a group or to see where our guide was, there were so many other groups that it would have been very easy to get lost. The snorkelling itself was limited, the reef seems to be in poor condition and not a great abundance of fish or colourful corals. Very hard to distinguish where our boat was as the current moved us along quite quickly and there were so many other boats about of similar style. I didn't see the staff counting people on or off the boat at all and I think it was pure luck and clients efforts that ensure no one is left behind. On the way back in the boat we saw some dolphins which was cool. We had no information as to what type of fish or corals we might see during the snorkelling.
We had lunch at the island which was nice, though make sure you do not ask for an extra bit of chicken (there was plenty there) or you will be scolded. My father said when asked that he didn't want the seaweed dish but was told to try it anyway and got some plonked on his plate (I think this was he guy that owned the outfit). To get onto the island you get into a small dingy and they bring you to a cool cave entrance. It's cool to look at, but with the waves pounding up against the coral type rock and the boat moving up and down and in and out as you try to get off it is pretty sketchy. It was worse trying to get off the island again as you are jumping down into the boat and trying to keep your feet. Not really suitable for the 75 year olds or 4 year old that we had with us. Packed into the dingy like sardines we had to crash through a few waves before getting back to the dhow and they took us back to the mainland. It doesn't take much imagination to see how a disaster could happen if you met a wave slightly side on or mistimed your jump into the boat off the rocks.
I've got my padi licence and have dived and snorkelled in a number of locations but was glad I didn't book a dive here as the safety was so inadequate for snorkeling, I'd hate to see what the diving is like.
I've read a load of the other reviews and the owners don't seem to take any criticism seriously, always blaming the reviewer and saying that they are slandering them etc. No doubt the response from the operators to my review will be the same.
Review provided by Tripadvisor