PILLI PIPA DHOW, the genuine product, snorkeling tour to Kisite Marine Park

Posted By : janelle_f
Excellent Tour with attentive awesome guides. They are so caring and attentive. They want to meet the needs and desires of every attendee and do a magnificent job of providing that. Beginning to end fantastic trip Truth: I only wish they had their sail and we utilized the sail instead of motor. Nonetheless a brilliant, fun trip with exceptional guides.
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Posted On : 2024-04-15

Posted By : 287isabelr
We booked this trip at our hotel. Arrangements were smooth. The trip includes hotel pick up and transport to the port to join the Dhow. All staff were really friendly. The dhow is a traditional boat. Good sun shade on board. Basic but clean toilet. My husband as a certified diver did the dive option. Two dive masters on board - excellent equipment and support - and my husband really enjoyed the dives around the corals and sea life in the area. Teenagers and I snorkelled with snorkelling guides who pointed out sea life and talked about the corals. Snacks and drinks on board were lovely and then lunch at Wasini Island was amazing. The quality and quantity were fabulous and chicken and veg alternatives. The most delicious crab any of us had ever eaten. It was great to see the sea life off the Kenyan coast and travel on a traditional dhow.
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Posted On : 2024-04-12

Posted By : TulaKitty
We have gone on snorkeling trips in many different countries, and this company is one of our top experiences. The crew were friendly and just fantastic. There were a few hesitant swimmers, so they had a personal flotation device so you could just float while snorkeling. In addition, they had the crew get into the water and kept the nervous swimmers together. They would dive down and point things out that you might have missed. To me, that service is above and beyond. The boat was rocking on the way back from the marine preserve and I was very happy to be wearing a motion sickness patch. Highly recommend Dramamine or something before getting on the boat. They had plenty of water, soft drinks and some snacks on board (all included with the price). There is a small toilet on the boat; its not ideal, but it gets the job done if needed. The crab lunch on the island was also very good and wine and beer were included. I would not hesitate to book this excursion again - it really was a great day with money well spent.
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Posted On : 2024-02-15

Posted By : Richmoj
Such a wonderful trip, a bit of an adventure at 72 years climbing in and out of boats with choppy sea, glad I took a seasick pill 😀 as it was a windy day. The rest of the customers were much younger. The crew were safety first and happy all the time which was reassuring. There were no hidden extras except for tips. The trip had been recommended by our friend who lived in Arica otherwise we may not have have booked. It was great to meet the eclectic mix of travellers on the boat from all over the world. The lunch served by the Swahili ladies was out of this world in a wonderful location it occurred after we had a leisurely cruise entertained by dolphins and 2 snorkelling sessions with wonderful fish and corals to see in this protected reef. We were informed very clearly every step along the way about our itinerary and felt very safe. At the end of the day we were taken to the slave caves, a very sobering experience, and we saw bats down there. Some people stayed on the minibus but I would recommend that you go. Then driven safely back to our hotel. An exciting end to our African holiday.
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Posted On : 2024-02-11

Posted By : K8222GZstephenb
We were collected at 0815 bang on time at our hotel by Muhammad our friendly driver in a comfortable but not luxurious minibus. The drive took about 45 minutes from our hotel in Diane beach. A short briefing later we walked to the jetty past vendors selling drinks and hats ( a hat is a must , as is sunscreen and ideally a rash vest or t-shirt to swim in ). From the jetty a short trip on a smaller motorised tender . You need to be reasonably agile to get on and off tender . We had two fit and active 75 year olds who managed with a little help from the crew . We saw several pods of dolphin which came close to our boat whilst we drank the offered tea/ coffee and pastry. A 45 -60 minutes boat ride in q rolling sea for onlly 15 minutes then we were dropped off to snorkel. The fins and masks were good . Your dropped 20 meters at least from the reef the swam . We were in the water for 45-60 minutes on each reef . We had three crew with saftey rings in the water with us . Its not difficult but you are in the sea and some way from the boat so you need to be confident. A couple in our group wore life jackets. After snorkeling you'll need to climb up a step ladder put over side with about 4-5 steps from the sea to get back in . The crew helped if needed. Two of our group didn't snorkel but still really enjoyed this trip The crew were cheerful, made us feel comfortable but also professionally and we felt safe . After snorkeling we motored to Wasini Island. You are offered water , sprite or coke . Arriving at Wasini we transfered into the tender . The tide was high and trip in to Wasini never felt unsafe but there were a few waves . You need to wade ashore in about 30 cm of water and climb some steep steps from the sea to get ashore. Again this was managed by the two 75year olds in our group . The food was fantastic, they said chicken was an alternative to the seafood but no one in our group had this option. Service was attentive. The dinning area clean but basic and traditional protected from the sun . Soft drinks , beer and wine along with coffee and tea were plentiful. I declined the offer of a third beer or wine , opting for coffee and cake on a seat overlooking the sea. A tender ride back to our boat and a 10 minute trip took us back to the jetty and pretty much straight onto our minibus. A really enjoyable day . I would recommend.
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Posted On : 2024-01-24

Posted By : beachbummer75
I went with them for 2 days diving - first day in Kisite national park and second day at wasini channel village dives. They communicated clearly what to expect, were punctual and attentive. We saw dolphins along the way. The two dives offered different experiences with fishes, dolphins underwater and other critters. What stood out was their experience esp Jatin He guided well even with leisure divers all over the place - one was constantly attempting to surface when we were only at 10m due to sheer panic every 10 mins (not even sure how he got certified) another diver was going all directions except following us. Yet he kept them at check while guiding and showing stuff underwater. Not easy feat. Tanks, regulators, bcds, masks fins were provided as part of package and well maintained. They knew exactly the no of weights for each diver. Lunch was excellent - crabs, fish, roasted seaweed, seafood soup I recommend staying in Shimoni as it’s much quieter, very few tourists and not having to travel hours back and forth was worth the while. had the chance to see the reefolution at work and prices were way more reasonable than what I had in Diani
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Posted On : 2023-12-01

Posted By : darmasmom
Snorkeling in Kisite was an amazing experience. Sea turtles, octopus, eels, rays, and a multitude of fish - even dolphins swimming all around us when we were swimming back to the boat. Although the coral was as colorful as I have seen elsewhere, its shape and texture we really interesting. The guide in the water with small groups of us would dive down to point out something we probably would not have otherwise noticed. He was also very helpful to me while I was having some trouble with my mask leaking. They had lots of equipment, including nearsighted masks for those of us who are somewhat blind. We appreciated the free transportation from our hotel. The lunch provided was a really nice experience - good food served buffet style with entertaining descriptions of each dish by the waitstaff dressed in traditional attire. Booking this trip was easy. Valerie responded to my questions promptly and answered them completely. We paid on the day of the trip. Highly recommend!
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Posted On : 2023-11-09

Posted By : Mrs_Neuman
Top notch service, it's an excursion that me and my kids will never forget. We enjoyed every bit of it. From the boat man, the snacks in the boat, the dolphin sighting, the snorkeling well taken care of. I don't even know how to swim but I managed to snorkel with the help of the boat men. The restaurant food presentation was out of the world. I will recommend you guys to my friends and family. Thank you for the unforgettable experience.
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Posted On : 2023-10-21

Posted By : EdmondDantes_10
Reliable, well-established company for trips to Kisite national park. Very good seafood lunch on Wasini island. A few things that could be better: - you need to transfer several times between a small boat and their larger dhow - dhow used an engine 100% of the time (not sure if they sometimes sail? Would certainly be nicer! Or if you’re going to use an engine, then I’d like it to be a little faster - it was a SLOW boat (so it takes 1h to get to Kisite from Shimoni) - Snorkeling is limited: you get 2 sessions of ~45 min each. From pick up to drop off, you’re talking about a 10h commitment and you only get to experience the main purpose of the trip for 1.5h…
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Posted On : 2023-10-17

Posted By : hruhipour
I recently went on a snorkeling tour with "Pilli Pipa" and it was amazing. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable, and the snorkeling spots were breathtaking. The seafood lunch was delicious and the views were stunning. Highly recommend this tour.
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Posted On : 2023-10-15