Mafia Island

Overview

Mafia lies about 120 kilometres south of Zanzibar and could hardly be more different from it: no Stone Town, no beach clubs, a handful of lodges and a population that still makes its living from fishing and coconuts. What it has is the sea. Mafia Island Marine Park was Tanzania's first, protecting Chole Bay and a reef system in remarkably good condition - over 400 fish species, healthy hard coral, and a sheltered lagoon that makes it a forgiving place to learn to dive. From roughly October to March whale sharks feed in the shallow water off Kilindoni, and Mafia is one of the few places in the world where they are reliably present rather than a matter of luck. Green turtles nest on the beaches at Juani and Jibondo, and the mangrove channels and ruined Shirazi settlements at Chole and Kua are worth a day out of the water. It is a place for divers, snorkellers and people who actively want less to do.