Mafia Island

is a little-visited location

with diving and whale sharks

a delightfully authentic Swahili backwater

Located off the southern coast of Tanzania, Mafia is a very beautiful island, the centre of which is a mix of classic palm plantations and sections of open grassland which are unusually reminiscent of the mainland, much more so than Zanzibar or Pemba.

Unlike other parts of this coast, notably the east coast of Zanzibar, Mafia Island does not generally offer classic white sand beaches, being instead dominated by tidal flats and mangroves.

This lack of beaches is the primary reason that the island experiences relatively low visitor numbers. Mafia Island contains only around 300 hotel beds, only around 3% the number on Zanzibar. The daily light aircraft services bring in only a couple of dozen guests at the most each day compared with the fully laden 747s that arrive at Zanzibar International Airport on a daily basis.

As a result, the people and culture of Mafia Island remain little affected. There is very little crime and virtually no hassle. Walking the streets of the quaint little capital, Kilindoni, locals may avert their gaze in a respectful rather than an unfriendly fashion. Make the effort to converse and smile and the reception is usually very warm. This is a real slice of the old Swahili Coast.

Highlights include some fabulous diving and arguably the best and most reliable swimming with whale sharks experience in the world.

At 435 square kilometres, Mafia is a substantial tropical island which lies 25km off the mainland coast.

It is very beautiful and peaceful place with a relaxed and old-fashioned Swahili Coast atmosphere.

The island is comprised of palm tree plantations and open pastures, more like the mainland than the other islands.

Unusually the island does not have many clasic tropical beaches, the shoreline being dominated by mangrove forests.

It is this lack of conventional beaches which keeps the place so blissfully free of mainstream tourism.

From the airport a dirt road leads across the island to the marine reserve at Chole Bay.

This is a renowned location for both diving and snorkelling, with the bay protecting corals from bleaching events.

Snorkelling trips here are also superb, often combined with picnics on the sandbanks.

Back on the west coast, the capital Kilindoni is a quiet place and fun to explore.

Mafia is on of the best locations in the world for swimming with whale sharks.

Unusually these normally nomadic creatures remain in Mafia waters year round.

There is a handful of interesting small lodges scattered across the island.

Access is via daily scheduled flights from Dar es Salaam, connecting from Ruaha, Serengeti, Zanzibar etc.

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Mafia Island tends to feature relatively rarely in trips, since the allure of Zanzibar is too great for most first time visitors to resist. That is what keeps the place so blissfully quiet.

The usual stay duration is 4-6 nights.

Seasonality

The climate on Mafia Island is tropical, with predominantly hot, humid and sunny conditions.

There is rain on most days of the year, usually taking the form of light showers. During the Nov-Dec and Mar-May rainy seasons these can turn into heavy and persistent downpours.

There can also be very strong winds during the May-Jun early dry season period.
The best times down on the coast are therefore considered to be Jul-Oct and Jan-Mar, when there is usually slightly less rain and wind.

Unfortunately these best periods happen to coincide with the two peak seasons for visitor traffic, although that is far less of an issue here than on Zanzibar Island.

Getting there

The vast majority of visitors to Mafia Island arrive via the international airport at Dar es Salaam, from where there are regular scheduled light aircraft services into the main airstrip at Kilindoni.

Once on the island it is usual to travel around by guided overland transfers.

We always include all connecting transport in your trip unless you specifically ask us not to.

Where to stay

Mafia Island has only a limited range of accommodation options.

If your primary interest is diving, then most likely you will want to stay in the Chole Bay area to the south, where the stand-out option is Chole Mjini Lodge, with its quirky treehouses. Other decent options include the dive-oriented Shamba Kilole Lodge and the reliable Kinasi Lodge.

If you are more interested in swimming with whale sharks and/or the cultural aspects of the main town Kilindoni, then you might choose to stay in that part of the island, with Butiama Beach Lodge being the lead option.