The Mafia Archipelago

The Mafia Archipelago, comprising a number of islands and uninhabited coral atolls, was an important trading post during the 11-13th centuries. Today Mafia is known for its diverse and spectacular natural environment. It offers white beaches, superb coral reefs, tropical vegetation dominated by large palm groves, impressive baobab trees, fruit trees (e.g. mango & cashew), and mangroves. Monkeys, small antelopes, wild pigs, lemurs and a small colony of dwarf hippos live on the islands. The archipelago is also a nesting area for falcons and fish eagles and breeding ground for Giant turtles. Chole has a large colony of Comoro bats, a protected species of fruit eating 'flying foxes'. Mafia Island's marine ecosystem was given international recognition in July 1995, through designation as a Marine Park. There are over 400 species of fish in the Park and Chole Bay is a meeting place of large oceanic fish and a vast variety of reef fish common to the Indian Ocean. This is a true paradise for both scuba diving and snorkelling and the perfect place for complete relaxation.

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Chole Mjini

Chole Mjini has six unique treehouses, all set in attractive tropical gardens and ancient Persian ruins. Each is designed individually and built using local materials and craftsmanship. Some are built around baobab trees, others set in the mangroves, some with four-poster beds or with fantastic views. Each treehouse has a private garden with toilet and shower at ground level. For this dive special, cheaper beach tents are also available.

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Scuba diving & snorkelling

As a result of the intimate nature of this resort, you will never dive in a crowd. Eight divers maximum per dhow, but it can be as few as one. You can usually choose where you want to dive and with whom, and will always be accompanied by a professional with local knowledge.

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Kinasi Pass - South Wall a 5-star rated dive

To give you a taster of the awesome diving in Mafia; Kinasi Pass - South Wall a five star rated dive (max. depth 27m, experienced divers only). At the mouth of Chole Bay, where the sheltered bay meets the open ocean, there is a deep & narrow channel through shallower coral. The reef slopes gently down to 15m and then plummets vertically to almost 30m. This wall and caverns at its base are home to big Critters, Potato Cod, Napoleans, Giant groupers and Morays. A lot of plankton and other suspended food passes through the channel, so schools of Snapper, Sweetlips, Barracuda, Trevally, Cobia, Tuna are common. If you are lucky you will encounter the occasional shark on the lookout for a snack. Giant reef rays are common, but Whale sharks, Eagle rays and Manta rays are seasonal visitors (late December through March).

An approximately 45 minutes flight takes you from Dar-es-Salaam to the airstrip at Kilondoni, north Mafia. Edward will drive you in his 4x4 taxi in circa 35 minutes to Utende in the south, where your private dhow will be waiting to take you across Chole Bay.