Mafia Island

The Mafia Archipelago is a real paradise for nature lovers and divers and the perfect place for complete relaxation.

BAOBAB trips to Mafia Island are arranged on a tailor-made basis. Pole Pole and Chole Mjini both offer exclusive opportunities to chill out in the beautiful setting of the Archipelago. Please examine the accommodation guide below for further details, example prices and itineraries and then contact us for a precise quote for your chosen holiday (or for further assistance to help you make up your mind!!).

All BAOBAB’s prices are excluding the international flight, which provides you with more flexibility, especially when you are based outside the UK. BAOBAB will arrange all aspects of your holiday once you are in Tanzania, including internal flights to Mafia Island, transfers to your accommodation and scuba-diving.

Accommodation on Mafia Island

Mafia Archipelago comprises a number of islands and uninhabited coral atolls situated about 120 km southeast of Dar-es-Salaam. Mafia was an important trading post during the 11-13th Centuries. Today it 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 a breeding ground for Giant turtles. Chole, one of the smaller islands, has a large colony of Comoro bats, a protected species of fruit eating ‘flying foxes’.

Things to do
The Mafia Archipelago’s main attraction is probably its marine ecosystem, which was given international recognition in July 1995, through its 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. Some of the uninhabited islands are breeding grounds for giant turtles. However, the Mafia Archipelago offers some great attractions besides the tropical beaches and coral reefs.

Both Pole Pole and Chole Mjini offer daily boat trips in traditional dhows to other islands in the Archipelago, e.g. Jinbondo, Mafia, Chole, Juani, and Makweche islands.

On Chole there are several self-guided trails taking you around the island, e.g. the Bat Trail and the Village Trail. These trails give you the opportunity to see some of the Chole sites, such as the Persian ruins, market area, and boat yard, and to meet Chole’s friendly local people.

On Mafia Island you can visit the local markets in Utende and Kilindoni; enjoy the impressive Baobab trees and peculiar mangroves, which survive saline conditions; or relish in the sheer stress-free setting.

Scuba Diving and Snorkelling

An approximately 30 minutes flight takes you from Dar-es-Salaam to the airstrip at Kilondoni, north Mafia. A 4x4 taxi will drive you in circa 35 minutes to Utende in the south, where Pole Pole is located. For Chole Mjini, your private dhow will be waiting to take you across Chole Bay.