Mafia Island

Mafia Island is situated off Tanzania’s Swahili Coast, southeast of the city of Dar es Salaam and it is a less developed holiday paradise for nature lovers, divers as well as the more daring tourists. When you dream about visiting a tropical paradise for a Tanzania Beach Holiday, featuring thick green vegetation cut across by gravel pathways on its interior, with pristine white sand beaches met with turquoise waters, then Mafai Island is Taste for Afrika’s best recommendation as it ticks all the check-boxes. The natives of this area move around on tuk-tuks as well as bicycles and contrasting from the neighboring Zanzibar, the beach is not littered with beach vendors, and the night clubs and bars are not unruly. Mafia Island is however popular for its well-preserved underwater reefs that have made the island among the leading scuba-diving destinations in the continent. In addition the island is also famous for its numerous paradisal elegant lodges as well as a few magnificent ruins.

History and Geography

Mafia Island used to be a significant stopover along the East Asia and Swahili coastline trade route from the 8th century and going forward. In the years that followed, it formed a section of the very strong Kilwa Sultanate and traders moved to trade their merchandise from the mainland of Tanzania as well as surrounding islands including Comoros, Madagascar, Pemba plus Zanzibar to clients beyond the Arabian Sea. The Mafia island has at several times throughout its history been occupied by different foreign ‘settlers’ such as the Omanis, the Germans, the Arabs, the British, the Portuguese as well as the Germans.

When it comes to size and Location of Mafia Island, it is relatively small in size occupying only 50 kilometers (30 miles) in length and 15 kilometers (10 miles) in width. The major town Kilindoni is situated on the northwestern shore and is joined by a road to two other communities which are Bweni in the extreme north as well as Utende in the southeast. Majority of the tourists on this Island take up their time in Utende which is the main access spot to Mafia Island Marine Park, Chole Bay and to the ruins found on the neighboring Chole as well as Juani Islands. Most of the elegant resorts of Mafia Island as well as the dive centers such as Big Blu Mafia Island Diving center are situated in Utende

Best time to visit and Mafia’s Climate

The tropical climate experienced at Mafia Island is characterized by two different rainy seasons. The short rain season runs from November until December and the long rain season goes from March until May. If your goal is to go for diving, you should make sure that you steer clear of the rainy season since there is less underwater visibility. A few of the lodges remain closed in the long rainy season. For sunny climate, you can prepare to travel to the island during August to October (which is relatively cooler) as well as from the end of December until the middle of March (which is hotter). The months of June and July are usually dry and cool however it is windy which impacts the sea conditions. If you would like to see whale sharks, you can visit Mafia Island between September and March.

How to get there

The best way to reach Mafia Island is to travel by plane. Auric Air plus Coastal Aviation provide numerous flights everyday from Dar es Salaam to Mafia Island that last for about 30 minutes. You can also use a ferry to travel to Mafia Island if you are travelling on budget. However only a single ferry moves and it leaves Nyamisati village on the mainland at 4:00am and your trip will last about 4 hours and you will be charged about 16,000 Tanzanian shillings which is approximately US$7. You should know that the ferry is infamous for being overloaded and is not well-maintained which has led to a number of capsizing experiences. Taste for Africa therefore greatly recommends its gusts to fly.

Getting around

When you reach Mafia Island, you can tour the island using the area shared taxis referred to as dalla-dallas.. They join Kilindoni, where you can find both the port and the airport to Bwendi plus Utende. The journey to Utende will last about 30 minutes and you will be charged about 1,000 Tanzanian shillings and the journey to Bwendi will last about four to five hours and you will be charged about 4,000 Tanzanian shillings for the trip. You can opt to move around using a rental bicycle or a tuk-tuk. Majority of the resorts provide transport from Kilindoni and dive centers. The hotels in Utende commonly organize boat trips to Juani and Chole Islands, however to enjoy a more private and memorable adventure we recommend that you book your Mafia Island Tour through us to help you reserve your accommodation and organize all the activities you will engage in.

Top things to do | Activities on Mafia Island

Scuba Diving

Scuba diving is very famous among visitors to Mafia Island. Almost half of the coastline is conserved by the Mafia Island Marine Park and this has led to an abundance of the aquatic life. The island has recorded about five (5) species of turtles, over 460 different types of fish, an abundance of hard plus soft corals in addition to the rarely seen dugong. During the months of September until March, you can get to see whales that migrate to the waters in Mafia every year and you can usually see them eating plankton upwellings in large quantities. During our scuba diving tours you will get a unique opportunity to share the underwater world with a number of the largest fish in the world.

Wildlife and Bird Viewing

Mafia Island is verdant on the inside and has a variety of habitats for the different wildlife such as a lowland rainforest as well as areas of coastal high forest. You can take a explore the island’s wilderness while on guided nature walks and come to close range with squirrels, lizards, local monkeys, flying foxes in addition to more than 120 bird species. Most of the bird species in Mafia Island occupy the coastal areas where they look for food on the mud flats.

Deep Sea Fishing and other water sports

Mafia Island boasts of a diverse aquatic life that draws deep sea fishermen. Charter tours to seamounts, reefs as well as atolls will offer you the chance to see a diversity of marine life such as tuna, sailfish, giant trevailles plus wahoo. Shallow reef sites are the best if you want to go for snorkeling and the tidal mangrove forests can be enjoyed better if you use a sea kayak. Majority of the accommodation facilities in Mafia Island provide dhow trips as well as cruises to the archipelago’s unpopulated sandbanks plus islands.

Whale and Turtle Watching

During August and September, you can catch sight of humpback whales as they move past the island and during June and September, you can see baby turtles hatch on the eastern beach on Juani Island.

Cultural Tours and Historic Ruins Visits

Traces of the trading history of Mafia Island can be identified in the broken down

communities currently standing in ruins along the archipelago. The Kua Ruins on Juani Island used to be a flourishing historic trading post that was occupied by a sultan’s palace, Swahili residences as well as mosques. Currently, majority of the ruins provide a feeling of a long forgotten ancient civilization as they are overgrown by roots of fig trees. Arabic ruins that are found on Chole Island can be traced back to the 12th century. It also has German ruins that remained as evidence of their settlement on the island and colonial rule in the First World War. You can take a joint trip to Chole’s Island and then also explore the modern boat constructing local communities on the island.

Where to stay | Accommodation

Majority of the lodging on Mafia Island is situated in Utende which has the most elegant lodges and Kilindoni which is ideal for backpackers. Since Utende forms a section of Mafia Island Marine Park, you will be charged a conservation fee of US$20 everyday if you reside there. The Eco Shamba Kilole Lodge and the Kinasi Lodge are some of the leading accommodation facilities in Utende