Mafia Island
Travel to Mafia Island to explore some of the world’s richest reefs. It’s a scuba-diver’s dream come true.
Mafia Island is home to Tanzania’s first official Marine Park, a pristine and unspoiled paradise for divers and sea lovers. The island boasts a magical and untouched ecosystem of beautiful coral reefs and sandbanks where non divers too can have amazing experiences such as swimming with whale sharks, watching turtle hatching, snorkeling in the shallow and sheltered waters of the bay, and sailing with traditional dhows.
Lush vegetation and wildlife, with coconut palms, baobabs, cashew, mango and papaya trees in the interior of Mafia Island. These are home to bush babies, wild pigs, blue duikers, genets, vervet monkeys and Pteropus fruit bats (flying foxes). On the coast, mangrove forests and tidal flats attract endless sea birds.
A series of reed-lined lakes in central Mafia Island are probably the remnants of an old lagoon which was cut off from the ocean thousands of years ago. Here live a number of small hippo which may have crossed from the mainland or were washed to the island by floods of the Rufiji River system. They have been on Mafia many years, since Dr. Baumann recorded their presence in 1895.
Mafia Island activities of interest may include: A visit to the local village, exploring the ruins of the ancient city of Kua on Juani Island, looking for the fruit bats on Chole Island, or just enjoying the miles and miles of pristine beaches.
