6 Days Mafia Island

Whale sharks, a protected marine park and quiet beaches on Tanzania's least-visited island.

6 days Island escape Mafia Island From $667 per person

6 Days Mafia Island · 6 days

Package Overview

Mafia is what Zanzibar was before the resorts: a handful of small lodges, fishing villages and one of the best marine parks in the Indian Ocean. From October to March whale sharks feed off Kilindoni, and you can snorkel alongside them. The rest of the year, the coral gardens of Chole Bay, the ruins on Chole Island and long empty beaches make it a quiet place to finish a safari.

Highlights

Snorkel with whale sharks (October – March)
Coral reefs of Mafia Island Marine Park
19th-century ruins on Chole Island
Small beachfront lodges and fresh seafood

Route map

Day 1-2 Mafia Airport (Kilindoni) → Day 3 Mafia Island Marine Park → Day 4 Chole Island → Day 5 Mafia Island Marine Park → Day 6 Mafia Airport (Kilindoni)

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 • Arrival in Mafia

Chole Bay

A short flight from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar lands you at Kilindoni, where your lodge driver meets you for the drive across the island to Chole Bay. The rest of the day is for settling in and the first swim.

Day 1 Accommodation, Mafia Island Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast

Options based on your package:

Comfort — Mafia Kivulini Lodge
Premium — Basecamp Eco Resort Mafia Island
Luxury — Pole Pole Bungalows

Mafia Island

Day 2 • Whale sharks off Kilindoni

Whale sharks

Head out by boat from Kilindoni to look for whale sharks feeding in the shallow bay. Spotters on board guide you in and you slip into the water to snorkel alongside them. It's calm and unhurried, and the boats keep their numbers low.

Note: Whale sharks are seasonal (October – March).

Activity · WHALE SHARK SNORKELLING (Optional)

A half-day boat trip with a spotter and snorkelling guide. Whale sharks are in the bay from roughly October to March; outside that season we swap this for a reef trip.

Day 2 Accommodation, Mafia Island Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast

Options based on your package:

Comfort — Mafia Kivulini Lodge
Premium — Basecamp Eco Resort Mafia Island
Luxury — Pole Pole Bungalows

Mafia Island

Day 3 • Mafia Island Marine Park

Marine park

A boat trip into the marine park for snorkelling or diving over the coral gardens of Chole Bay, with turtles, reef fish and, if you're lucky, dolphins on the way.

Activity · SNORKELLING OR DIVING (Optional)

Guided snorkelling or two dives inside the marine park. Diving is arranged with the lodge dive centre and suits both beginners and certified divers.

Day 3 Accommodation, Mafia Island Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast

Options based on your package:

Comfort — Mafia Kivulini Lodge
Premium — Basecamp Eco Resort Mafia Island
Luxury — Pole Pole Bungalows

Mafia Island

Day 4 • Chole Island ruins

Chole Island

Cross the bay by dhow to Chole Island, where fig trees grow through the walls of 19th-century merchant houses. Fruit bats roost in the trees and the village is one of the oldest settlements on the coast.

Activity · CHOLE ISLAND WALK (Optional)

A guided walk through the ruins and the village, about two hours by dhow and on foot.

Day 4 Accommodation, Mafia Island Meal Plan: Bed and breakfast

Options based on your package: