Mafia Island Marine Park

Mafia Island Marine Park (1995), Tanzania'S First Marine Park And The Largest Marine Protected Area In The Western Indian Ocean, With Coral Gardens, Mangroves And Whale Shark Season From October To March. A Quiet Alternative To Zanzibar For Diving, Snorkelling And Seeing Whale Sharks, With The Ruined Swahili Town Of Kua On Juani Island. · Kilindoni, Pwani

Mafia Island Marine Park was set up in 1995 and was the first marine park in Tanzania. It covers about 822 sq km, more than half of it sea, on the south side of Mafia Island off the Rufiji delta. Coral gardens, mangroves, seagrass and the deep Kinasi Pass hold turtles, dolphins and many reef fish, and from roughly October to March WHALE SHARKS feed in the bay. On land you find a few villages, ruined Swahili towns on Chole and Juani islands, baobabs, and a handful of small lodges. The honest picture: it is remote, quiet and low-key, the beaches are narrower than Zanzibar's, but the sea is richer and the crowds are almost absent. Boats, sandy tracks and quiet evenings set the pace, and a stay here suits divers, snorkellers and people who like to do little, and the park fee helps pay for patrols and village projects. Flights from Dar es Salaam take about 40 minutes and cost roughly USD 100-150 each way. Expect generator power, few cash machines, and malaria. The long rains from March to May close many lodges.

Island 20 km off the Rufiji delta about 150 km south of Dar es Salaam, reached by a 40-minute flight from Dar es Salaam or a boat, with Chole Bay and the marine park on its south side, Kilindoni, Pwani, Tanzania

The marine park is open every day of the year and has no gate in the usual sense; you pay the park fee at the Utende office or through your lodge. Boats go out by day only. Many lodges CLOSE in the long rains, roughly March to May. Confirm fees and lodge seasons when you book.

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