Southeastern Tanzania - Tanzania - page 531

SIGHTS
It doesn't take too much imagination to step back in time on Mafia, with village life here
going on much as it did during the island's Shirazi-era heyday.
Chole Island HISTORIC SITE
(day visitors per person US$5) This is a good place to start exploring, especially around its
crumbling but atmospheric ruins, which date from the 19th century. Also on Chole, thanks
to the efforts of a local women's group who bought the area where an important nesting
tree is located, is what is probably East Africa's only fruit bat sanctuary (Comoros lesser
fruit bat).
Juani HISTORIC SITE
The much larger and heavily vegetated island of Juani, just southeast of Chole, has over-
grown but evocative ruins at Kua, including the remains of several mosques dating from
a Shirazi settlement during the 18th and 19th centuries, and crumbling palace walls. Also
note the main ablutions area just to the right of the main entrance to the settlement. Access
to the ruins is only possible at high tide. South of here is a channel and nearby lagoon for
birding and swimming.
Jibondo ISLAND
Sparsely vegetated Jibondo, while less aesthetically appealing than the other islands, and
with inhabitants who are traditionally somewhat unwelcoming towards visitors, is in-
triguing in that it supports a population of about 3000 people although it has no natural
water sources. Except during the peak rainy season (when rain water is collected on the
island from run-off), boats ply daily between Jibondo and Mafia island transporting large
yellow containers filled with water. The best time to watch all the activity is just after sun-
rise, at the beach near Kinasi Lodge. Jibondo is also renowned as a boat-building centre,
with much of the wood coming from the forests around Kilwa. In Jibondo's village centre,
look for the carved doorframe on the mosque, said to come from the old settlement at Kua.
On Mafia itself, there are small beaches at the three main Chole Bay lodges (the beach at
Mafia Island Lodge is the best), and some idyllic nearby sandbanks; all the lodges arrange
excursions. One of the closest is Mange , with beautiful white sand populated only by sand
crabs and sea birds and surrounded by crystal-clear aqua waters. With more time, you can
make your way through the coconut groves to the beach at Ras Kisimani in the southwest-
ern corner of the island.