Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
At
Ras Mkumbi
, Mafia's windswept northernmost point, there's a
lighthouse
dating to
1892, as well as
Kanga beach
and a forest that's home to monkeys, blue duikers and many
birds.
ACTIVITIES
Diving & Snorkelling
Mafia offers divers fine corals, a variety of fish, including numerous pelagics, and relaxing,
uncrowded diving, often done from motorised dhows. There are various sites in Chole Bay,
which is diveable year-round, plus seasonal diving outside the bay. The best month is gen-
erally October, and the least favourable months are April, May and June, when everything
shuts down. Dive operators (both of whom also arrange dive certification courses and snor-
kelling) include the following. Kinasi Lodge and Shamba Kilole also offer diving and in-
struction for their guests.
Big Blu
DIVING
( 0784-918069;
www.bigblumafia.com
; Chole Bay) A friendly place on the beach just
north of Mafia Island Lodge, and under the direction of Moez, a veteran diver with long
experience on Mafia.
Mafia Island Lodge Seapoint Watersports Centre
DIVING
( 022-260 1530;
www.mafialodge.com
;
Mafia Island Lodge, Chole Bay) At Mafia Is-
land Lodge.
Fishing
Long popular in deep-sea fishing circles, Mafia is known especially for its marlin, sailfish,
tuna and other big-game fish. Conditions are best between September and March, with June
and July the least-appealing months due to strong winds. Contact the dive operators listed
above, or Kinasi Lodge. Licences can be arranged through marine park headquarters, next
to Pole Pole Bungalow Resort.
MAFIA ISLAND MARINE PARK
Mafia Island Marine Park - at around 822 sq km the largest marine protected
area in the Indian Ocean - shelters a unique complex of estuarine, mangrove,
coral reef and marine channel ecosystems. These include the only natural forest
on the island and almost 400 fish species. There are also about 10 villages with-
in the park's boundaries with an estimated 15,000 to 17,000 inhabitants - all of
