Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chole Bay lodges for a pick-up, will need to sleep in Kilindoni. To get to the town centre,
head straight up the hill for about 300m. Departures from Kilindoni are daily at about 7am.
Once at Nyamisati, it's easy to find dalla-dallas north to Mbagala and central Dar es Sa-
laam. On Mafia, purchase boat tickets the afternoon before at the small ticket office near
the entrance to the port area.
GETTING AROUND
Dalla-dallas connect Kilindoni with Utende (Tsh1000, 45 minutes) and Bweni (Tsh2500,
four to five hours), with at least one vehicle daily in each direction. On the
Kilindoni-Utende route, vehicles depart Kilindoni at about 1pm and Utende at about 7am,
with sporadic vehicles later - the last departure from Utende is about 4.30pm. Departures
from Kilindoni to Bweni are at about 1pm, and from Bweni at about 7am. In Kilindoni,
the transport stand is in the central 'plaza' near the market. In Utende, the start/end of the
dalla-dalla route is at the tiny loading jetty between Mafia Island Lodge and Big Blu.
It's also possible to hire pick-ups or
bajajis
in Kilindoni to take you around the island. Bar-
gain hard, and expect to pay from Tsh15,000 between Kilindoni and Utende for a vehicle
(Tsh10,000 for a
bajaji
).
The other option is bicycle - either your own (bring a mountain bike) or a rental (about
Tsh500 per hour for a heavy single-speed - ask around at the Kilindoni market).
Between Utende and Chole island, most of the Chole Bay hotels provide boat transport for
their guests. Otherwise, local boats sail throughout the day from the beach in front of Mafia
Island Lodge (Tsh100). Boats also leave from here to Juani, and from Chole it's possible
to walk to Juani at low tide. To Jibondo, you can usually catch a lift on one of the water
transport boats leaving from the beach near Pole Pole Bungalow Resort.
Selous Game Reserve
At the heart of southern Tanzania is the Selous, a vast 48,000-sq-km wilderness area
stretching over more than 5% of mainland Tanzania. It is Africa's largest wildlife reserve,
and Tanzania's most extensive protected area, although the extended ecosystems of Ruaha
National Park and the Serengeti come close. It's also home to large herds of elephants,
plus buffaloes, crocodiles, hippos, wild dogs, many bird species and some of Tanzania's
last remaining black rhinos. Bisecting it is the Rufiji River, which winds its way more than
250km from its source in the highlands through the Selous to the sea, and boasts one of
the largest water-catchment areas in East Africa. En route, it cuts a path past woodlands
and grasslands and stands of borassus palm, and provides the chance for some unparalleled
water-based wildlife watching. In the river's delta area, which lies outside the reserve op-
posite Mafia island, the reddish-brown freshwater of the river mixes with the blue salt wa-
