Mafia Island
Mafia is a wonderful little island at the centre of the largest marine park in East Africa. Mafia is an unspoiled, uncommercial, timeless island, where local people go about their traditional businesses apparently completely detached from the outside world. The largest of a score of islands, atolls and tidal sandbars, Mafia itself is approximately 50 km long by 15km across, and is surrounded by a barrier reef teeming with marine life. The local people live in rustic fishing communities and farming villages. The population are mainly fishermen - other industries include coconut palms and cashew nuts.

Main town on Mafia
Kilondoni is the main town and a refreshingly simple place. The only road is flanked on either side for a kilometer or so by classic Swahili buildings and in the centre of town there is a small market. The atmosphere is incredibly relaxed and the Mafians are very friendly people. In Kilondoni there is plenty of evidence in the architecture and in the faces of the old Swahili connection. There are a few carved doors, which are so synonymous with Stone Town in Zanzibar.

Location
Mafia Island lies approximately 25 kilometres off the Tanzanian coast, 128km south of Dar es Salaam and 160 km south of Zanzibar Island.

When to Visit ?
Best time to visit is June - October and December - March. Temperatures are mild, even when we speak of the "hot" season, as the temperature in Mafia rarely exceeds 30°C.

How to get there?
From Dar es Salaam there are daily flights to the Kilondoni airfield on Mafia as well as frequent flights from Zanzibar. It is approximately 30 minutes by air to/from Dar es Salaam and 45 minutes to/from Zanzibar.

Getting around on Mafia Island
The island infrastructure is basic. There are no tarmac roads. There are two main roads: from Kilondoni north to Ras Mkumbi (with side roads to the villages in the north) and Kilondoni to Utende, the centre of the tourism area on Chole Bay. At present there is little public transport on Mafia (a daily bus to the north), which has only about 35 vehicles, mainly Land Rover pick-ups and 4x4s belonging to the hotels. Hitch-hiking is an accepted means of getting about, but usually means a long wait. Islanders also use jahazis, widely referred to in English as dhows, to commute between Kilondoni and outlying villages on Mafia, and for inter-island travel.

	Mafia Island is one of the few remaining fishing paradise islands in the world. It is an ideal place for those looking for perfect tranquility added to big game fishing. Big game fish caught here include: - Marlin, Shark, King Fish, Tunny, Dolphin and Wahoo which are one of the finest fighters.
	Boat trips in traditional dhows to other islands in the Archipelago, e.g. Jinbondo, Mafia, Chole, Juani, and Makweche islands.
	On Chole there are several self-guided trails taking you around the island, e.g. the Bat Trail and the Village Trail. These trails give you the opportunity to see some of the Chole sites, such as the Persian ruins, market area, and boat yard, and to meet Chole's friendly local people.
	Visit the local markets in Utende and Kilindoni; enjoy the impressive Baobab trees and peculiar mangroves, which survive saline conditions or relish in the sheer stress-free setting.
	Chuwia - An hour by jeep along a track passing through one of the most characteristic landscapes of the island and an easy trek though a stretch of virgin forest take you to one of Chole Bay's most inaccessible beaches. You will be able to admire wildlife and vegetation untouched by human settlement and cultivation.
	Juani - Blue Lagoon - The southern point of Juani is bisected by a long channel linking the huge inland bay with the open sea. At the end of the channel is an enormous natural swimming pool whose level varies according to the tides.
	Villages - Guided excursions are also arranged to the islands and village communities of Chole and Jibondo. The boat building on both these islands is justly famous throughout East Africa. All traditional methods are used, with hand tools and hand-forged nails to create the jahazis, dhows, mashuas and ngalawas you will see in Mafia. Ropes are hand-woven from coir (coconut fibre) and sails sewn from rough cotton sheeting (madrouf).

Fauna & Flora
The archipelago's wildlife is extremely varied: monkeys, small antelopes, wild pigs, lemurs, as well as a small colony of dwarf hippopotamuses. There are countless types of birds undergoing significant seasonal variations according to the passing migrants. Falcons and fish eagles build their nests on both the small and larger islands.