Description: Secluded and seductive Mafia – a green wedge of land surrounded by turquoise waters, pristine islets and glinting white sandbanks – remained off the beaten track for years, undiscovered by all except deep-sea fishing aficionados and a trickle of visitors. That’s changing fast – the island’s tourist accommodation has grown from one hotel to over half a dozen in just a few years. For now, though, Mafia remains free of the mass tourism that threatens to overwhelm Zanzibar.
Among Mafia’s attractions are its tranquil pace, stuning underwater life, upmarket lodges, a strong traditional culture and a long and fascinating history. Whale sharks visit mafia between November and February.
Accommodations
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Kinasi Lodge
La Lua Cheia Castaway Beach Camp
Ras Mbisi
Shamba Kilole Eco-Lodge
“Outstanding. We have recommended you to all of our traveler friends. We cannot recommend Access 2 Tanzania highly enough. They were referred to us by a friend and we were immediately attracted by the nonprofit component of the company that supports education for Tanzanian children in need. Casey helped us over several phone sessions and email exchanges to put together the perfect trip for our needs. Our guide, Joachim, was a wonderful companion and friend throughout our 12 day safari. He ensured that we saw everything that we could possibly have seen far beyond our best expectations, including lions, cheetahs, and leopards with cubs and with kills, tons of elephants, giraffe, zebras, hippos, antelopes of various kinds, and every other imaginable animal. We were able to witness the migration of the wildebeasts across the Mara River from Kenya and on throughout the Serengeti in their long lines, stretching from one horizon to the other. He was also extremely helpful in aiding us in finding and identifying the many, many birds of Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and Serengeti, which was of particular interest to us. A2T provided us with an amazing experience and we would definitely use them again and highly recommend them to others.”