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Mafia
Island
Located
120kms south of Dar es Salaam. Mafia is an unspoiled,
uncommercial, timeless island, where local people go about their
traditional businesses apparently completely detached from the
outside world. Just a short twenty-minute flight from Dar es
Salaam, across the great Rufiji River delta, Mafia is large and
flat, with a sandy landscape that is more similar in character
to the mainland than to the coral rag of Zanzibar or the hilly
fertility of Pemba.
The major tourist activities are scuba diving, big game fishing,
snorkeling, beach and offshore excursions. Mafia is a paradise
for fishermen, divers and watersport lovers.The
water is beautifully transparent
on Mafia Island, and the variety of the coral permits an
unimaginable quantity of fishes. The waters are unsurpassed in
beauty, and there are fantastic views of the unspoiled coral
reef. With its fine sandy beaches, swaying palms and lush
vegetation, Mafia is the ideal spot to relax and unwind after a
great African safari. Chole Bay and its surrounding forests and
islands are now within the protected Mafia Island Marine Park,
supported with assistance from the World Wide Fund for Nature.
The reefs offer a range of corals and fish like no other in the
Indian Ocean, and diving and snorkeling sites are just a short
boat ride away. Isolated islets and beaches, lagoons, coves and
channels provide many private swimming and picnicking hideaways.
Chole Bay is perfect for windsurfing and laser sailing.
Bird-watching is excellent and very different to the mainland
parks that guests may have visited. The tidal flats and
mangroves are always alive with coastal and sea birds and there
are many colourful woodland and forest species. There are also
roosts of the unusual and fascinating giant Madagascan fruit bat
to see on nearby Chole Island.
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