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Mafia Island is a popular destination for
visitors to relax after their safari and the island’s
relaxed and secluded beaches offer privacy and comfort for discerning
travellers. Mafia’s incredible and unspoilt dive sites
have remained a well-kept secret of diving aficionados and beach
recluses for years, but now the island is fast becoming a preferred
destination.
For centuries, the island was a trading
stop for Shirazi merchants travelling up towards Persia
and under the rule of the Omani sultanate in Zanzibar, vast coconut
and cashew plantations flourished. Today, all that remain of the
island’s prestigious past are the coral ruins on Chole
Mjini, the small island just off Hore from Mafia where
the Arab landowners lived a sumptuous life removed from their plantations
and slaves. Mafia Island is a true remnant of the old Swahili
coast, a place unspoilt, unaffected by commercialism and
timeless. Local people go about their traditional activities seemingly
detached from the outside world.The main activity is fishing
which is combined with the cultivation of staple foods
and weaving of mats and baskets.
These days, Mafia’s remote location means
it receives only the most selective visitors, but things are changing.
The recent gazetting of Mafia Island Marine Park –
the largest protected area in the Indian Ocean
– to include surrounding villages in its conservation efforts
means that the millions of fish and coral species that thrive in
the warm waters of Mafia’s beaches will survive for decades
to come.
THE MARINE PARK
The Mafia Archipelago and the delta of the Rufiji River form one
of the most
interesting marine eco-systems and coral reefs in the world! The
area has a high biodiversity and is considered
an important habitat for endangered species. There
are over 400 species of fish, on land the rich
vegetation is dominated by large palm groves, baobabs, mangroves
and fruit trees. The wildlife is extremely varied; monkeys,
small antelopes, wild pigs, bushbabies as well as a small colony
of dwarf hippos. There are also countless types of birds.
The warm, safe waters of the inland bays and lagoons are a paradise
for both expert and beginner scuba divers as well
as those simply wishing to snorkel. Mafia Island Marine Park was
established as the first Marine Park in Tanzania
and covers a surface of 821 km².
Mafia has a population of about 40,000.
It is approximately 30 miles off the Tanzanian coast, about 35 minutes
by air from Dar es Salaam. Across from island lies the Great
Rufiji River delta and the world famous Selous Game Reserve.
It’s a wonderful destination to round off a wilderness!
Hotels and Lodges on Mafia
Island
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