Mafia is a marine park with a handful of hotels, not a resort island. Between October and March whale sharks feed in the channel and can be swum with under permit, on snorkel, without a cage or a crowd.
$250 deposit holds your seat · Twin-share · single supplement $420
Airport pickup and a night near the coast road.
A thirty-minute light aircraft hop, then to a lodge on Chole Bay.
An early boat into the channel with a licensed guide and a park permit. Snorkel only, no scuba, no touching.
Two dives or a full snorkelling day on the Chole Bay reefs.
The ruins on Chole, the baobab forest, and the tidal pools at Juani.
Nothing scheduled. A second whale shark attempt if the first was quiet.
Light aircraft to Dar and the connection to your flight.
City hotel · Dar es Salaam
Beach lodge · Mafia Island
No. October to March they are reliable, and two boat mornings gives you a strong chance. Nobody can promise a wild animal.
No. Park rules are snorkel only, which is also better for the animal.
Not at all. A few small lodges, no nightlife, and reef that has not been trampled.
Migration timing, off-season finds, and dispatches from our guides. About one note a month.
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Tanzania · visits by appointment
