On your holiday safari to Mafia Island, there is a lot of tourism activities for you to undertake at Mafia island. Below are some suggested for you
Scuba Diving: Scuba diving is the most popular activity on Mafia. Nearly half of the coastline is protected under the auspices of the Mafia Island Marine Park and aquatic life abounds. Highlights include more than 460 species of tropical fish, five species of turtle, the elusive dugong and a profusion of hard and soft corals. From September to March, whale sharks arrive in Mafia’s waters on their annual migration and can often be seen feeding on plankton upwellings in large numbers. Responsible operators offer the chance to swim alongside the world’s largest fish.
Fishing & Other Watersports: Mafia’s rich marine life also attracts deep sea fishermen. Charter trips to the reefs, atolls and seamounts beyond the marine park provide the opportunity to catch a wide variety of species including sailfish, wahoo, tuna and giant trevallies. You can also enjoy any number of other watersports. Shallow reef sites are great for snorkeling, while the island’s tidal mangrove forests are best explored by sea kayak. Many of Mafia’s lodges and resorts also offer dhow cruises and tours to the archipelago’s uninhabited islands and sandbanks.
Wildlife Viewing: The Island’s verdant interior is home to a diverse array of habitats including tracts of coastal high forest and lowland rainforest. Explore these untamed wildernesses on foot and come face-to-face with indigenous monkeys, squirrels, flying foxes and lizards; not to mention over 120 bird species. Much of Mafia’s birdlife is found at the coast, foraging for food on the tidal flats. In September and August, humpback whales can be spotted on their migration past the island; while baby turtles hatch on Juani Island’s eastern beach between June and September.
Whale Sharks
At Mafia we proudly operate our own Whale Shark excursions for our guests, in order to ensure best practice protocols of sustainable swimming with whale sharks are followed with minimal impact on their behavior.
This is not always easy with excited visitors experiencing this amazing adventure for the first time and boat captains who wish to please them. In the past this has led to situations with too many swimmers in the water at the same time (especially when few sharks are around and there are several boat-loads of people from different operators in the water).
Witness hatching turtles: Juani Island, just off the coast of Mafia, is a truly special place to see tiny green and hawksbill turtles dash for the sea. Environmentally sensitive tours can be arranged between June and September, run by an enthusiastic NGO that’s playing a significant role in local turtle conservation.
Historic Ruins & Culture Tours: Evidence of Mafia’s trading past can be found in ruined settlements across the archipelago. On Juani Island, Kua Ruins was once a thriving medieval trading post, with Swahili residences, mosques and a sultan’s palace. Now, many of the ruins are overrun by fig roots, giving you the sense of having stumbled upon a lost civilization. Chole Island also has Arabic ruins that date back to the 12th century and German ruins left over from colonial occupation during the First World War. Combine trips to Chole’s ruins with a visit to the island’s contemporary boat-building communities. Mafia Island is home to 17,000 inhabitants across ten villages, who rely on the marine life for income. Therefore, the park is classified as a multi-use area, so that local communities are encouraged to adopt sustainable practices, resources and conservation.
Fishing: The Mafia region is also renowned for deep-sea fishing, as large populations of tuna, sailfish, marlin and other big game fish can be found in Mafia’s waters. The best times for a fishing trip are between September and March. Also, night and day-time bottom fishing trips can be arranged as well as trips accompanying local fishermen on their boats. All fishing is based upon catch-and-release with one fish allowed for the table.