Covering an area of nearly 822 sq km , Mafia Island Marine Park is renowned as an excellent world-class diving destination with some of the richest reefs in the world. The park is the largest marine protected area in the Indian Ocean. The ecosystem contains a unique complex of estuarine, mangrove, coral reef and marine channel.
Indian Ocean lies to the east of Mafia Island. The Island and the chain of small islets are placed approximately 120km South of Dar es Salaam. Mafia,s main island is 48 km long and 17km wide.
The marine park at Mafia hosts an outstanding mosaic of tropical marine habitats including coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves and inter-tidal flats. The lush vegetation and wildlife, with coconut cashews, mangos, palms, baobabs, and papaya trees enhance the beauty of the interior part of the park. The marine water is home to almost 400 different fish species. There are also about 10 villages within the park’s boundaries with an estimated 15,000 to 17,000 inhabitants, all of whom depend on its natural resources for their livelihoods.
Mafia’s beach is the nesting ground for especially two types of the sea turtle. So the area has been recognized internationally as a critical site for biodiversity.
Compared to Zanzibar, Mafia Island Marine Park is relatively little known – yet if you are seeking an undisturbed beach holiday, they are well worth considering.
Our guides, our accommodations and our tour not only lived up to our expectations, they exceeded them. We were a group of six. We were met at the Nairobi airport by Mark, who drove us to our hotel (Eka). In the brief time we had with him, we thought Mark was great. Read More...
Everything was very well arranged. Except for our first gate entry which took more than 1 hour everything else was perfectly planned and done. Excellent professional and polite service through out our stay. Read More...
It is always a little intimidating traveling overseas and there were some minor hiccups in communication, however, the situation was dealt with promptly and professionally. The trip was organized to our specifications with much appreciated recommendations to improve our visit. Read More...
Masaki Chole Road, Plot No. 38
P.O. Box 24449 Dar Es Salaam
Jandu Street, Uzunguni, Arusha
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