4 DAYS MAFIA ISLAND BEACH RELAXATION AND EXPLORATION IN ZANZIBAR SAFARI

4days to Mafia Island

4days zanzibar safari

Tanzania holiday safari

holiday safari to zanzibar

The overview

This four-day Mafia Island adventure is ideal for people looking for a relaxing beach holiday or honeymoon. Swimming with beautiful whale sharks is one of the nicest experiences Mafia Island has to offer. Expecting to see Whale Sharks, the largest fish in the water, with the largest reported at 12.8m in length. This tour will focus on whale shark swimming and other activities available on Mafia Island

4 days mafia island beach safari highlights

  • Shark swimming and viewing
  • Bird watching
  • Relaxation at the beach
  • Wildlife viewing
  • Cultural exploration of Mafia
  • Water sports
  • Snorkeling

The detailed 4 days mafia island beach relaxation Safari

Day 1: Transfer from Dar es Salaam to Mafia Island for shark swimming

After breakfast at your Dar es Salaam hotel, you will board a local flight to Mafia Island. The guide will transfer you to check in the resort before depart the for a tour to see the Whale shark!. When conditions are good, these magnificent giants can be found in the shallow waters off the island’s west shore. From October to March, the season lasts about six months. They can be found a few hundred meters offshore, close to Kilindoni Harbour. A short boat ride to the west will take you to a shark feeding area.

The boat can cruise silently among them, and you may dive and snorkel to get a closer look at these peaceful, magnificent animals. The sharks stay in a well-defined region and follow a pattern.

Whale sharks are interesting creatures that may live for more than 100 years, grow to be 20 meters long, and weigh 15 tons, but they are perfectly harmless and feed on vast amounts of plankton sucked up while swimming. Swimming with whale sharks does not require any prior knowledge. Snorkeling makes swimming and diving much easier.

The rest of the day will be spent at Sand Bank and relaxing on the beach before returning to the lodge for dinner and overnight.

Meal plan: All meals are included

Day 2: Snorkeling, Blue Lagoon exploration and bird watching

After a leisurely breakfast, you will depart the lodge for the greatest reefs in Chole Bay to snorkel with the abundant marine life, which includes octopus, moray eels, turtles, and seahorses.

After some fantastic snorkeling, you will be driven to one of the Mafia Islands’ best kept secrets, the gorgeous lagoon. You’ll take a boat into the mangroves, where the water turns an unbelievable shade of blue. A short walk around the island will lead you to a hidden lagoon inhabited by upside-down jellyfish. It truly has to be seen to be believed.

The rest of the day will be spent bird watching and relaxing. Mafia Island is a haven for a wide range of tropical birds, and birdwatchers may expect to observe around 120 distinct species here.

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, common Ostrich, African pygmy goose, Helmeted Guinea fowl, White-backed Duck, Laughing Dove, and African Green Pigeon are among the bird species found on Mafia Island.

You have dinner and spend the night at the hotel.

Meal plan: All meals are included

Day 3: Full day exploration of the Mafia Island and beach relaxation, water sports involvement

After breakfast, you will go on a wildlife tour of Mafia Island. You will see antelopes, wild pigs, and even wild hippos enjoying the marsh in the heart of the island, as well as other primates such as adorable bush infants and vervet monkeys. Chole Island in Mafia is famous for its massive fruit bats, which are calm tropical bats that exclusively consume fruit.

Explore the cultural history of the Island antiquities dating back to the 11th century can be found in the Mafia Archipelago, including ruins at Kisimani Mafia, Kanga, Kua on Juani Island, and Chole Island. These include a stunning fifteenth-century barrel-vaulted mosque and numerous well-preserved buildings from the latter half of the eighteenth century that are remarkable for their construction methods and historical architecture.

You will relax at the beach after all these explorations, participating also in watersports. Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel.

Meal plan: All meals are included

Day 4: Final day at the Island and transfer back to Dar es Salaam

Have a leisurely breakfast and engage in other activities. Fishing (at an additional fee), snorkeling, and visiting nearby villages and beaches such as Miewe, Mvinje, and Mchangani are examples of such activities. Later at afternoon, you will be transferred to the Mafia Airstrip for your flight back to Dar Es Salaam, bringing your safari to a close.

Meal plan: Breakfast and Lunch

4 days mafia island beach relaxation Inclusions

  • Park entry fees (For non-residents)
  • All activities and other optional activities
  • All accommodation
  • A professional driver/guide
  • All transportation
  • All flights during the tour
  • All Taxes/VAT
  • Roundtrip airport transfer
  • Meals
  • Drinking water

Exclusions

  • International flights
  • Additional accommodation before and at the end of the tour
  • Tips
  • Personal items (Souvenirs, travel insurance, visa fees)
  • Government imposed increase of taxes and/or park fees

Brief information about Mafia Island

The Zanzibar Archipelago in Tanzania includes Mafia Island (Chole Shamba), Unguja, Pemba, and Latham Island. Situated in Tanzania’s Pwami region, the island spans 394 square kilometers, or 152 square miles. It makes up the majority of the Mafia district and is the third largest island in Tanzania’s ocean area. Mafia Island is a well-liked spot for travelers to decompress following a Tanzanian safari because of its quiet, unhurried beaches, which offer seclusion and comfort to discriminating guests.

Mafia’s amazing, pristine dive spots have long been kept a secret among beachcombers and scuba divers, but the island is fast gaining popularity as a beach vacation spot. Large-scale coconut and cashew plantations thrived under the authority of the Omani Sultanate in Zanzibar, and the island served as a trading hub for Shirazi merchants heading up to Persia for an extended period.

The coral ruins on Chole Mjini, a little island off the coast of the Mafia, are all that are left of the Island’s illustrious past today. After being robbed of their plantations and slaves, the Arab landowners there had opulent lives. The easiest way to get to Mafia Island is by flight, though it can also be accessed by boat