Mafia Island Wildlife The sea around Mafia Island hosts an outstanding mosaic of tropical marine habitat including coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves, inter-tidal flats reef flats, lagoons and coastal forest. These are nesting sites for Green and Hawksbill turtles while Leatherback, Olive Ridlely and Loggerhead also occur in Mafia. Sharks, barracuda, grouper, needlefish, moray eels and triggerfish are also prominent in these waters. Also Torpedo-shaped and robust yellow-fin tuna, cobia manta rays and sting rays, swordfish, black marlins and wahoo are Mafia Island wildlife seen in the Marine Park. Getting to Mafia Island There are quite a number of scheduled flights flying into and out of Mafia every day. Coastal Aviation, Flight link and Auric Air. The flight by plane takes only 45 minutes from Dar es Salaam and 1 hour from Zanzibar or the Selous. When To Go Generally Mafia is accessible all year round. Mafia
88 I Dar Life I November 2017
has very good weather throughout the year. Virtually straddling the equator means that the island never gets cold and so the only thing to avoid is the rain. The best time to visit is on dry season: June-August. The wet season is November-March as well as December- February. Accommodation Mafia is a great destination for the adventurous traveler who wants an active holiday. There are some luxuries lodges in Mafia Island such as Butiama Beach is situated on the west coast of Mafia Island, close to the main town of Kilindoni and outside of the Marine Park boundaries. There is a casual and relaxed atmosphere catering to couples, friends or families. With only 13 bungalows and a maximum occupancy of 32 people, it is the perfect beachfront retreat to relax and unwind. For booking & reservation please call: +255 784 575 720. • Mafia Island Lodge stands amidst tall palms on a sandy beach in Chole Bay, in the heart of the marine park near Utende village on South coast of Mafia with 14 Superior rooms, 18 Standard rooms and 2 Family rooms are set among the coconut palms with their own veranda overlooking the bay. For booking & reservation please call: +255 782 791 456. Mafia Island is ideal for nature lovers as well and can be a real paradise for tourists, a wonderful destination to round off a wilderness safari or simply put your feet up and unwind! It is a unique and perfect destination as part of a safari package or simply a place to relax and get away from the daily, modern and busy world.
Picture Courtesy by Butiama Beach Lodge, Mafia Island Lodge and www.mafia.com
Bird watching in Mafia Island Bird watching in Mafia adds a very interesting dimension to a Tanzania wildlife safari, as the visitor will see many species of shorebird, including migrants such as the Crab Plover, and other species found in coastal thickets and mangroves that cannot be observed in the National Parks and Reserves. The visitor will see many spectacular rollers (Lilacbreasted) and bee-eaters (White-cheeked) between Kilindoni and Kinasi, and there are five species of sunbird in the Kinasi gardens. The black or white Dimorphic Heron is the common species at roosts in Chole Bay. The Kinasi Nature Trail has been designed with bird-watching very much in mind.