Tanzania

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Mafia Island

Tanzania's quiet dive island

Visa & entry checker Plan a trip to Mafia Island Plan a trip around Tanzania

Best time to visit: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
Currency: TZS
Time zone: UTC+3
Country: Tanzania

Photo: Gill Penney, CC BY 2.0

Mafia Island is a laid-back island off the Tanzanian coast with white-sand beaches, coral reefs and very few tourists. People come for scuba diving, snorkelling, whale sharks and simple island life.

Largest cities

Dar es Salaam
Dodoma
Mwanza
Arusha
Mbeya

Quick facts

Figures are rounded recent official estimates.

Country: Tanzania
Capital: Dodoma
Island population: 40,801
Population of Tanzania: 57.3M
Country area: 947,303 km²
Official language: Swahili and English
Currency: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) · 1 USD ≈ 2,635 TZS
Time zone: UTC+3
Calling code: +255
Drives on the: Left
Elevation: 19 m
Plugs: D / G · 230V
Emergency numbers: 112 · 114 · 115
Best time to visit: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct

Temperatures through the year

Average daily high and low for each month in °C. Months marked with a drop are often rainy.

Temperatures through the year

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High	30°	31°	30°	28°	28°	27°	27°	27°	28°	29°	30°	30°
Low	26°	27°	26°	25°	25°	24°	24°	23°	24°	24°	25°	26°

Best time to visitOther months

Approximate daily cost

Per adult per day: food, local transport and half a double room, without activities or flights.

ConservativeSimple stays, free and low-cost sights first.$35
HighComfortable hotels, a balanced mix of sights and trips.$100
LuxuryLuxury hotels, more paid experiences and day trips.$235

Plan a trip to Mafia Island

Top things to do

≈ $70
Diving in Chole Bay
Dive the protected reefs of the marine park with one of the Utende dive centres, with trips run from traditional dhows and sites chosen by the tide.
- Half day
- Utende and Chole Bay
≈ $35
Snorkelling the reefs and sandbanks
Shallow coral gardens and sandbars around Chole Bay suit beginners and children; check tide times before booking.
- Half day
- Utende and Chole Bay
- Good for kids
≈ $45
Sea turtle hatchling walk on Juani
From June to August a 45-minute rocky hike across Juani Island ends at hatchlings running to the sea; wear closed shoes.
- Half day
- Juani Island
- Good for kids
≈ $20
Jibondo fishing village
A 30-minute boat ride reaches Mafia's best-known fishing and boat-building village, built on coral rock with no crops and little fresh water.
- Half day
- Jibondo Island
- Good for kids
≈ $25
Ras Kisimani ruins
Walk the palm-fringed western cape where a 12th-century trading town has been drowned by the sea; potsherds and coins still wash up on the beach.
- Half day
- Kilindoni
≈ $15
Ras Mkumbi lighthouse and baobabs
The island's northern tip has a lighthouse, tall baobabs and views over the Mlola Forest, home to Sykes monkeys.
- Half day
- Bweni and Ras Mkumbi
- Good for kids
≈ $60
Bwejuu Island day trip
A full-day boat trip from Kilindoni to a palm-covered island of sandbars and snorkelling reefs between Ras Kisimani and the Rufiji Delta.
- Full day
- Kilindoni
- Good for kids
≈ $40
North Mafia beaches and mangrove walk
Spend a day on the 3 km of quiet beach at Bweni with a mangrove or Chole Island walk; the north feels completely separate from the rest of the island.
- Full day
- Bweni and Ras Mkumbi
- Good for kids
Free
Kilindoni market and main street
Wander the market and main street in the island's main town at dusk, meeting locals and finding simple bars and food stalls.
- Half day
- Kilindoni
- Good for kids
- Good in the evening
≈ $30
Sunset dhow sail
Join a wooden dhow as it sails across Chole Bay in the late afternoon, with views over the bay and the Rufiji Delta beyond.
- Half day
- Utende and Chole Bay
- Good for kids
- Good in the evening

Before you go

Entry and visas

Most visitors need a visa for Tanzania. You can apply for an e-visa before you travel, or get a single-entry tourist or business visa on arrival at the main ports of entry if you meet all immigration requirements; multiple-entry visas are not available on arrival. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months after arrival and have at least one blank page, and you may need to show a return or onward ticket. All visitors except residents must have mandatory Tanzanian government inbound travel insurance, bought online or on arrival: if Zanzibar is your first port of entry, buy it from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC); if mainland Tanzania is first, buy it from the National Insurance Corporation (NIC). You must also have a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are arriving from a country with a transmission risk, and you will pass through mpox screening (temperature checks) at all points of entry. Rules vary by nationality, so check the official Tanzanian Immigration Department page before booking.

Official website

From the airport

Mafia Airport at Kilindoni is reached by 30-minute flights from Dar es Salaam with Coastal Aviation or Tropical Air. A slower option is the boat from Nyamisati on the mainland to Kilindoni, about 4.5 hours.

Getting around

There are no tarmac roads and few vehicles; walk or cycle in Kilindoni, hire a Land Rover with driver, or take a dhow boat between beaches and islets.

Local tips

There are no ATMs on the island, so bring enough cash; up-market lodges accept credit cards.
Dress modestly in villages and on Chole and Jibondo islands; beachwear is for the beach and resorts.
The long rains fall from March to May, and the dry, cooler season from July to October is the most comfortable.
Bring reef-safe sunscreen, mosquito repellent and closed shoes for rocky walks; medical facilities are basic.

Areas worth knowing

Bweni and Ras Mkumbi
Juani Island
Utende and Chole Bay
Jibondo Island
Kilindoni

Official travel advice

The UK Foreign Office last updated its advice for this country on October 9, 2026. The advice includes warnings against travel to some areas. Read it before booking.

Read the advice on GOV.UK