Mafia Island

A 20 minute flight south of Dar es Salaam, Mafia Island was Tanzania’s first Marine Park.  It is one of the most exciting diving and fishing areas in the world and is home to some four hundred species of fish and five species of turtle. Sports fisherman flock here for the superb catches, many of them great fighters, which include barracuda, marlin, sailfish and tuna. The main season is from September to March although fishing is possible all year round within the reef and channel Divers will see a veritable kaleidoscope of reef dwellers among the fifty types of coral. These include butterfly fish, clown fish,  lion fish and rainbow fish while, in deeper waters, they will come across groupers, rays and sharks. The rare dugong breeds in  the Mafia Channel while the green and hawksbill turtle nest on the smaller islands

It lies off Rufiji river delta, about 120 km south of Dar es Salaam. It's also 160 km south of Zanzibar and the same distance east of the Selous Game Reserve. It is reached in 45 minutes from Dar by light air craft, 1 hour from Selous or Zanzibar by same light aircraft. There is no regular boat or ferry services, the name Mafia derive from the Ma-fir, a tribe from ancient Yemen who dominated the coast around 1000bc.

The Island was an important trading post from 11 th to 13 th centuries, today the Island is known as a resort Island for deep-sea fishing and scuba diving with 40,000 inhabitants. Island is simply largest of an Island archipelago ringed by pristine coral reefs, it's so rich in marine life. Mafia Island Marine Park declared in 1995 covers the southern trip of the Island; the park covers an area of 822 sq km and host to over 380 species of fish.