MAFIA ISLAND ARCHIPELAGO
Discover the best Yacht & Boat Charters to Mafia Island, Tanzania. Comprised of over a dozen islands it is home to Whale Sharks and some of the richest most important coral reef systems on the world. The Mafia Island Marine Park supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature, forms part of the coral reef protecting the coast of Tanzania. More than half the Mafia islands group and coastline is within the Mafia Island Marine Park, so a marine life extravaganza awaits.
Comprised of a number of islands and uninhabited coral atolls, Mafia Island is a spectacularly diverse natural environment. It offers a unique mix of Africa within a tropical setting. Its is wonderful and unique yacht charter destination.
Large palm groves, mango & cashew trees dominate the island while impressive baobab trees are dotted amongst typical African savannah grassland. Monkeys, small antelopes, wild pigs, lemurs and dwarf hippos run wild while falcons, fish eagles, Comoro bats 'flying foxe's, giant turtles and of course, Whale Sharks, also make it their home.
Mafia Island is little changed from ancient times. It retains a traditional, unspoilt non-commercialised friendly culture, where local people go about their business as artisans, farmers, fishermen and sailors.
As with all the islands that fringe the East Coast of Africa, Its history is deeply rooted within the empires of the ancient. Creeper-clad ruins inhabit the forest on the tiny offshore island of Chole Mjini, once one of the most important ancient trading towns on Africa's East Coast.
For centuries, silver from the mines of Zimbabwe was the highest quality in the world and from Mafia, huge dhows sailed the monsoon winds across the Indian Ocean delivering this silver for the smelting of the finest swords throughout the Indian and Ottoman empires.
A Mafia Island yacht charter will be a very rewarding and enthralling experience. This is not a glitz and glamour yacht destination. Mafia Island is a cultural, historical and wildlife experience just waiting for your discovery.
Mafia Island Charters
Minimum of 5 to 7 nights needed for a charter to Mafia Island
It is 120 N miles, one way from Zanzibar to Mafia, so a charter to Mafia needs to be a minimum of 5 to 7 night.
There are several way to do it.
1. Board your yacht in Zanzibar
Board yacht in Zanzibar and sail down to Mafia. This is a minimum of 24 hours of sailing.
Once you arrive spend the remaining days exploring the area.
The return leg is 24 hour sail back to Zanzbar.
Charters will be charged from a start / end point in Zanzibar.
2. Fly to and from Mafia and meet your yacht there.
You can fly from Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam to Mafia. This avoids you having to spend 24 hours sailing there and again on the return leg. We recommend flying in the day before charter starts and spending 1 night on Mafia before boarding the yacht the next day.
The charter will start in Mafia, however there will be delivery costs to move the yacht down to Mafia to meet you.
At the end ofcharter you can fly out of Mafia. Again in this case there will be delivery costs to return the yacht to Zanzibar without you.
Or you can either sail back to Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam on the yacht as part of your charter days.
We are happy to discuss all these options with you to find the best solution as it all depends on how much time you have.
The sail down to Mafia from Zanzibar can also go via Latham island, but for the most part the sail down is open water sailing to get to Mafia as soon as possible.
BEST TIME TO GO
Mafia Archipelago
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The best times to cruise Mafia is March through to July & Oct through to mid Dec.
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Aug, Sept, late Dec, Jan and Feb the wind can blow, but if guests can handle this, then its fine.
HOW TO GET THERE
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International Flight direct to Stone Town (Zanzibar Island)
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Meet and greet at the airport
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Road Transfer to your hotel or resort if you have pre-charter nights booked, or directly to Nungwi or to Stone Town beach front to meet crew and transfer by dingy to yacht
MAFIA ISLAND YACHTS
We have a range of yachts and boats you can charter to explore Mafia Island. From luxury power yachts to catamarans. Whichever your preferred boat type, a yacht charter to Mafia, will be a unique experience. So contact us for some ideas and quotes for your next yachting adventure.
MAFIA ISLAND CREWED YACHT CHARTERS
A crewed yacht charter is where you charter a boat or yacht with a fully a captain, chef and crew. They take care of all sailing, navigation, cooking, cleaning and are experts in the Mafia region, where you will be chartering. All your needs are taken care of so all you need to do it sit back, relax and enjoy.
MAFIA CRUISE AREAS
Comprised of a number of islands and uninhabited coral atolls, Mafia is a spectacularly diverse natural environment that offers a unique mix of Africa within a tropical setting.
The main island of Mafia is surrounded by numerous other smaller islands such as Chole, Jibondo, Juani, Bwejuu, Nyororo, Thanda, Okuza, Songo Songo and Fanjove Island as well as numerous reefs and sandbanks.
The Mafia Island Marine Park is home to whale sharks, turtles and a hugely rich coral reefs. The area hosts an outstanding mosaic of tropical marine habitats including coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves and inter-tidal flats. The area has been recognized internationally as a critical site for biodiversity.
You can explore the map at the bottom of the page to get a sense of the area.
THINGS TO DO IN MAFIA ISLAND
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Apart from the marine life, beaches and water sports to be enjoyed at Mafia, there is alot to see and do on the island its-self.
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Our Mafia yacht charters include a range of on-board water sport activities, including snorkelling, fishing, kayaking and scuba diving.
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In these coral-rich waters of Mafia Island Marine Park you can swim with Whale Sharks, see hatching turtles, snorkel and dive.
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On the islands themselves, enjoy cultural village tours as well as visiting 13th century ruins. Explore African markets, see worlds largest bats, the Flying Fox, expore the islands on nature walks....there is alot to see and do on a Mafia Island Yacht Charter.
MAFIA ISLAND FISHING
We offer live-aboard fishing charters to Mafia Island. The best time for fishing is October to March.
Mafia Island Fishing
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The Fishing Seasons take place with the Tuna season running from August to October.
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Large Tuna can reach up to 100 kg’s, with many schools of 50 kg Tuna still migrating through our waters.
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The Tuna are followed by the big Marlin. Large Black and Blue Marlin are caught in September till December whilst our main Striped Marlin season runs from December through to March.
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Furthermore, our Billfish season for Marlin and Sailfish runs from November till March.
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Of course, in between, the Game Fish are always there.
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Additionally, September produces some fantastic Wahoo fishing as well as February and March.
MAFIA ISLAND RESORTS
Combining the luxury island resorts on Mafia Island Archipelago with a safari or a yacht charter is dead easy.
There is an amazing selection to choose, from luxury private island resorts to rustic tree house lodges.
We offer packages that combine our yachts with Mafia Island resorts and lodges on Mafia. So speak to us about the options.
We offer a door to door service. We meet our guests straight off the beach at your Mafia resort or lodge. Its a real adventure!
You can be at a Mafia Island resort in the morning and on a luxury yacht in the afternoon!
MAFIA ISLAND HOTELS
Mafia Island Archipelago
Pole Pole Beach Lodge
7 Nights / 8 Days
From
$1869
Per Person Sharing
Mafia Island Archipelago
Fanjove Private Island Resort
7 Nights / 8 Days
From
$3446
Per Person Sharing
Mafia Island Archipelago
Butiama Beach Resort
7 Nights / 8 Days
From
$1411
Per Person Sharing
African Safaris
Combining Mafia Island with a safari is dead easy.
EAST AFRICA SAFARIS
We highly recommend combining Mafia Island Archipelago with an East Africa safari because there are daily flights direct between Mafia and all the major safari destinations in East Africa, its very easy!
The choice of East Africa safari camps and safari lodges are huge and the option you go for will depend on what sort of experiences you are looking for and your budget, as prices vary greatly.
You can be on safari in the morning and on a luxury yacht or island resort in the afternoon!
SOUTHERN AFRICA & SOUTH AFRICA
Its also very easy to combine Mafia Island with other Southern African destinations, because there are also daily flights to Mafia via JHB which is one of the main air hubs connecting most of the major safari destinations in Southern Africa.
