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Mafia Island and Chole Bay

Tide-led coral diving, village islands and seasonal whale sharks

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Destination Guide Sources For Mafia Island and Chole Bay

Reference links used to build and maintain this guide.

42 sources • Updated Oct 29, 2026

Written by DiveJourney. Built from public sources and local operator knowledge. Last updated Oct 29, 2026.

Marine Parks and Reserves Tanzania, 2026 Mafia Island Marine Park profile - Government marine-park institutional summary: 822 square kilometres, habitats, zoning, communities, conservation.
Marine Parks and Reserves Tanzania, Mafia Island brochure - Government brochure identifies approved tourism themes and MPRU contact.
Marine Parks and Reserves Tanzania, visitor payment portal - Authority reservation and payment system; currently login-gated, so no live tariff is independently visible.
Tanzania Tourism Board, 2026 Mafia Island marine familiarization visit - Government tourism site independently corroborates air access and whale-shark/reef activity in October 2026.
Big Blu, Utende dive-center details - Operator primary description of Utende location, day boats, gear rental, park gate.
Big Blu, fun diving and tide scheduling - Operator says double-tank trips and shifting daily departures depend on tides; bring certification and insurance.
Big Blu, official 2026-2027 dive rates - Operator rate sheet valid 15 Jun 2026 through 31 Mar 2027, including non-resident park fee table.
Big Blu, official 2026-2027 excursion rates - Operator rates and seasonal whale-shark, turtle and humpback dates; availability and conditions explicitly caveated.
Big Blu, current contact page - Operator-published phone numbers for booking and emergency plan verification, not a 24-hour emergency service.
Mafia Island Diving, scuba options and seasons - Shore muck, year-round Chole Bay reef boats, advanced-only outer reefs October to March.
Mafia Island Diving, about the center - Local company, training, conservation, excursions and claimed group-size policies.
Kinasi Lodge / Blue World, named Chole Bay dive sites - Primary local site descriptions of Kinasi Wall, Chole Wall, Coral Gardens, Kinasi Pass, Milimani and Msumbiji.
Kinasi Lodge, water activities - Operator separates reef snorkeling, seasonal west-coast whale shark trips and kayaking.
Kinasi Lodge, boating and beach excursions - Operator supports Marimbani, Miewe and Kua-channel boat trips; routes tide-dependent.
Butiama Mafia Island, activities - Local operator details tide-dependent Chole Bay snorkel, guided Chole walk and Juani Kua ruins.
Chole Mjini Lodge, planning FAQs - Primary Chole island transfer, Utende boats, park payments, nesting and lodge annual closure notes.
Pole Pole Bungalows, traveler FAQ - Local lodge marine-park quoted fee, resort facilities, seasonal access and mandatory 2026 insurance guidance.
Sea Sense, sea turtle ecotourism - Conservation charity describes community-led monitoring and guided turtle nest/hatching visits and revenue sharing.
Sea Sense, green turtle reproductive monitoring - Conservation charity describes peak April-May nesting monitoring at Juani.
Sea Sense, whale shark conservation - Conservation NGO on seasonal west-coast surface encounters, boat impacts and briefing code.
Marine Megafauna Foundation, 2025 Mafia season report (published May 2026) - Field research, non-guaranteed sightings, 2025 visitor survey and crowding/10-snorkeler code.
Marine Megafauna Foundation, Tanzania whale shark project - Longitudinal research indicates deeper/offshore residency outside popular surface-viewing season.
Tanzania Immigration Services, official visa guidelines - Nationality-specific visa rules, official online portal, US passport multiple-entry rule.
National Insurance Corporation, inbound insurance FAQs - October 2026 mainland arrival insurance policy: equivalent USD 44, 92 days, stated exemptions.
National Insurance Corporation, October 2026 implementation notice - Government-designated insurer confirms mainland implementation from 1 October 2026.
Zanzibar Insurance Corporation, 7 October 2026 notice - Official first-point-of-entry distinction and cross-jurisdiction recognition, subject to exemptions.
Coastal Aviation, Mafia Island route - Airline advertises daily Dar es Salaam-Mafia flights; actual booking schedule must be reconfirmed.
Auric Air, Mafia Island service - Airline lists daily Mafia Island flights via Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Coastal Aviation, luggage policy - Current 15 kg including cabin baggage; soft bags strongly recommended.
Auric Air, terms and conditions - Airline states 20 kg combined passenger baggage allowance and operational discretion.
US CDC, Tanzania including Zanzibar travel health - Yellow-fever entry guidance, malaria risk, water precautions and recommended pretravel consultation.
US CDC Yellow Book, diving and air travel - No-fly intervals and diving-related evacuation precautions.
Divers Alert Network, emergency assistance - 24-hour DAN diver medical advisory hotline; local first responders should be called first.
Divers Alert Network, flying after diving - At least 12 hours after a single no-deco dive, 18 hours after repetitive diving; longer is safer.
Tanzania Ministry of Health, Health Facility Registry - Official searchable register lists Mafia District Hospital as operating; capabilities not remotely assessed.
ZanAid Clinic, Zanzibar hyperbaric chamber - Provider confirms chamber/medical service and emphasizes clinician-guided referral and live availability check.
ZanAid Clinic, contact details - Clinical contact only, not an independently certified guaranteed evacuation route.
Electrical Safety First, Tanzania travel adapters - Independent electrical safety source for 230V, 50Hz and plug types D/G.
Dive Mafia Lodge, tax and marine-park fee disclosure - Local lodging provider applies 1 percent tourism development levy and quotes a daily marine-park amount.
Tanzania Revenue Authority clarification reported October 2025 - Clarifies tourism development levy basis for registered tourism accommodation.
Destination hero photo by Barlky (historical) - Afro whale shark safari mafia island. CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Cropped and resized for the cover. The adapted image is available under the same license.
Destination hero photo by Sebastian Pena Lambarri - Representative photo. Whale shark underwater, photographed in Maldives. Unsplash License (https://unsplash.com/license). Photographer: https://unsplash.com/@sebaspenalambarri. Cropped and resized for the cover.