Mafia or Zanzibar?? Help!

[qwimjim]

i am having a heck of time finding posts on any forum, here or otherwise where someone has compared the two. it's either someone has been to zanzibar, or a couple that have been to mafia, but it seems no one has been to both. we've got about 5 days at the end of october beginning of november.. i've read that mafia is like zanzibar was 30 years ago, quiet, no touts, etc.. and much much better diving with tons of sea life and it's possible to snorkel with whale sharks.

in zanzibar we'd go to nungwi or kendwa.. but i've read the diving is decent but nothing to write home about. price wise it's all very similar, in mafia we'd stay at big blu which is $105/night including breakfast and 2 tank dive. if anyone can help, i just want to know if the diving on mafia is -that- much better than zanzibar, if our chances will be excellent to see whale sharks the time of year we're going (big motivation for going) or simply "we might get lucky", and that the beaches are as beautiful as the ones at the northern tip of zanzibar?

if you've been, please share!

 

[qwimjim]

No one?

 

[Seasidegirl77]

Hi qwimjim,

I have been! I have dived and traveled in this region on two trips.
1.I would be surprised if the price you quote for Mafia is the price for a room and diving.
2.Secondly the beaches at Kendwa are better than Nungwi. The beach at Chole bay is ok.
3. Thirdly, as to the diving at Mafia inside Chole Bay is poor compared to Kendwa and Mnemba Atoll but the best sites are definitely from Pemba island (I have been two Pemba for two long LOVELY dive trips!). But Kinasi Lodge do dive the outer reefs at Mafia.
4. Whale sharks should be just arriving on Mafia island at the end of October. It is a snorkeling trip though and not a scuba diving one.
I hope all of this goes some way to helping?
My trips were all organised through Indigo Safaris who I recommend - see: Indigo Safaris - Tanzania, Pemba, Zanzibar, and Mafia for the information about the personalised trips they organise to this region.
Enjoy!

 

[pilz]

Hi,

I've been to Znz and Mafia as well! Although it has been a few years ago, I still can remember I enjoyed Mafia much more than Znz. I have only been to Stonetown, but obviously the other beaches and place in Znz are worth a visit. In Stonetown I can only remember 'average' diving with good corals, shallow sites and not much big stuff. Pemba, as I've heart, is excellent diving as well.
We dived with Mario from Big Blu. Though he isn't the most enthusiastic instructor around, the equipment and staff were very good. The dive sites we've visited were excellent, and outside the bay even better. Good pinnacles, lots of big stuff just outside Chole Bay. Big Blu has a few bandas which are much cheaper to stay compared to the neighboring resorts.
And probably best of all, we've snorkelled with whale sharks around Kilidoni in very shallow water. Easy to jump in as much as 10 times per trip, one of the best experiences of my life.

Although I enjoyed Stonetown (especially when living 6 months in Dar...), Mafia feels very "remote" and when I was there (in November if I'm not mistaken) there were not many tourists.