Butiama Beach Lodge
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Booking by Tour Leader Club
4 room types · Reefs of Chole Bay and Mafia Island Marine Park dive sites · house reef
Butiama Beach is a family-run lodge on the west coast of Mafia Island, next to the main town of Kilindoni and outside the marine park. It opened in 2010. Thirteen bungalows and a maximum of thirty-two guests — it never feels crowded.
It is run by Maura and Moez: she came from Italy in 1999 to manage one of the island’s lodges, he was born on Mafia. A South African partner joined them in 2004, and Butiama Beach opened in 2010.
The bungalows are furnished with hand-crafted pieces made from the hardwood of retired sailing dhows and dressed with kikois, the woven cotton wraps of the coast. Every veranda has a hammock, and the beach starts right behind it.
Whale shark trips leave from this beach — the lodge sits on the right side of the island, on the channel between Mafia and the mainland where the sharks come from November to March. Diving is run by the sister centre Big Blu at Utende: a five-star PADI Dive Resort on Chole Bay, open for more than ten years, working from traditional dhows.
On site: the Peku Peku restaurant looking out to the ocean, the Chiringuito beach bar, a pool above the sea, a spa in a banda on the sand and the island’s first yoga studio. Breakfast, a three-course dinner, laundry and sea kayaks are all included.
The same family runs two more addresses: Butiama Bustani, ten rooms in a cliff-top garden five minutes from the airstrip, and Butiama Marine Camp, a budget camp at the dive centre in Utende with bungalows and safari tents.
No markup
You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.
We run the deal
Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.
Card payment
We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.
Support all the way
We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.
The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.
About the resort
- Country
- Tanzania
- Location
- Kilindoni, west coast, Mafia Island
- Nearest airport
- Mafia (MFA), Kilindoni — a 10-minute drive
- Transfer
- Included in the room rate
- House reef
- None — diving is in Chole Bay, from the Big Blu centre at Utende
- Dive sites
- Reefs of Chole Bay and Mafia Island Marine Park
- Dive centre
- Big Blu Mafia Island Dive Centre, a 5-star PADI Dive Resort
- Rooms
- 13 bungalows, 32 guests maximum
- Languages
- English, Italian, Kiswahili
At the resort
Diving
Big Blu is the lodge's sister company and the largest dive centre on the island. It stands inside the marine park, so the park entrance fee is paid on the way there — the gate is about half a kilometre before the centre. The lodge itself lies outside the park boundary at Kilindoni, so no fee is due on days without diving. Equipment can be hired or brought along.
Dining
Rooms are sold with breakfast and dinner; lunch is bought on site. Allergies and special requirements are best flagged when booking. The Chiringuito bar sits at the edge of the beach and stays open until the last guest has gone to bed.
Beyond diving
Whale shark trips start on the western side of the island, minutes from the lodge: an early departure by speedboat into the channel between Mafia and the mainland. Touching the sharks is not allowed — the island follows the international code of conduct. The Chole trip carries a USD 5 community fee and the turtle trip a USD 10 contribution to Sea Sense; on Chole, women are asked to cover shoulders and knees. Massages use cold-pressed virgin coconut oil from the island.
Rooms
Double Bungalow
View: Sea or garden
Beds: King-size bed
A bungalow with a large bed under a mosquito net and a generous veranda with a hammock. The furniture is hand-crafted from the hardwood of retired dhows, and the fabrics are local kikois.
Twin Bungalow
View: Sea or garden
Beds: Two single beds
The same bungalow with two separate beds — for friends or colleagues. Veranda with a hammock, ensuite bathroom, fan and safe, as in every bungalow at the lodge.
Triple Bungalow
View: Sea or garden
Beds: King-size bed plus a single bed
A bungalow for three: a large bed and a separate single in the same room. Taken by families with an older child and by groups of three.
Family Bungalow
View: Sea or garden
Beds: Two interconnecting bedrooms
The largest bungalow at the lodge: two interconnecting bedrooms and **two** bathrooms, sharing a veranda with a hammock. For a family of four, or two couples who want their own space.
Rates
Butiama Beach Lodge, 15 June 2026 — 31 March 2027
| Sea view | Garden view | |
|---|---|---|
| Single occupancy | USD 210 | USD 204 |
| Double occupancy | USD 350 | USD 340 |
| Extra person over 12 | USD 123 | USD 119 |
| Child aged 3 to 12 | USD 90 | USD 85 |
| Child under 3 | Free | Free |
Prices per room per night in US dollars, half board. Breakfast, a three-course dinner, tea, coffee and water, return airport transfers, kayaks and laundry are included. Children under three stay free. In high season — 1–31 August and 20 December to 10 January — a supplement of USD 20 per person per night applies.
Learn-to-dive packages
| Price | |
|---|---|
| 6-day Open Water course with 6 nights free | USD 590 |
| 3-day diving package with 5 nights free | USD 340 |
Prices per person in US dollars. Accommodation is in a safari tent at the sister Butiama Marine camp at Utende, with breakfast. Marine park fees and the bed levy are not included.
Butiama Bustani Hotel, same dates
| B&B | Half board | |
|---|---|---|
| Single occupancy | USD 72 | USD 86 |
| Double occupancy | USD 120 | USD 144 |
| Extra person over 12 | USD 42 | USD 50 |
| Child aged 3 to 12 | USD 30 | USD 36 |
The sister hotel — ten rooms in a cliff-top garden five minutes from the airstrip, outside the marine park. Prices per room per night in US dollars. Breakfast, tea, coffee, water and transfers are included.
Butiama Marine Camp, same dates
| Safari tent, B&B | Safari tent, half board | Room, B&B | Room, half board | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single occupancy | USD 30 | USD 44 | USD 72 | USD 86 |
| Double occupancy | USD 50 | USD 74 | USD 120 | USD 144 |
| Extra person over 12 | USD 18 | USD 26 | USD 42 | USD 50 |
The budget camp at the Big Blu dive centre in Utende, inside the marine park. Prices per room per night in US dollars. Marine park fees are not included and the return airport transfer is USD 40 per person.
Rates and availability can change. Message us — we will confirm current dates and prices.
When to go
- Best time
- June to March; the lodge's rates run from 15 June to 31 March
Whale sharks come into the channel off the west coast roughly **from November to March** — the lodge's main season. Humpback whales pass from July to September and turtle hatchlings emerge from June to August. High season is 1–31 August and 20 December to 10 January, when a supplement of USD 20 per person per night applies. Check-in from 14:00, check-out by 11:00.
Getting there
Fly into Dar es Salaam, then take a light aircraft to Kilindoni airstrip on Mafia Island. The lodge is about a 10-minute drive from the airstrip and the transfer is included in the room rate.
The lodge stands on the west coast near Kilindoni, outside the marine park, so no park fee is due for staying there. It becomes due on the days you go diving at Utende or in Chole Bay — the park gate is on that road, and it takes cards only, no cash.
A government bed levy of USD 1.5 per person per night is added to the bill.
Included in the price
Not included
Mandatory extras
Optional extras
Extras are per person and paid on site.
from 170 USD per person per night, double occupancy, half board, garden view room
Butiama Beach Lodge
Availability for your dates will be confirmed before any payment. Estimated wait time — 24 hours
Double Bungalow
A bungalow with a large bed under a mosquito net and a generous veranda with a hammock. The furniture is hand-crafted from the hardwood of retired dhows, and the fabrics are local kikois.
- View
- Sea or garden
- Beds
- King-size bed
- Maximum guests
- 2
Twin Bungalow
The same bungalow with two separate beds — for friends or colleagues. Veranda with a hammock, ensuite bathroom, fan and safe, as in every bungalow at the lodge.
- View
- Sea or garden
- Beds
- Two single beds
- Maximum guests
- 2
Triple Bungalow
A bungalow for three: a large bed and a separate single in the same room. Taken by families with an older child and by groups of three.
- View
- Sea or garden
- Beds
- King-size bed plus a single bed
- Maximum guests
- 3
Family Bungalow
The largest bungalow at the lodge: two interconnecting bedrooms and **two** bathrooms, sharing a veranda with a hammock. For a family of four, or two couples who want their own space.
- View
- Sea or garden
- Beds
- Two interconnecting bedrooms
- Maximum guests
- 4
Butiama Beach Lodge
from 170 USD
