Kinasi Lodge

Dive resort · Tanzania · Utende, Chole Bay, Mafia Island · Official Website

The lodge on its hillside above Chole Bay

Beach and palms seen from the lodge above

The pool among coconut palms with the sea beyond

Booking by Tour Leader Club

4 room types · Reefs across Chole Bay and the archipelago, almost all under 30 metres dive sites · house reef

Kinasi opened in 1995 as the first proper lodge on Mafia Island, and it has stayed small: fifteen rooms on a hillside above Chole Bay, an old cashew and coconut plantation around them, a private beach below and the island’s first swimming pool — dug by hand in 1996, with the pump flown down from Nairobi squeezed into a four-seat Cessna.

Every room has its own name and its own story: China, Britain, Germany, Portugal, India, Swahili, Shiraz, Rome, Egypt, Oman, France, Indonesia, Azania, Persia, Turkey. That is not decoration for its own sake — each of these countries left a mark on the Azania coast, and the colours, fabrics and carving in each room follow its period.

The lodge sits inside the Mafia Island Marine Park, Tanzania’s first. The Chole Bay reefs start minutes from the shore: Kinasi Wall, Chole Wall, the Coral Gardens, the drift through Kinasi Pass. Almost all the best diving is shallower than thirty metres, which makes the place work equally well for a beginner and for an experienced diver. Scientists have counted more than fifty genera of coral and four hundred species of fish here.

From October to March whale sharks feed off Kilindoni, and Kinasi runs its own boat out to them to keep the protocol tight: few swimmers in the water at a time, no chasing. From July to September turtle hatchlings emerge on Juani Island; from September to November humpbacks pass by.

The kitchen is a reason to come in its own right. The chefs have been here for years, the lodge keeps its own Mafia Island Cookbook, and once a week the wine cellar hosts a tasting with hors d’oeuvres in the evening light.

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: Utende, Chole Bay, Mafia Island
Nearest airport: Mafia (MFA), a short drive across the island
Transfer: Arranged by the lodge
House reef: Yes — Kinasi Wall starts just off the lodge
Dive sites: Reefs across Chole Bay and the archipelago, almost all under 30 metres
Dive centre: On site — diving, snorkelling and whale shark trips
Rooms: 15 rooms, each with its own name
Languages: English, Swahili

At the resort

Pool with a terrace and grill

Small private beach below the lodge

Open-air restaurant

Wine cellar with a weekly tasting

Sunset bar

Isis Spa with a Thai therapist

Single and double kayaks at no charge

The lodge's own excursion boat and wooden dhow

A dedicated fishing boat

Gardens on an old cashew plantation

Nature trail laid out for birdwatching

Laundry and room service

Diving

Reefs of the Mafia Island Marine Park

Kinasi Wall — 800 metres, 8 to 21 metres deep

Chole Wall — a coral bank down to 15 metres

Coral Gardens, shallow bommies

The Coral Patches with spotted garden eels

The Pinnacle — a 12-metre spire of ancient coral

The drift dive through Kinasi Pass

Milimani Reef with layered coral peaks

Msumbiji — archways and sheer walls

Over 50 genera of coral and 400 species of fish

Night dives

Snorkelling on the same reefs

Almost all of Mafia's best sites are shallower than thirty metres — this is a place for relaxed recreational diving rather than depth. Napoleon wrasse, big groupers, giant clams, sea fans, hawksbill turtles, and shoals of barracuda and jacks in the pass. Kinasi Wall and the Coral Gardens behind it can be snorkelled at low tide. The lodge is closed in April and May, the season of the long rains.

Dining

Seafood, fruit and vegetables from the island

Vegetarian and any other dietary requirement catered for

The lodge's own Mafia Island Cookbook

Chefs who have been here for years

Weekly wine tasting in the wine cellar

Hors d'oeuvres under fairy lights at the Sunset Bar

Seafood barbecues by the pool

Lunch on the pool terrace

Picnic lunches on excursions and on the sandbank

The tasting is held at sunset during happy hour — a good chance to meet everyone staying at the lodge and settle the next day's plans with the Blue World activities team. Diets and allergies just need a word with the chefs: over the years they have cooked everything from kosher meals to catering for cruise ships.

Beyond diving

Whale shark swims on the lodge's own boat

Snorkelling on the marine park reefs

Kayaks around the bays and shallows, at no charge

Sunset cruise under sail on a dhow

Picnic on the Marimbani sandbank

Beaches on Miewe island and Mvinje

Catch-and-release sport fishing

Trip to the turtle nesting beaches on Juani Island

Humpback whale watching

Shore and mangrove birds, with a nature trail on site

The 850-year-old Kua ruins on Juani Island

Chole and Jibondo villages, boatbuilders and rope makers

Cycling through village farmland

Island runs in a Bajaj three-wheeler

Isis Spa — Thai massage, aromatherapy, reflexology

The whale sharks stay a few hundred metres off Kilindoni; the lodge uses its own boat to avoid crowding the water — five operators and seven boats work the island, and without coordination it turns into a scrum. Hatchlings emerge from July to September; the boat leaves at 7:30 and a short walk across Juani Island reaches the beaches. Humpbacks pass from September to November. The spa is run by Oei, a Thai therapist, and is the only one of its kind on the island.

Rooms

Seafront Room

View: Chole Bay

Beds: Double bed or two singles

Rooms along the edge of the hill, straight above Chole Bay and the private beach, looking out to Chole, Juani and Jibondo islands. Hand-carved furniture, a mosquito net over the bed, a makuti roof and a veranda of your own. Each has its own colour and theme: Britain in blue and gold, Germany as a twin or a double, Shiraz set up for a family.

Chole Bay views En-suite bathroom Mosquito net Air conditioning Veranda or sit-out Bathrobes, hairdryer, coffee maker

Garden Seaview Room

View: Garden and Chole Bay

Beds: Double bed or two singles

Rooms set deeper in the garden, under coconut palms and cashew trees: quieter and shadier, with the sea above the greenery. Oman is a twin in the green and gold of its flag and sultanate; Egypt in blue and gold; Persia in enamelled blues and greens, looking down the valley to the pool and beach. France and Oman share a two-storey pavilion for a drink above the bay.

Garden and sea views En-suite bathroom Mosquito net Air conditioning Shade of old trees Hairdryer, coffee maker

Garden View Triple

View: Garden

Beds: One double and two single beds

A large round rondavel room under a conical roof. Inside, white banquette beds along the walls, rugs, and turquoise mosaic in the bathroom. The lodge's only triple — taken by families and groups of three.

Round room under a conical roof Sleeps three Bathroom in turquoise mosaic Mosquito net Air conditioning Hairdryer, coffee maker

Owners Suite

View: Chole Bay

Beds: King bed upstairs, banquettes downstairs

A refurbished two-storey suite: a king bedroom upstairs looking over Chole Bay, and a generous sitting room downstairs with banquettes along the walls for the middle of the day. The largest room in the lodge — taken by couples and families with children.

Two floors Bedroom upstairs with bay views Sitting room with banquettes downstairs En-suite bathroom Mosquito net Air conditioning, hairdryer, coffee maker

When to go

Best time: June to March; the lodge is closed in April and May

The lodge does not run year round — **April and May are closed**, the season of the long rains. Whale sharks feed off Kilindoni roughly from October to March. Turtle hatchlings emerge from July to September. Humpbacks pass the island from September to November. The lodge beach is tidal: sea swimming works only at high water, and the pool covers the rest. Check-in from 14:00, check-out by 12:00.

Getting there

Mafia Island lies about 100 km south of Dar es Salaam. Fly to Dar es Salaam, then take a short hop on a local aircraft to Mafia airport (MFA) — there are also flights from Zanzibar and the Selous.

From the airport and the main town of Kilindoni it is a short drive across the island to the village of Utende. The lodge arranges the transfer.

The lodge sits inside the Mafia Island Marine Park: a park entry fee applies and is paid locally.

Sockets are Tanzanian, 220–240 V. Wi-Fi works in the common areas.

Price on request

Kinasi Lodge