DIVING TANZANIA
Choose between or combine the three islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar.
Highlights
Seasons
The “long rains” fall April to June, but generally at night. May and June are quiet and the cheapest time of year to go, along with November and early December.
The whales sharks off Mafia Island's west coast are there October to March, and this is also the best time to dive outside of Chole Bay on the east coast.
Zanzibar island, properly called Unguja, is the most populated and most visited of the islands. and consequently has the most and widest range of accommodation options. Rich in history, spice plantations, Red Colobus monkeys, it has good diving and snorkelling to the northeast, and northwest. .
Pemba, almost the same size as Unguja, and part of the Zanzibar archipelago, only has a handful of places to stay, but two of them are amongst our favourite remote beach locations in Africa. Snorkelling and diving here are excellent with passes, walls, coral gardens, and viz typically in excess of 25 metres. This lush, valleyed island is also the biggest producer of cloves in the world and home to some endemic birdlife and the Pemba flying fox.
Mafia, is a small, flat island with lots of mangroves, few visitors, sandbanks, snorkelling, seasonal whale sharks and a lots of history with some fascinating 12th century ruins. Diving is inside coral-rich Chole Bay, in passes, or on the walls outside Chole Bay.
Highlights
- Zanzibar is a much sought-after beach destination with easy scuba diving, snorkelling, spice plantations and fascinating history. The reefs around the north are the place to go, with hard and soft coral gardens, plentiful reef fish, some rarer species such as the weedy and paddle-flap scorpionfish can be found easily here. Mnemba Atoll also has some walls and drop-offs.
- The lesser-known island of Mafia has a good mix of macro and reef diving inside Chole Bay, and wall and pass diving outside Chole Bay, plus snorkelling with gentle-giant whale sharks as well as land tours to enchanting ruins from medieval trading civilisations.
- Pemba Island really is an untouched African island paradise with fantastic hard coral gardens, deep drop-offs, and passes with very good viz. Excellent for wide-angle photography and macro enthusiasts.
Seasons
The “long rains” fall April to June, but generally at night. May and June are quiet and the cheapest time of year to go, along with November and early December.
The whales sharks off Mafia Island's west coast are there October to March, and this is also the best time to dive outside of Chole Bay on the east coast.
Zanzibar island, properly called Unguja, is the most populated and most visited of the islands. and consequently has the most and widest range of accommodation options. Rich in history, spice plantations, Red Colobus monkeys, it has good diving and snorkelling to the northeast, and northwest. .
Pemba, almost the same size as Unguja, and part of the Zanzibar archipelago, only has a handful of places to stay, but two of them are amongst our favourite remote beach locations in Africa. Snorkelling and diving here are excellent with passes, walls, coral gardens, and viz typically in excess of 25 metres. This lush, valleyed island is also the biggest producer of cloves in the world and home to some endemic birdlife and the Pemba flying fox.
Mafia, is a small, flat island with lots of mangroves, few visitors, sandbanks, snorkelling, seasonal whale sharks and a lots of history with some fascinating 12th century ruins. Diving is inside coral-rich Chole Bay, in passes, or on the walls outside Chole Bay.
