zanzibar · Mid-range
Mafia Island & the Whale Sharks
4.7· 440 reviewsSix nights in a marine park most travellers have never heard of, timed to the whale-shark season.
Per person, excluding international flights and visas.
The story of this journey
The Kaskazi monsoon pushes plankton-rich water down from the Rufiji between October and February, and Mafia's resident whale sharks follow it. Snorkelling rather than diving, with operators who keep to the code of conduct. The rest of the week is coral gardens, a handful of lodges and almost nobody else.
At a glance
- Duration
- 6 days
- From
- $2,680 pp
- Style
- Mid-range
- Difficulty
- easy
- Booking
- Tailor-made
- Best months
- OCT · NOV · DEC · JAN · FEB
The trip in pictures
Best time for this journey
What's included
- Lodge on Chole Bay
- Whale shark snorkelling excursions in season
- Marine park fees
- Island transfers
Not included
- · Flights to Mafia
- · Dive packages
- · Tips and personal items
Medical and emergency cover
AMREF Flying Doctors — Maisha TouristAir evacuation
Not included — your own insurance must cover this
Traveller stories
What our guests say
“Excellent guiding and genuinely comfortable vehicles. Long transfer days in the rains are simply the reality of the north — Maguca were upfront about that from the first email, which I appreciated.”
“Unhurried, warm, and completely tailored to two adults and two very excitable kids.”
The Okafor family · United States Verified on Google · Travelled Dec 2025“Summited Kilimanjaro thanks to a crew who carried more than our bags. Pole pole works. The pre-climb briefing could have been more thorough on kit — but on the mountain they were faultless.”
“Maguca didn't just show us Tanzania — they let us feel it. Our guide read the bush like a language.”
“I expected to see animals. I did not expect to cry at sunset over the crater, or to feel like I was leaving family behind. Maguca did not show me Africa. They let me inside it.”
Sarah M. · United States Verified on SafariBookings · Travelled Aug 20265 traveller reviews — scroll or use the arrows
Verified traveller reviews. See more on our reviews page.
Where you'll go
The places on this journey
Before you book
Questions about this journey
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