MAFIA ISLAND TOUR - TANZANIA

        Mafia is large island lying off the southern coast of Tanzania, near to Rufiji Delta. It is 30 miles from north to south, and up to ten miles width. It thus about half the size of Unguja (Zanzibar) island to north, and like Zanzibar, is a raised portion of the continental shelf, not a coral island. The soil of Mafia mostly sandy and the terrain very flat. On the eastern shores there is some coral rock, making cultivation impossible.

       Mafia receives an average annual rainfall of 2,000mm (80inches). The island experiences two main rainy season, the short rains November/December and long rains from March to May. Over 80% of the rain occurs during the second phase.

       The temperature on the island is firmly stable rarely dropping below 20˚C rising above 33˚C. June to September is the coolest period.

        The largest land based agricultural activity is the five coconut estates at Ng’ombeni, Dundani, Chunguruma, Ras Mbizi and Minaki. These cover total areas of 2,186 hectares with some 200,000 palms. In their heyday they were processing 6 million nuts a year into coconut oil and they herd of 650 Jersey dairy cattle.

You’re welcome to visit Mafia Island

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