Beyond Zanzibar: How to Find Tanzania’s Secret, Eco-Conscious Islands

Mafia Island: The Marine Conservation Pioneer

While Zanzibar is undoubtedly the best-known island in Tanzania, Mafia Island, lying 160km to the south, has long been the connoisseur’s choice for laidback island living and exceptional snorkelling and scuba diving, including fabulous opportunities to interact with whale sharks in a controlled and responsible manner.

Life on Mafia is governed almost entirely by the tides and a deep-rooted commitment to conservation. It was Mafia that saw the establishment of Tanzania’s very first marine park back in 1995. Today, the protected waters of Mafia Island Marine Park shelter some of East Africa’s healthiest coral reefs, where clouds of butterflyfish, angelfish and clownfish dart between hard and soft corals. Dolphins patrol the island’s channels, rays glide across sandy seabeds, dugongs hide among swaying seagrass, while hawksbill and green turtles are regular sights for divers and snorkellers. What’s more, the park operates on a community-backed conservation model, with local villagers directly involved in its management, collectively policing against destructive fishing practices.

Other marine conservation projects are just as impressive. The Mafia Island Whale Shark Project, for example, has been studying the island’s resident whale shark population since 2012. Working alongside local communities, researchers monitor the sharks’ movements, behaviour, population trends and health, while also assessing the threats they face from humans, such as boat strikes and entanglements in fishing nets. Their work has helped secure legal protection for whale sharks in Tanzania, established Mafia as an internationally recognised Important Shark and Ray Area, and helped to promote a thriving ecotourism model that gives local people a powerful incentive to protect these gentle giants.

As a result, Mafia has become one of the best places in the world to swim alongside the world’s largest fish, especially from November to February when plankton-rich conditions draw the whale sharks to the surface to feed. During these months, the island offers some of the most dependable whale shark experiences in the Indian Ocean, all managed under strict conservation guidelines designed to minimise disturbance to the animals.

Where to stay on Mafia Island

Bahari Bungalow at Pole Pole Resort, Mafia Island

Pole Pole Bungalows is an intimate, privately-owned hillside eco-lodge whose charming wooden bungalows overlook the protected waters of Chole Bay, part of Mafia Island Marine Park. Service is warm and attentive while the locally caught seafood is consistently fresh and flavoursome. Equally well positioned is Kinasi Lodge, an elegant, owner-run resort styled with antique Swahili-Omani flair. It offers a luxury spa, private pool and exceptional fine dining overlooking Chole Bay.

Pemba Island: The Deep Ocean Frontier

While Mafia has found fame for its whale sharks, peaceful Pemba, about 80km north of Zanzibar, has somehow managed to slip under the radar. And it’s not because it’s lacking its own charms.

Its white-sand beaches look like Zanzibar’s did 40 years ago, with no hawkers selling tourist clobber and little sign of the rubbish that litters beaches on Unguja. In Arabic, Pemba translates as ‘The Green Island’, and thanks to limited development, it retains a deeply rural feel, its rolling interior carpeted with clove, coconut and fruit plantations, as well as pockets of indigenous forest. Along the coast, deeply indented creeks and estuaries shelter extensive mangrove forests that serve as vital nurseries for marine life and provide a striking reminder of what much of the Swahili Coast once looked like.

Green turtles continue to nest on protected beaches around the island. In July and August, humpback whales can be spotted offshore as they pass on their annual migration, while marine reserves safeguard some of East Africa’s most pristine reef systems. The deep Pemba Channel has carved spectacular coral walls that disappear into the abyss, creating ideal conditions for encounters with reef sharks, eagle rays, turtles and vast schools of tropical fish.

And yet, while the island’s draws are many, visitors are relatively few. One reason, perhaps, is the lack of mid-market accommodation. Pemba has scarcely a handful of places to stay and those that exist are highly exclusive, get-away-from-it-all sanctuaries where privacy and tranquillity reign supreme. It’s precisely what, in our eyes, makes the island so beguiling.

Where to stay on Pemba Island

View from The Royal Villa at The Aiyana, Pemba

The Aiyana, Pemba is a luxury resort on the remote northern tip of the island, overlooking a dazzling stretch of white-sand beach. Designed with minimalist white architecture and high ceilings, every ultra-luxurious beachfront villa features a private infinity pool and uninterrupted views of the Indian Ocean. Even more secluded is Fundu Lagoon, set right on the beach yet backed by thick jungle and only accessible by boat. Monkeys play on the beach. Luxury safari-style tents feature beach-facing wooden decks and local African crafts. And an incredible jetty bar stretches out into the sea serving sunset cocktails.

Fanjove Island: The Private Sanctuary

For those who want to truly unplug, Fanjove Island – part of the Songo Songo Archipelago – is a masterclass in ecologically sensitive tourism. Less than 50km from the mainland, an hour’s flight from Dar Es Salaam and a 15-minute speedboat ride from Songo Songo Island, Fanjove offers a level of sophisticated seclusion that’s hard to match along Africa’s east coast.

Snorkelling the reef at Fanjove Island (image courtesy of Laba Fanjove)

The entire island functions as a dedicated nature reserve, with revenue from Fanjove’s only lodge helping to fund the protection of the surrounding 11km reef system. Shielded from the intensive fishing pressure found in other parts of the coast, these vibrant coral reefs support turtles, reef sharks, rays and resident dolphin populations, while humpback whales pass through the surrounding waters during their annual migration. Above the tide line, you can walk the entire perimeter of the island in less than an hour, crossing powder-soft beaches where the only other visitors are chattering seabirds and nesting green turtles.

Where to stay on Fanjove Island

The island’s only accommodation is LABA Fanjove Island, a purpose-built lodge that effortlessly blends high-end service with an authentic Robinson Crusoe aesthetic. Guest villas are crafted completely from sustainable wood, bamboo and local thatch, run entirely on solar power and feature open-front designs to welcome in the ocean breeze. Fanjove’s 19th-century lighthouse has been beautifully transformed into the island’s restaurant, while the calming spa offers soothing, sea-based treatments. With just a handful of guests accommodated at any one time, the resort’s ecological footprint is kept exceptionally low, creating a barefoot Indian Ocean escape where conservation and exclusivity truly go hand in hand.

Planning your escape

The optimal time to visit Tanzania’s offshore islands is during the dry season from June to October. During these months, the weather is sunny and dry and the underwater visibility is exceptional for diving and snorkelling.

While Zanzibar island still holds a place in history, those willing to venture just a little further will find that the true magic of the Swahili Coast is being saved, protected and celebrated in the quiet waters of Mafia, Pemba and Fanjove.

To discuss your luxury holiday and how to include a stay on a Tanzanian island, our experts are on hand to help – just get in touch with a Tanzania specialist.