Mafia Island is a sleepy island located south of Zanzibar. Here, you can spend your days exploring exposed sand bars, fishing and diving. We recommend scuba diving on this island, especially during whale shark season. Mafia Island has long had a prominent place in the history of the East Coast of Africa, as it was a safe haven for ships to stop for water and for repairs. Mafia Island was a part of the sultanate of Kilwa during the 13th Century and prospered as a settlement during Kilwa’s rise as an economic power. The island has been visited by seafarers from the Gulf for two millennia and has seen Egyptian, Omani, Greco-Roman, Chinese, Portuguese and Turkish traders as well as French and American buccaneers and slavers in the 1800s. English and German colonizers have also gone to the island and left many remnants of their culture there, such as buildings. On this small cut-off island, you will find beautiful beaches, a relaxing pace of life, and many friendly locals. Depending on the season, you can swim with the whale sharks, spot humpback whales and even witness turtles nesting. This island is the definition of relaxation and while there are mostly luxury lodges on the island, it is definitely doable for budget backpackers. Anyone visiting Mafia Island in Tanzania will have no trouble falling in love with the place. Tanzanian culture and island life makes a very good combination. Mafia Island has enough visitors to warrant a comfortable set up of activities and lodges, while not being overrun or ruined by tourism. Mafia is a 30-minute flight from Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. It is home to the largest marine park in Africa and is a very good destination for spotting whale sharks.