• View from the bow of a wooden dhow across turquoise water towards forested islands
    Boat Trips

Boat Trips on Chole Bay, Mafia Island

A wooden boat with a white sun canopy and guests on board floats on clear turquoise water

Explore Chole Bay on our boats, traditional wooden mashuas all built on Chole. Visit the ruins of Kua on Juani Island, lived in from around the 1200s, the Blue Lagoon and its pond of stingless upside-down jellyfish, and the winding mangrove channel we call the Amazon. If you come between June and September, watch baby turtles hatch on Juani. Our boats are crewed by local boatmen with years of experience on these waters, who know every channel, sandbank and tide in the bay.

Every boat trip from Chole

Every boat trip has its own page: sunset sailing, the Blue Lagoon, the Kua ruins on Juani Island, the mangrove excursion, Jibondo Island, the Marimbani, Mange and Kitutia sandbanks, Ras Kisimani, our secret beaches and turtle hatching. You can also hire a boat with its crew by the hour and plan your own day on the water.

Our managers plan the next day’s trips with you each evening.
See prices for this and all our activities (PDF)

A girl swims face to face with a baby sea turtle in clear, shallow water A traditional wooden dhow with a canvas sail, with a staff member at the bow, with a second wooden dhow on calm blue water. Half above, half below the water: a wooden dhow floats over clear turquoise water, a crewman on deck Half above, half below the water: guests wade from a wooden dhow anchored in clear, shallow water Two children on the deck of a wooden dhow, looking out over a turquoise sea A wooden dhow with a crewman on board waits on a calm sea under big white clouds View from inside a wooden dhow, past its ropes and blue sail, to buildings on a wooded shore

Details

Duration: From an hour to a full day, depending on the trip

Departure Times: Planned each day around the tides

Highlights

  • Traditional wooden boats, all built on Chole
  • Crewed by local boatmen who know the bay best
  • Hire a boat and its crew by the hour
  • The ruins of Kua, a Shirazi town from around the 1200s
  • The Blue Lagoon and its stingless upside-down jellyfish
  • Turtle hatching on Juani, June to September