Jibondo Island, a Day with the Boat-Builders
Just a 60-minute sail from Chole, Jibondo Island is home to a community known across the Mafia Island Marine Park for its boat-building and fishing. It’s one of the four islands of the bay, alongside Chole, Juani and Bwejuu, and one of the best places to see how island life works.
The boat-builders and fishing women of Jibondo
Using simple hand tools, Jibondo’s builders craft their boats with precision, even making their own nails. The women of Jibondo are skilled sailors and fishers, which makes this island community unusual on the coast. Walk through the village, laid out in tidy grid-like streets at one end and fields at the other.
A 15th-century mosque and the islands’ secondary school
Explore the ruins of a 15th-century Swahili mosque and visit the Coral School, a Ropes of Hope project that teaches young children on the island about coral reefs. Jibondo also has the only secondary school among the four islands of Chole, Juani, Jibondo and Bwejuu, where many of our staff’s children board.
Combine it with the sandbanks
Make a full day of it by continuing an hour further south to the Mange and Kitutia sandbanks, for a Swahili fish barbecue on the sand and snorkelling on the reefs. The trip runs for a minimum of two guests.
Our managers plan the next day’s activities with you each evening.
See prices for this and all our activities (PDF)
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