• Footprints lead along a white sandbank into shallow turquoise water, a dhow anchored offshore
    Sandbank Day Trips

Sandbank Day Trips: Marimbani, Mange and Kitutia

Guests walk along a narrow white sandbank, seen from under the edge of a shade canopy

Reached only by boat and uncovered only at low tide, the white sandbanks of the Mafia Island Marine Park are some of the most beautiful places to spend a day from Chole. Choose a few hours on Marimbani, in Chole Bay, or a day out to Mange and Kitutia, in the south of the marine park.

Marimbani, in Chole Bay

Appearing every day for about six hours around low tide, the Marimbani sandbank is a crescent of dazzling white sand about 600 to 700 metres long. In places the water drops off sharply, ideal for swimming; in others it slopes gently into shallow pools full of marine life: starfish, crabs, tiger cowries and occasionally seahorses, which bring the seabirds in to feed. Spend a few hours looking for creatures in the pools, swimming, lazing in the sun, flying a kite or exercising. Our boatmen set up a shade canopy, so for a few hours the sandbank is your own private beach. Tell them which refreshments you’d like before you leave, and order a picnic the day before. Make a morning of it with snorkelling on the reefs of Chole Bay on the way out.

Mange and Kitutia, in the south of the marine park

One hour past Jibondo Island lie two pure white sand cays surrounded by aquamarine water. Mange and Kitutia appear only at low tide and are ringed by tropical reefs. Our crew prepares a Swahili fish barbecue on the sandbank for lunch, and afterwards you can snorkel or dive the reefs. At Kitutia you can also visit The Ropes of Hope’s community-led reef restoration project. Combine the day with a stop at Jibondo Island, home to a community of boat-builders and of women who sail and fish. This trip runs for a minimum of two guests.

For another day on the sand, sail to the long beach of Ras Kisimani.

Our managers plan the next day’s activities with you each evening.

See prices for this and all our activities (PDF)

A wooden dhow anchored in clear turquoise water off a white sandbank, its rope running to the sand Fish grill on sticks over a small fire dug into the white sand, the turquoise sea behind Two crew members put up a blue and white shade canopy on a white sandbank under a cloudy sky A wooden dhow moored by a white sandbank, its rope running across clear, shallow water Plates of rice, grilled fish and salad laid out on a striped woven mat on the sand Guests eat lunch on mats under white shade canopies on a sandbank by the sea A guest does a handstand on a white sandbank, a dhow anchored in the turquoise sea Two crew members prepare fish on sticks beside a cool box on a white sandbank. Clear green shallows stretch towards canopy poles and cool boxes on a distant sandbank. A crew member serves lunch to guests lying on woven mats on the sand

Details

Duration: Marimbani, a few hours around low tide · Mange and Kitutia

Departure Times: Planned each day around the tides

Pack: Shade and refreshments provided; tell the crew what you’d like before you leave

Highlights

  • White sandbanks that appear only at low tide
  • Marimbani: a private beach in Chole Bay for a few hours
  • Shallow pools with starfish, crabs and tiger cowries
  • Mange and Kitutia: a Swahili fish barbecue on the sand
  • Snorkel or dive the reefs around the cays
  • Visit The Ropes of Hope’s restoration site at Kitutia