Frequently Asked Questions

Getting to Chole Island is easiest by flying into Mafia Island, then taking a short road-and-boat transfer.

1. Fly to Mafia Island
   • There are regular flights to Mafia from destinations across Tanzania, with multiple departures daily from Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
   • Flight time is around 30 minutes from Dar es Salaam (about 45 minutes from Zanzibar).
   • Flights operate with Coastal Aviation and Auric Air. For schedules and pricing, visit coastal.co.tz and auricair.com
   • In Dar es Salaam, flights depart from Terminal 1.
2. Transfer from Mafia Airport to Chole Island
   • We can arrange a meet-and-greet transfer from Mafia Airport to Chole Island.
   • The combined road-and-boat transfer takes approximately 30 minutes.
3. Plan for Mafia Island Marine Park entry fees
   • Entry to the Mafia Island Marine Park costs US$23.60 per person, per day.
   • You must prepay this fee when entering the Park, and payment is card-only.
   • Prices can fluctuate, so please confirm the current rate when booking.

Notes on routing

• If you’re connecting via Zanzibar, Stone Town can be a worthwhile overnight stop.
• There is no ferry service to Mafia, and travelling by sea is slow and best considered a local-transport adventure rather than a practical transfer route.

If you have trouble booking flights online, let us know — we may be able to help.

Mafia airport is on the West coast of Mafia island 15km from Utende on the East Coast where our boat will meet you to ferry you 1 km across to Chole Island. We offer a meet and greet service transfer service from Mafia airport to Chole Island for $40 per car (maximum 6 people). You can take a taxi from the airport (about $30) or a tuktuk, known locally as bajaji (about $10). If you let us know what time you will be arriving in Utende our boat will meet you or for the very independent who don’t mind lengthy waits – you can take the local ferry (about $1.00). The ferry runs on demand, or when it fills up between 8am and 6pm (try to avoid lunch hour – I think the ferry man has a girlfriend and often goes missing between 12.00 and 14.00).
Wear your water-shoes and clothes that can be hitched above the knee for wading to the boat.

It all depends on what you want. The weather is coolest in June through September. Great snorkeling is available at all times. SCUBA diving is best after the tradewinds switch in September or October. Turtle hatchings peak earlier in June /July but there are still a few nests to visit throughout the year. The whale shark season runs from the beginning of October to February, sometimes up to March. The rainy season starts mid March onward and lasts for three months. We close for staff annual leave and maintenance March 31st until June 15th.

Chole is heaven on earth for young explorers, budding artists and scientists. We don’t have television, nor any of those modern child distracting devices. Instead we offer so much to do and see for the inquisitive mind. It is the safest place we have ever been and we let our kids go almost feral because nature is benign and every Cholean feels that you are their guest and look after your kids like family. We can’t accommodate children under two years of age in peak seasons and children under the age of 5yrs need to sleep in the ground suite (Sita) for safety reasons. Excursions that are particular children friendly include; turtle hatchings, swimming with whale sharks, snorkeling, sand bank picnics/explorations, village walks, SUPping/ mangrove exploration, beachcombing/ catching crabs whilst the parents are sleeping, hand-line fishing for lunch. Our staff take their child-minding responsibilities seriously and we are a very small lodge, where the staff outnumber the guests three to one! A dedicated child minder can be arranged if you find you need one. WiFi is available in our Red Herring café (but your children do not need to know that!). PS. We do have private plunge pools in three of our rooms, Nne, Saba and Tatu.

You can enjoy your time at Chole Mjini without a cent of cash in your pocket but you may want some cash for tips and other purchases. There are locally made crafts and products like mats, coconut rope, hand forged nails for sale in the village and some local currency would certainly help. There is an ATM (local currency only) located near the airport on Mafia island. Diving, whale shark excursions, your bar bill and other excursions with us can be paid by card though cash is always welcome. We also have a tipping pool that is cash only, we cannot add this to your bill. We do not want to teach our children to become beggars and ask you not to give cash or anything else to encourage begging behavior. If you want to help people of Chole village please speak to one of our managers, Jay or Omari, who will help ensure that your donation is transparent, accounted for and goes to the right destination.

Yes, our treehouses do have electricity. While Chole Mjini has always been built around low‑impact living, we now combine our long-standing solar systems with electricity that arrived from the mainland a couple of years ago. This allows us to stay true to our sustainable philosophy while offering a comfortable level of modern convenience.

We rely almost entirely on solar energy and other low‑energy solutions, but the additional connection ensures that essential amenities are always available. This means you can enjoy flushing toilets, running sinks, spinning fans, charging your mobile devices, and gentle lighting in your room. The lighting is intentionally soft, enough to feel cozy and relaxed, without overwhelming the natural atmosphere we want you to experience.

We still encourage you to embrace the slower rhythm here and to tune in to your senses, but you’ll have everything you need for a comfortable stay.

Yes, you can charge your camera and other electronics in both your treehouse and The Red Herring Café. You can safely leave your electronics with our attendant staff for charging during the day. We charge off the sun at the cafe, so charging is limited to day-light hours (9.30 – 17.00). Standard three prong UK or 2 prong plugs fit. SA round prongs do not.

We have WiFi at our Red Herring Café, reception and sunset bar. This is only open from 9.30am until sunset. There is connection and you can purchase a local SIM card or e-sim if you wish to stay connected and we are happy to guide you through this process. However, we choose to not put WiFi in our treehouses to let our guests enjoy getting back to their senses.

Absolutely. We are located in the heart of the Marine Park closest of all the lodges to the dive sites the closest being 20 minutes. We coordinate scuba diving experiences with the excellent five star PADI centre Mafia Island Diving directly opposite Chole on Mafia island. They will pick you up and drop you off by boat en-route to the dives. Let us know when you wish to go for diving and we will organize everything for you. 

We are fully equipped for all sizes. We also have SCUBA gear and Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUPs) for hire.

At Chole we are fortunate that for most of the year there are very few mosquitos especially when the cooling trade winds are blowing however you may travel through a malaria areas to get here. We ourselves do not take malarial prophylaxis but we do take the risk of malaria very seriously so we have test kits and treatment available at all times. Please seek medical advice from your Doctor.

Yes no problem. Anne eats gluten free. We offer gluten free baked products. We serve predominately fresh vegetables and salads to accompany fresh sea-food. We offer a protein rich vegetarian option at every meal for those who don’t eat sea food. Please let us know your dietary preferences when you make your booking.

No. Marine Park fees have to be paid in person on arrival at the gate (on the road from the airport to Utende beach) by credit card. Currently the fee is $23.6 per adult per night. Children up to the age of 15, half price.

Occasional guests have lost their luggage en route and have survived incredibly well with just a swimsuit, a T-shirt, a kikoi and a pair of flipflops. If you are not taking malaria prophylaxis it is a good idea to bring long loose fitting trousers, shirts and socks to wear in the evenings. Sun protection. Toiletries. Aqua-shoes/ sandals that can be worn in the water for getting on and off boats (and on land too, if you are an adventurous explorer at heart and ready to walk around the island or across to the neighbouring island of Juani to the old ruins of the city of Kua circa 1200).

Certainly. Chole is made for anniversaries and celebrations. It is also a fabulous place for contemplation, off-line retreats and workshops. Contact us. We recently had a big Chole wedding this last September. If you wish to see how it turned out, check our instagram cholemjini_treehouse_lodge