Kilindoni or Utende: Where to Stay on Mafia Island

Almost every hotel and lodge on Mafia Island is in one of two places: Kilindoni, the main town on the west coast, or Utende, a village on the east coast beside Chole Bay. They are only about 14 kilometres apart, but they suit different trips. Here is how to choose.

Kilindoni: the Town, the Airport and the Whale Sharks

Kilindoni is where you arrive. The airport is here, and so is the jetty where the ferry from the mainland lands. It is the island's working town, with a market, shops and local restaurants, so you see everyday island life as well as the sea.

It is also the whale shark side. Between October and March the whale sharks feed off the west coast, and the boats that go out to find them leave from Kilindoni. If whale sharks are the reason for your trip, staying here means a short ride to the boat in the morning instead of a drive across the island.

Prices are lower. At Mafia Dream Hotel a room with air conditioning, breakfast and a swimming pool starts at $65 a night, and we are 5 minutes from the airport. See what is included.

Utende: Chole Bay and the Marine Park

Utende sits inside the Mafia Island Marine Park, on the edge of Chole Bay. This is where most of the island's dive sites are, and where the dive centres and the well-known beach lodges are based. If you plan to dive every day, staying in Utende puts you a short walk from the boats.

It is quieter and more secluded than Kilindoni, with lodges spread along the bay and little else around them. It is also more expensive: many lodges charge several hundred dollars a night.

The Marine Park Fee

Visitors pay a marine park fee of $23.60 per person per day. Utende is inside the park, so guests staying there pay it for every day of their stay. Kilindoni is outside the park, so you pay only on the days you go in. When you book activities through us, the fee is already included in the price.

Getting Between the Two

The drive between Kilindoni and Utende takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes. That makes it easy to stay on one side and visit the other. From Kilindoni you can spend a day diving or snorkeling in Chole Bay and be back at the pool before dinner. We arrange diving and snorkeling trips from the hotel.

Which Should You Choose?

• You are coming for whale sharks: Kilindoni. The boats leave from here.


• You are watching your budget: Kilindoni. Rooms cost less, transfers are shorter and you pay the park fee only on the days you use the park.


• You arrive late or leave early: Kilindoni. The airport and the ferry are minutes away.


• You want to dive every day: Utende is closest to the dive sites, though a diving day trip from Kilindoni works well for a few dives.


• You want seclusion above everything else: Utende.

Many visitors do both: a few nights in Kilindoni for the whale sharks, with day trips into Chole Bay for the reefs.

Staying in Kilindoni

For more on the town itself, read 5 reasons to stay in Kilindoni. For costs, see Mafia Island on a budget. To check dates, book online and pay when you arrive, or message us on WhatsApp at +255 787 579 033.