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Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge - Mafia Island, Chole
Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge is located across from Mafia Island and set on a tiny islet called Chole. Chole is a historical Mecca having architectural ruins built by Shirazis from Persia, Khoja Ismaili Asians, Omani Arabs, and some with German modifications. The island is far from modernity as life is on any "semi-isolated" island but this remote Islet gives visiting guests an opportunity to immerse themselves in a world not seen before. Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge is built a few steps from the historical ruins. The accommodation is built intellectually and literally inside baobab trees and resonates a true ecological perspective.
Mafia Island is approximately 30 miles off the Tanzanian coast, about 45 minutes by air from Dar es Salaam and one hour from Selous Game Reserve and Zanzibar Island. Access to Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge is via a short boat ride across Chole Bay from Mafia Island. Upon arriving at Chole Mjini, the boat maneuvers between the mangrove trees to reveal a small wooden pier with tree houses tucked away and obscured by the branches of the trees; the de Villiers home is to the left of the tree houses. Chole Mjini has no phones, electricity or vehicles. The project is the combined effort of the de Villiers families and Emerson Skeens (partner - Emerson and Green Hotel in Zanzibar) who apart from attracting tourism to Chole have helped setup local playschools, kindergarten and primary schools to educate the Chole children as well as medical clinic to serve the healthcare needs of the local community. Medical students from international countries attend to the needs of the local community aided by locally trained assistants. Programs are underway at Chole, funded by the lodge and donors that creates training opportunities for the local community in language skills, artisan trade and related works.
Guests wanting to visit Chole Mjini are assured of a peaceful, back to basic and a discerning holiday unlike any before.
Tell Me More About Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge Located On Chole Island (Mafia Island), as an Indian Ocean Island Beach Accommodation in Tanzania
• There are seven naturally aired rooms built on trees, complete with necessary bedding and traditional décor.
• All rooms have been built on stilts with local wood and material.
• The bathrooms are shared with a long-drop design, and are located on the ground floor.
• Showers are taken under the open skies. Hot water is available boosted by a kerosene lamp. Water at Chole Mjini is captured from the rain as well as extracted from the boreholes.
Culinary and Dining Experience At Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge Located On Chole Island (Mafia Island)
• Service at Chole Mjini is relaxed and food is simply delicious. The meals are served under the thatched dining-lounge room prepared in local coastal style. There are no daily regiments or strict plans. Dinner normally brings the guests around at the central table where they can exchange the experiences of the day over a nice meal, which is hosted by the de Villiers.
Relaxation Experience and Activities At Chole Mjini Eco-Lodge Located On Chole Island (Mafia Island)
• Relax on Chole Island.
• Sightseeing on Chole Island. The island is very attractive for the traditional village life which visitors are welcome to see i.e. boat-building, sail-making, hand-manufacture of coconut coir rope, the roosts of the giant fruit bat (Pteropus), and the lush vegetation with baobabs, native Albizia and fruit trees. Among the island's curiosities are a number of trees containing colonies of Comoro bats, a protected species of fruit eating "flying foxes".
• Participate in the community-based activities.
• Diving - Mafia Island Marine Park is home to one of the finest marine life. The clear and calm waters make the dive even more spectacular.
• Take a trip to Maweni where coral rocks emerge from the bay surrounded by an extremely interesting reef and can be reached even by less expert swimmers.
• Take a trip to Fungo Marimbani, a strip of dazzling white sand, which appears during low tide, surrounded by crystal-clear water.
• Visit Juani Blue Lagoon. A long channel linking the huge inland bay with the open sea that bisects the southern point of Juani. At the end of the channel is an enormous natural swimming pool whose level varies according to the tides.
• Visit Zanzibar and Pemba Island.
• Safaris in Tanzania visiting Selous, Ruaha, Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and Ngorongoro Reserves and Parks.
• Fly to Mombasa and Lamu Island, Kenya to experience culture and history.
• Safaris in Kenya visiting Samburu, Shaba, Mount Kenya, Masai Mara, Amboseli, and Nairobi Parks and Reserves.
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