Name: Chole Foxes lodge
Address: 125 Mafia Pwani, Mafia Island, Mafia Island, Mafia Island, not available, Tanzania
Rating: 9

Smoke-free property

Ticket assistance

Garden

Terrace

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Reception desk

General

Laundry

Safe-deposit box

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Coffee/tea for guests

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Restaurant

Snack bar

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Free Wi-Fi

Internet

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Library

Picnic area

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Free parking

Parking

Pets Not Allowed

Pets

Additional measures against COVID-19

Health and Safety Measures

Location

At the hotel

Mafia Airport

Chole Foxes lodge

Mafia Island

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harbour-view

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lake-view

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ocean-front

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oceanside

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pool-view

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basement

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not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

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pets-allowed

wi-fi

kitchen

Thank you Chole Foxes Lodge Team for a wonderful stay with you! We came for one night, but ended up staying three nights because it was so great - the company, the tasty food, the silence, the sunset,  the charming nature with fireflies and hummingbirds and the view.

We will surely get back! See you, Moses, Mossa, Ali and the rest of you!

SUPER!

Chole Foxes Lodge is just magical! Located in a beautiful spot overlooking the mangroves and crystal clear sea, perfect to sunbathe and swim during the day and watch the stars, fireflies, and flying foxes by night, we felt so relaxed and far away from everything! The island is so small you can explore it all by foot and is very beautiful, as well as a great base to do other tours and activities such as visiting the Blue Lagoon, snorkelling, sandbank lunch etc. which can be organised by Dr. Mudy. All of our meals were delicious, lots of seafood, fresh fruit, and very generous portions, and the bungalows are clean and comfortable. Dr. Mudy and his team are the most kind and generous hosts and really go out of their way to make you feel welcome, from greeting us with fresh juice when we arrived to surprising us with the most incredible seafood lunch on our last day, they really made our stay extra special. Chole Foxes is a really unique and wonderful place to stay and was the perfect end to our honeymoon in Tanzania - thanks so much! :)

Paradise!

A very warm and welcoming restaurang with an excellent octupuss paella. The owner is a resigned doctor that hospital in Utende is named after. 
It was a very nice walk there. We were escorted by half of the Islands children. We also went to see the foxbats. Very big and fascinating. 

Lunch

We arrive here by boat and we spent 3 days 2 nights that we will never forget
the ownwer is a doctor and he take care for the poor children at school too
they have 2 rooms only looking the sunset
and his wife and him they will prepare for you a good good lunch dinner and breakfast
CHOLE ISLAND IS A REAL PARADISE and everybody must vist CHOLE in front of Mafia Island
we will back here coz impossible forget!!
love you all!!
jambo Cinzia e Robbie

A REAL PARADISE WITH EVERY CONFORT NICE TO BE THERE

We stayed four days in Chole Foxes Lodge in the end of December. This was our second time in Mafia island. Everything in the lodge worked very well and we enjoyed our stay there a lot.  

The locally owned lodge is located on the south end of the Chole island with a sea view to west. The beach of the lodge is shallow – it can be reached by boat only on high tide. The lodging is basic but comfortable and well cleaned. We didn’t see much mosquitos, but the nets over the bed are good. The sea view from the lodge is beautiful (there only 20 meters to the shore). You can sit down on the terrace and watch the sun set. Electricity is available only occasionally, and it’s made with solar panels. Water comes to lodge (and showers) by pipe, but it’s carried to a small water tower/container from nearby well. This all means that the only engine sound we heard during our stay was the outboard when in boat - otherwise just nature and sometimes villagers.  

We had all meals in the lodge, breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Chole the other options are scarce, except the lunch places that local use. The food was just delicious –fresh fruits (love the mangos!) in morning and various seafood for lunch and dinner. We mostly were on trips in daytime and got lunch packages with us. 

The lodge has a traditional style wooden boat with an outboard engine, which can be used for excursions. Since the tide fluctuations are large, the timing of water activities (snorkeling, fishing) is dependent on tide cycle. The location of the lodge is great for trips to snorkeling in Chole Bay or outer reefs, also the staff knows the good places and can help to spot various species. From Chole it is also easy to walk and wade to Juani island at low tide – there’s practically no other tourists. Local villages and nature there is worth to see, especially the tidal shore in the other side if you are interested in biology.

Activities we did: snorkeling (Chole Bay area, Mange reef, front of lodge), fishing, excursion on Chole and Juani island, bird watching, visit to blue lagoon and Mafia island forest area. These all can be arranged straight from lodge.

Thanks, 
Hanna & Lari

Friendly and peaceful place to stay

If you prefer to avoid the crowds and noisy cities, and don't require a five-star hotel, consider Chole Foxes.  You might be the only tourists on this small island that has no motor vehicles, and limited solar power, but you won't lack for great food and service.  

Upon arrival at Mafia airport we met Hassan (Chole Foxes manager) who accompanied us to our lodging, assisted at the Marine Park entrance, and guided us from Mafia Island to Chole island via Chole Foxes own locally hand crafted boat.  Because we arrived at low tide, we walked with Hassan across the island to the lodge, catching a glimpse of the rural island life, and were welcomed on arrival with refreshing chilled fresh coconut water.  

Hassan provided details on various excursion options, and helped us with plans to make the most of our 31/2 days on the island.  He and Dr.Mudy were happy to make all the arrangements, and adapted our full board meals around our chosen activities (even accommodated my minor food allergies)  I had wondered if the island location might limit excursions, but because Chole Foxes uses their own boat, we were taken everywhere we needed to go, at no additional fee.  Our activities were all planned around the tide, including our daily swimming near the lodge - you get a perspective on how this quiet island life revolves around nature.  

The room is basic; simple decor, very clean with private bathroom and shower (remember every bit of the water is carried by hand to the elevated water tank) the beds were very comfortable, plenty of space with island made coconut rope chairs, table and shelving unit for your packs and belongings.  The mosquito nets were the best we found in 3 weeks in Tanzania! Limited solar power - no TV's here...just the tranquility of watching the fireflies, viewing the amazing starlit sky, and listening to the tropical birds and gently lapping ocean waves.  For those that require, we had perfect Vodacom cell service.  

Be aware that there aren't stores or restaurants on the island; we brought some snacks with us and never even ate them because the full board meals were very hearty and fulfilling, and drinking water was provided in our room.  Cold beverages were available for purchase also (check in advance for your favourites....as they have to be brought in from Mafia)  The meals were great a variety of fresh locally harvested seafoods and vegetables prepared in the Chole foxes kitchen and amazingly delicious tropical fruits, picked the day you eat them!

We highly recommend the whale shark tour; and snorkelling is a must, combined with the sandbank picnic / bbq it was absolutely fantastic!

A quiet, peaceful getaway from city and tourist crowds

pros: lovely location on a small island where you get to see more that just a touristy side of tanzania; nice bungalows with lots of space, trees and plants around; beautiful dark skies due to zero light pollution; friendly personell; good and varied food, always freshly made; owner always available for any questions, issues, and very knowledgable about the island and the country, effectively arranges all trips and transport ...

advice: you can only charge your gadgets in the common area and due to the place being solar powered the power supply can be limited at time - it was totally sufficient for me and another guest, but if you have many gadgets / take many photos etc, consider bringing a powerbank, just in case

possible con: beach tide dependent

peaceful place

This is our second stay here, first time was in 2013. It's still as good as we remember, almost nothing has changed. The rooms (only 2 at present) are simple and small but everything works. The food is delicious and the staff friendly and attentive. We have their full attention, as we are the only people here for the week that we are staying! The owner, Dr Mudy, is charming and helpful. He is dedicated to creating benefits and job opportunities for the local community.

Since 2013, solar capacity has been increased. We now have an electric fan in our room, which we have not had to use, and we can now charge equipment in the main building during daytime. Dr Mudy makes his mobile hotspot available for wifi but we also brought our own - Vodacom seems to work better than Airtel in this area.

There are many possible excursions; so far we have been snorkeling once in the lovely Coral Gardens, with Hamisi as our excellent guide, and Kamna took us on foot to the Kua Ruins on Juani Island. On our own we have revisited the bat colony and the boat-builders. Mostly we are just here for the peace and quiet, birdwatching etc.

From our porch we see glorious sunsets behind palms on the main island, and at dusk the flying foxes pass by. Nights are so peaceful here. We hear no motors at all, just the rustling of trees and the lapping of the sea at high tide. 

If you're a little adventurous and willing to 'go with the flow', you'll love this place.

Chole Foxes lodge

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