Mafia Island Collectionby Taita Co.

You know your client. We know Mafia.

TAITA is a licensed, independent tour operator based directly on Mafia Island. We coordinate accommodation, diving, offshore fishing and whale sharks, run by three people who've called this island home since 2016.

Send us your enquiry Why Mafia Island
2016 On the ground, since
822 km² Marine park we work within
3 Founders, one island
100% Independent & local

Rooted in Mafia. Built on experience.

We came for a job. We stayed for a life.

Our East African story began before TAITA, with five years working across Kenya's lodges and tourism industry, including building restaurant concepts and original menus from scratch. It taught us that a memorable destination is shaped not only by where guests stay, but by the quality and character of the experiences built around them.

In May 2016 that journey brought us to Mafia Island, with 250 kilograms of luggage, two dogs and a parrot in tow. We had been invited by Nicola and Carolina Colangelo, pioneers of Tanzania's tourism industry, to take over Mafia Island Lodge, one of the island's oldest and best-known hotels. Six years running it gave us a privileged view of the island: its seasons, its marine environment, its operators and, most importantly, its community.

"By 2022, we had stopped thinking of Mafia as the island where we worked. It had become home."

That year we founded TAITA Company Ltd, based from our home in Kanga. Iris leads tourism and property management, Giuliano leads business development and investment, and Ally, born and raised on Mafia, brings a lifetime's knowledge of its waters and community, and experience in hospitality and offshore fishing that still shapes TAITA's fishing trips today. Some of the best partnerships don't start at a meeting table. Ours grew from friendship, trust and time on the water, and from a shared decision to build our future on the island we'd come to call home.

See what we coordinate on the island

One island. One local partner.

Everything you need for a Mafia stay, coordinated in one place

We don't own the properties or the boats. We know who does the job well, and we match them to the traveller in front of us.

Accommodation

Matched to budget, atmosphere and interests, fitted for the guest and not because it belongs to us.

MAFIA · STAY

Flights & transfers

Mafia Airport connections and local transfers, built into a wider Tanzania itinerary.

MAFIA · MOVE

Diving & marine

Scuba, snorkelling, sandbanks, mangroves and dhow trips inside Tanzania's first marine park.

MAFIA · DIVE

Offshore fishing

Experienced local crews, led on the water by Ally, our favourite captain. We're only biased about the favourite part.

MAFIA · FISH

Wildlife encounters

Whale sharks and seasonal humpbacks lead the way, spotted responsibly and never staged. Hippos are around too, though they take patience and a bit of luck to see.

MAFIA · WILD

Property & investment

Real estate brokerage, F&B concepts and project support for people building on Mafia.

MAFIA · BUILD

Swipe to see all six

From the bush to the Indian Ocean

Not a beach extension. A different Tanzania.

For safari travellers, Mafia isn't a place to switch off the wildlife. It's where the wildlife changes address. Reef, mangrove and current replace grass, dust and horizon, without changing the spirit of the trip.

There are no rows of resorts here, and no need to manufacture a sense of place. Mafia already has one, and tourism here still moves at the pace of the island around it.

  • Divers & snorkellers
  • Honeymooners
  • Families
  • Photographers
  • Fishing enthusiasts
  • Yoga & wellness groups

Mafia, your way

Starting points, not fixed packages

Tell us who's travelling. These are the shapes a Mafia journey often takes.

From bush to ocean

The perfect final chapter to a Tanzania safari.

4–7 nights

Mafia essential

A balanced introduction: sea, nature, island life and breathing room.

4–5 nights

Beneath Mafia

A dive-led stay, built for mixed diver and non-diver groups.

5–7+ nights

Wild Mafia

Whale sharks, humpbacks and rich birdlife, at their best in season.

5–7 nights

Slow Mafia

Quiet mornings and few fixed plans. A base for yoga or retreats.

Flexible

Mafia for families

Boat trips and exploration, paced to the youngest traveller.

5–7 nights

Mafia on the line

Offshore fishing as the centre of the trip, or a few days within one.

Flexible

These are ideas, not limits. Tell us about your Mafia Island and we will help you build your journey and experience.
Build your own Journey

Resources for your desk

Take Mafia with you. Download our guides

Company profile, destination facts and experience guides, all ready to drop into a client proposal or keep on file for reference.

PDF · Company Profile

TAITA Company Profile

Who we are, what we coordinate on Mafia Island, and why partners trust us with their clients.

Download
PDF · Experiences

Mafia Island Experiences

Diving, offshore fishing, whale sharks and wildlife — the activities we build journeys around.

Download
PDF · Destination Guide

Mafia Island Destination Guide

Getting there, seasons, the marine park and practical notes for planning a stay.

Download

Somewhere between the mainland and Mafia

A new tide is coming in

We're building a proper home for TAITA Co. online: the seasons, the stories, the parts of this island that don't fit on a business card. It isn't live yet. It's still out past the reef, catching wind.
You'll be the first to know when it reaches shore.

Let's work together

From your enquiry to their journey

  1. 1

    You send the essentials

    Dates, guest numbers, interests, standard and budget, plus any wider itinerary.

  2. 2

    We build a tailor-made proposal

    A clear, B2B-ready plan built around the specific traveller, not a generic package.

  3. 3

    You confirm, we coordinate

    Accommodation, transfers, activities and booking details, handled on the ground.

  4. 4

    We stay on call, on the island

    Real local assistance while your client is here, not just until the invoice is paid.

Tell us about your Mafia

One conversation is usually all it takes

Traveller, travel agent, tour operator or someone curious about building on the island: send us a few details and we'll come back with something useful, not a form letter.