Basecamp Mafía Island

This rating is tricky. I did extensive research and initially wanted to stay at Pole Pole or Kinasi Lodge, but both were sold out. Basecamp had recently undergone a management change and renovations, which came with mixed reviews — and I now understand why. I think this property with a few months of work, will be amazing. Some specifics: Service: The management team (Iris and Abdullah) are excellent. Prior to arriving, I was on whatapp with Iris and she is super responsive and helpful. Once onsite, we were in the hands of Abdullah, who always made sure we had what we need - from checking in early to organising excursions, he was great. Kitchen/Dining: This is the biggest area of opportunity (and critical, as you will pretty much eat all your meals at the hotel). The kitchen often ran out of key ingredients - for example, they had a drink menu of 6 cocktails, and one night they were out of 5 out of 6 of them! Additionally, we were hungry between excursions but the kitchen was unable to handle their 'bites' menu between lunch and dinner. Rooms: Beautiful, with some still being renovated (so be sure to ask if you booked a renovated room). Our family room with a sea view was stunning. We ran into a couple issues with all the outlets not working, which maintenance fixed. Same with the safe. We had two instances of no hot water in the shower, but maintenance was able to fix them. We did also lose power a couple times which tripped the circuit and required a reboot in the middle of the night to re-start the AC. Amenities: Nice pool, beachfront location, and reliable WiFi in common areas. So overall, nice resort with a few 'growing pains' to work out to go from 4 to 5 stars!

Met with a friendly greeting, and the friendliness continued. Relaxed and laid-back but with a choice of activities too. Or ijust sat and watched the world go by from the lovely restaurant and beach bar. Rooms were comfortable and recently refurbished to a high standard. The staff couldn't do enough for me. I loved it and highly recommend.

Stayed here in 2020 and 2021, it used to be good and convenient, now they are under new ownership and the lodge has lost all its charm. The rooms are of a decent size and the ñocation is convenient. However, they are cutting down trees (which for a Marine reserve park just blows my mind)… they are creating a negative environment and getting into fights with the community. Not a nice environment for holidays. I would avoid. Many great options around with a more sustainable practice.

Mafia Island Lodge had been closed for nearly two years for refurbishment after a change of ownership so we were honoured to be the first guests invited for lunch just prior to the reopening as part of the restaurants final training program. We enjoyed a beautiful and plentiful 4 course meal comprising local ingredients, fresh seafood, home made pasta and one of the best deserts we have ever had made by the in-house pastry chef. Everything we sampled was beautifully presented, perfectly cooked and extremely tasty. Portion sizes were very generous. The open dining area of the lodge which overlooked the gardens and the beach was a lovely place to sit back, relax and enjoy the attentive and very professional service from the new team. Though we were unable to stay at the lodge on this occasion, if the restaurant is anything to go by we're confident that the refurbished rooms will be of a similar high standard and would be happy to recommend this as a perfect place to stay on Mafia Island. It's located very close to the beach with easy access to diving and snorkelling facilities as well as an array of beachside bars. A huge thank you to Iris and all her team for inviting us to this memorable lunch - we wish you all the best for the reopening (late November 2023) and hope to visit again one day. With very best wishes from David & Christine - Sydney, Australia

Where can I begin…. For starters the lodge is absolutely beautiful, upon arrival we were blown away by the size of the dining/lounge area that looks straight out into the ocean. We were greeted by the friendliest staff I’ve come in contact with in a long time. Smiling faces that were extremely helpful with everything we needed, whether it was a ride to town or help deciding excursions and planning out our stay. The management was also wonderful. Always available and quick to help. We stayed here for 8 days but I would have stayed for much longer if I didn’t have to get back home for work. Me and my girlfriend will for sure be returning. If you plan on coming to mafia island, do yourself a favor and stay with Mafia island lodge!

Wir waren ab 19.11.24 für 17 Nächte im Basecamp Mafia Island. Der perfekte Ort, um nach der Safari auszuspannen und sowohl die schöne Unterwasserwelt als auch die noch sehr ursprüngliche Insel zu erkunden. Mit unserem Standardzimmer mit Meerblick waren wir sehr zufrieden. Ebenso mit dem Reinigungs- und Wäscheservice. Die Lodge punktet mit guter Ausstattung und einem schönen Strand, an dem man auch bei Ebbe baden kann. Obwohl alle unsere Quartiere in Tansania sehr schön waren, fanden wir den durchweg hervorragenden und sehr freundlichen Service im Basecamp toll. Wir wurden täglich gefragt, was wir planen, ob wir Verpflegungsboxen benötigen, ob unser Zimmer in Ordnung ist. Um eine erkrankte Mitreisende wurde sich sehr besorgt gekümmert, damit Sie Essen und Getränke bekommt, die sie verträgt. Als wir einen Mittagssnack bestellt haben und eine Zutat fehlte (was auf einer Insel mal vorkommen kann), wurde das aus dem Nachbarort besorgt. Das fanden wir schon sehr besonders. Es gibt ein sehr gutes Frühstück und zum Lunch oder Dinner ein 3-Gänge-Menü mit 3 Optionen (Fisch, Fleisch, Vegetarisch). Kaffee, Tee und Wasser stehen in der Lobby kostenfrei zur Verfügung. Auf dem Zimmer gibt es Wasserflaschen, die jederzeit vom Bar- und Restaurantpersonal aufgefüllt werden. Ein schöner Pool ist vorhanden, der aufgrund des tollen Strandes mit Beachbar, kaum genutzt wird. Wir waren 10 Tage tauchen und haben 3 Ausflüge gemacht. Dazwischen konnten wir in der Lodge perfekt entspannen und das bunte Leben von Utende und der Nachbarinseln kennenlernen, da die Fähren am Strand anlegen. Da gibt es immer was zu gucken! Asante Sana, liebes Basecamp-Team! Wir hatten einen tollen Urlaub.