Chole Island

Uh, pretty nice sunset!

I was excited to stay on a smaller island to the east of Mafia called Chole Island. There is a small locally owned place at the southern tip of the tiny island. My expectations were very low as the place looked pretty basic but given that we had already done a ton of activities we thought it might be a nice quiet place to kick back. 

Our arrival was dictated by the tides as we could only cross at high tide. The lodge is tucked within mangroves and the water level at high tide is some of the best that we've seen for swimming in the Indian Ocean (notorious for dramatic tide swings). We were quite pleased with the basic set up and even better, we were the only guests. There appeared to be only two other rooms for guests and all had a beautiful view of the west. 

The location is an absolute hidden gem. Sunsets were jaw-dropping (with bats over the water taboot), the water level near to high tide was suitable for swimming, and the area was extremely peaceful. True, the accommodation was very basic, but it was totally fine. There was no need for air conditioning and the solar power system could manage a fan at night. The breakfast and lunch were lacking but the fresh seafood dinner was among the best seafood I have ever had! 

We enjoyed a few days on Chole and we lucked out with the tides in the morning and evening. This meant we could do plenty of swimming and we ended up not going on any excursions which was relaxing given the relaxing environs. 

Low tide looking for critters