WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I ARRIVE?
We can arrange an airport pick up for you at Dar es Salaam Airport and a local private driver will escort you to a local hostel where you can spend your first night relaxing and recovering from your journey. These costs are extra and you can pay CA$80/$60 in country. The following day you will be returned to the airport in time for your internal flight on the eight seater light aircraft to Mafia Island. Please ensure that you book your flight well in advance. Once on Mafia Island you will be met by Frontier staff at the airport and transferred by vehicle to the project camp site at Utende. You will then have an introductory period which will allow you to settle into life on Mafia Island, meet with the staff and your fellow volunteers and get stuck into camp life.
If you are travelling independently you may wish to make your own internal arrangements and if so we will provide you with detailed instructions on how to reach the Mafia Island camp. If you do plan to make your own way to camp please ensure you inform the project staff of your intended journey and arrival time at least 1 week prior to arrival.
It is possible to reach Mafia by ferry but sailing times can be very unpredictable, the journey might be rough and it can be tricky with no knowledge of Swahili. If you choose to travel by road and ferry you need to transfer to the port town of Nyamasati, 90 km south of Dar from where you can catch the ferry, approximately a 6-hour trip, to the town of Kilindoni on the western side of Mafia Island. If you inform staff of your arrival plans beforehand, once on the island you will be met by Frontier field staff, either at the small harbour town of Kilondoni or at the airport on Mafia and transferred by boat or vehicle to the project camp site.
WHERE WILL I BE STAYING?
Check out our Camp Tour video!
During the project you'll live on a basic camp alongside the project volunteers at Utende within Mafia Island Marine Park. We aim to provide you with a unique and memorable living experience. The Frontier camp was constructed by local craftsmen and Frontier field staff using traditional building techniques from locally sourced, environmentally friendly, building supplies. You may even have a chance to try out some of these construction techniques for yourself while living on camp.
The camp, which is situated in a clearing in a coconut plantation, was designed to blend in with the surroundings. Camp life is very simple, unsophisticated and fun. You will be staying in communal bandas, huts made from makuti (woven palm leaves), poles and mud, sleeping on beds constructed from wooden poles, washing from a bucket, using a long drop toilet and cooking over a charcoal stove. So prepare for the basic, unencumbered lifestyle!
WHAT WILL I BE EATING?
Camp food is simple and nutritious and consists largely of rice, beans and vegetables all of which are purchased locally in order to help support the local economy. Luxuries such as chocolate, biscuits, peanut butter and drinking chocolate are available in Kilindoni but tend to be expensive as they are imported from the mainland, so make sure you stock up before heading to the field! Part of your role on camp will be to help with the cooking, so get your cookbooks out now and start practicing!
What Next? Apply Now!
