Where it is, and whose it is
Maziwe is a small sand island in the Indian Ocean off Pangani, south of Tanga. It is reached by boat from the Pangani side rather than from Tanga city, which matters for anyone planning a day around it from the wrong end of the coast.
It is worth being clear about its status. The general management plan for the Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park places Maziwe Island south of the park boundary — that is, outside it. No source consulted for this page states what protection, if any, currently applies to the island itself.
The turtles
Maziwe is sold, more or less universally, as a turtle island. The marine park’s management plan is the authority that contradicts that, and it does so directly: in listing the causes of the general decline of Tanzania’s turtle populations, it gives Maziwe Island as its example of a lost nesting site, stating that it no longer supports nesting populations of the species concerned. Elsewhere in the same document Maziwe appears again as its example of habitat threatened by unsustainable use and degradation.
The plan attributes the regional decline to two causes together: the loss of nesting habitat, and capture in gill nets, both incidental and deliberate. Green and hawksbill turtles are among the species it names as endangered on this coast.
That does not mean you will not see a turtle in the water here — feeding turtles and nesting turtles are different questions. It does mean that a trip described as a visit to a turtle nesting island is describing something the managing authority for the surrounding water says has gone. The sea turtle watching guide covers where turtle watching in Tanzania is genuinely well founded.
What the trip actually is
It is a boat trip to a sandbank with snorkelling over the surrounding reef, which is a good thing in itself and is how the day should be judged. See the sandbank and island hopping guide and the snorkelling guide. There is no infrastructure on the island, no shade to speak of and nothing published about landing arrangements, so sun, water and timing are the whole of the planning.
Common questions
Do turtles nest on Maziwe?
The Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park’s management plan states that Maziwe Island no longer supports nesting populations, and uses it as its example of a lost nesting site on this coast.
Is Maziwe inside the marine park?
No. The park’s own plan places it south of the park boundary. What protection currently applies to the island is not stated by any source consulted here.
Do you go from Tanga or Pangani?
From Pangani. The island lies off the Pangani coast, and a day trip planned from Tanga city is a considerably longer day than most itineraries imply.