• About Kitu Kiblu
    About Kitu Kiblu

About us

Whale sharks aggregate in the channel between Mafia Island and mainland Africa and are easily seen surface feeding, usually between September and March, providing an opportunity to study and interact with them.

Kitu Kiblu runs half-day encounter trips, allowing visitors to interact with whale sharks in a safe, relaxed and respectful way. We also run internship programs, for those with an interest in marine conservation looking to gain skills and experience working at sea.

Kitu Kiblu was founded on three, to us self-evident, concepts:

1 – For whale shark conservation to be sustainable, the live, wild animals must be worth more to the authorities who have the power to protect them than dead or caged animals.

2 – Wild animals are essential components of their ecosystems. They have an inherent right to live free and unmolested by humans and it is in our own vested interest to defend that right.

3 – Through research we can understand enough to predict whale shark behaviour and interact with them in a way that does not interfere with them or do them any harm.

Irresponsible tourism can have very negative consequences.

Animals are often hit by speeding boats and their feeding disrupted by people jumping in front and on top of them. They are hazed, harassed, molested and ridden by unscrupulous operators and their passengers. Even tourists are endangered by speeding boats and people congestion.

The whale shark code of conduct seeks to control this and mitigate negative impacts and ensure that you have a quality experience. At Kitu Kiblu we use to the international whale shark code of conduct and take further measures to ensure that our interactions are safe, non-disruptive and respectful.

We implore you to insist that any operator you use informs you of the code of conduct, adheres to it and controls the wayward behaviour of their clients and makes every effort to stick to the speed limit.