chole island

Chole Island

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Chole is a tiny island off the Tanzanian coast, about 160kms south of Zanzibar.
It is 2.26km square island based on a fossil coral reef exposed at the end of the last ice age about 12,000 years ago.
The island is also home to a sizeable roost of giant fruit bats, sign-posted along a path past a chirruping Qu’ran school, although the noisome racket of the roost at morning and night is guide enough. The docking beach at Chole is a good spot to see traditional boat-building and sail-making, in which all materials are impressively fashioned by hand.
The local people are friendly, and it is interesting to see their smart mud and pole houses, often well-decorated with pebbles to add colour and style.