Lake Victoria
The town's original cathedral, the 1914 Bunena Church is the oldest church in Bukoba. It paints a pretty picture when seen from Bukoba Beach, but isn’t…
Must-see attractions in Tanzania
Northern Tanzania
Ghorofani, Lake Eyasi's main village, lies a few kilometres from the lake’s northeastern end. Its mnada (market), held on the fifth day of the month,…
Southern Highlands
This unique German-built mosque is a visual highlight of Iringa's colonial centre – it was built in 1932 but, with its clock tower and arcaded galleries,…
Southeastern Tanzania
Much of Mtwara’s fish comes from Msangamkuu on the other side of Mtwara Bay, and this small dhow port and adjoining fish market are particularly colourful…
Mwanza
Mwanza’s icon, Bismarck Rock, is a precariously balanced boulder atop the lovely jumble of rocks in the lake next to the Kamanga ferry pier. The little…
Zanzibar Island
This large natural cavern with a freshwater pool was originally used as a source of drinking water for local people and is rumoured to have been used in…
Southeastern Tanzania
Mtwara's market is full of colour and activity. You'll find everything here, with the traditional-medicine section and the textile shops particular…
Northeastern Tanzania
Tanga’s old boma has been rehabilitated, and now houses this small but worthwhile museum, with historical photos and artefacts from the area.
Lake Victoria
Mwigobero Market is on the city’s eastern shore. Small lake boats to nearby islands and villages load and unload passengers and cargo here.
Southern Highlands
Iringa’s atmospheric covered market is piled high with fruit and vegetables, plus other wares, including large-weave, locally made baskets.
Dar es Salaam
An imposing complex set amid large grounds, the State House was originally built by the Germans and rebuilt after WWI by the British.
Western Tanzania
This notable and attractive Catholic cathedral has concrete inner walls painted to look like wood and marble.
Southeastern Tanzania
Lindi's small but colourful dhow port is at its best in the morning hours, and well worth a visit.
Northeastern Tanzania
Long the subject of local legend, these limestone caves are one of the most extensive subterranean systems in East Africa and an intriguing excursion for…
Southern Highlands
This tiny museum in nearby Kalenga – the former Hehe capital – contains the skull, personal effects and other relics of Chief Mkwawa. It was here that he…
Pemba
Spread out amid palm trees and cassava fields, Chwaka Ruins consist of two separate sites, the Mazrui Tombs dating back to the 17th century, and the main…
Northeastern Tanzania
Directly offshore from Tanga is small, mangrove-ringed island Toten Island ('Island of the Dead'), with the overgrown ruins of a mosque dating from at…
Zanzibar Town
The upmarket suburb of Mbweni, 5km south of Zanzibar Town, was a Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) base and settlement for former slaves in…
Pemba
Down on the beach beyond Tumbe village, the sands are covered in fishing boats and tackle, and lined with a motley collection of huts where fishers gather…
Arusha
Despite the promising subject matter – the museum celebrates the groundbreaking 1967 declaration by then-president Julius Nyerere calling for African self…
Northeastern Tanzania
These green, odorous and rather underwhelming sulphur springs northwest of Tanga take their name from a Greek sisal planter who was the first to recognise…
Southern Highlands
About 1km from the town centre, off the Njombe road, is this small museum commemorating the Maji Maji uprising. Behind it is Chief Songea’s tomb…
Dar es Salaam
A striking edifice, with a red-roofed belfry overlooking the water, a rather stern Gothic interior and a marvellous, new handmade organ, this is one of…
Zanzibar Island
Although this mosque is thought to be one of the oldest Islamic buildings on the East African coast, it has been extensively restored and appears…
Mwanza
The rocky island 500m off Capri Point is Saa Nane National Park. Even though it’s just 0.76 sq km and home to only monkeys and impalas, visiting costs…
Pemba
This fairground was established in Pemba’s socialist days, and completely renovated (a gift from China) in recent years. The gleaming big wheels and…
Dar es Salaam
These overgrown but worthwhile ruins include the remnants of a late 15th-century mosque as well as Arabic graves from the 18th or 19th centuries, with…
Dar es Salaam
Although in danger of disappearing beneath development, these botanical gardens provide an essential shady oasis in the city. They were established in…
Pemba
This is where the Zanzibar State Trading Corporation (ZSTC) buys cloves in bulk from local farmers (usually between July and February). To get here, go…
Arusha
The collection of snakes and other reptiles here is the main draw, but there’s also a corny yet informative Maasai cultural museum with mock-ups of home…
Kiwengwa-Pongwe Forest Reserve
Zanzibar Island
Set back from the main road between Kiwengwa and Pongwe, this reserve protects a swathe of indigenous forest and its wildlife, including groups of the…
Northern Tanzania
At Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort, the small but worthwhile outdoor Chagga Live Museum illustrates traditional Chagga society with a range of tools, living…
Central Tanzania
Lake Singidani is one of three saline lakes just west of town. With green waters and plenty of rocky spots along the shore, it’s quite beautiful even when…
Bagamoyo
This undistinguished museum has a small display documenting the slave trade. It's at the town entrance, just past and diagonally opposite CRDB bank. More…
Zanzibar Town
Built by Sultan Barghash in the late 19th century, these were the first public baths on Zanzibar. The various rooms were renovated in 2017 and, although…
Western Tanzania
This colonial-era building was constructed in the early years of the 20th century for German emperor Wilhelm II, who was planning a hunting expedition to…
Southeastern Tanzania
Mahiwa is the site of one of WWI’s bloodiest battles in Africa, in which German and British Imperial forces (consisting of primarily Nigerian and South…
Lake Victoria
History buffs may enjoy the tower of the old German boma (a fortified living compound; in colonial times, an administrative office), now part of the…
Zanzibar Town
This lovely Arabesque-style mosque is one of the largest in Stone Town. As an Ijumma (Friday) mosque, the faithful come to pray here, rather than at their…
Central Tanzania
This museum at the Open University of Tanzania is mostly lacking labels, but the little collection of weapons, jewellery and other items from the region’s…
