Sights in Tanzania
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Isimila
In Isimila in the late 1950s, archaeologists unearthed one of the most significant Stone Age finds ever identified. The tools found at the site are estimated to be between 60,000 and 100,000 years old. Although the display itself is not particularly exciting, the surrounding area is intriguing, with small canyons and eroded sandstone pillars. The main pillar area is accessed via a walk down into a steep valley (about one hour round-trip), for which you’ll need a guide (small tip expected). Visits are best in the morning or late afternoon, before the sun gets too high. A small museum in which all the Stone Age finds are to be gathered is being built (entry is included in…
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Selous Game Reserve
This reserve is one of the earth's last great wild places: 55,000 sq km (21,235 sq mi) of untamed bush, crocodile-filled lakes and emerald green floodplains. The only accessible bit is the northern section above the great muddy sweep of the Rufiji River, where you'll see hippos, elephants, zebras, a maneless variety of lion and the rare African wild dog.
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Arusha National Park
Arusha National Park , although one of Tanzania's smallest parks, is one of its most beautiful and most topographically varied. Its main features include Ngurdoto Crater (often dubbed Little Ngorongoro) and the Momela Lakes to the east. To the west is beautiful Mt Meru. The two areas are joined by a narrow strip, with Momela Gate at its centre. The park's altitude, which varies from 1500m to more than 4500m, has a variety of vegetation zones supporting numerous animal species.
Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest, while the crater floor is a swamp. West of the crater is Serengeti Ndogo (Little Serengeti), an extensive area of open grassland and the only place in the…
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Stone Town
If Zanzibar Town is the archipelago's heart, Stone Town is its soul. It's magical jumble of cobbled alleyways make it easy to spend days wandering around and getting lost - although you can't get lost for long because, sooner or later, you'll end up on either the seafront or Creek Rd.
Nevertheless, each twist and turn of the narrow streets brings something new - be it a school full of children chanting verses from the Quran, a beautiful old mansion with overhanging verandas, or a coffee vendor with his long-spouted pot fastened over coals.
Along the way, watch the island's rich cultural melange come to life: Arabic-style houses with their recessed inner courtyards rub…
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Beit el-Ajaib (House of Wonders)
Beit el-Ajaib - home to the Zanzibar National Museum of History & Culture is one of the largest structures in Zanzibar. It was built in 1883 by Sultan Barghash (r 1870-88) as a ceremonial palace. After British naval bombardment in 1896 it was rebuilt and used as a residential palace for the Sultans and later the headquarters of the CCM (Tanzania's ruling party).
Inside are exhibits on the dhow culture of the Indian Ocean, Swahili civilisation and 19th-century Zanzibar, plus smaller displays on kangas (printed cotton wraparound, incorporating a Swahili proverb, worn by women) and the history of Stone Town. There's also a life-sized mtepe (a traditional Swahili sailing…
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Jakobsen’s (Mwamahunga) Beach
The best place for relaxing is Jakobsen’s (Mwamahunga) Beach, which is actually two small, beautiful coves reached via steps down a vegetated section of hillside about 5km southwest of Kigoma. There are a few bandas for shade, the water is bilharzia-free and the overall setting – especially if you visit during the week when few people are around – is idyllic. There’s no food or drink. Head west from town along the road past Kigoma Hilltop Hotel, keeping right at the small fork until the signpost, from where it’s about 3km further uphill and signposted. Via public transport, catch a Katonga dalla-dalla at the roundabout near the train station and ask the driver…
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Darajani Market
The dark, narrow passageways of the chaotic Darajani market assault the senses, with occasional whiffs of spices mixing with the stench of fish, the clamour of vendors hawking their wares, neat, brightly coloured piles of fruits and vegetables, and dozens of small shops selling everything from plastic tubs to auto spares. It's just off Creek Rd, and at its best in the morning before the heat and the crowds, when everything is still fresh.
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Jozani Forest
A tiny patch of pristine rainforest right in the centre of Zanzibar island, Jozani Forest is home to the extremely rare Red Colobus monkey, the Ader's duiker antelope, and numerous bird species. There's a mangrove boardwalk through the trees and a small education centre.
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Msimbati Peninsula
The heart of the conservation area is Msimbati Peninsula, together with the bordering Mnazi Bay. Among its attractions: a lovely palm-lined beach, a string of offshore reefs, and a lack of crowds.
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Coco Beach
Packed with locals on weekends, and an amenable seaside setting for an inexpensive beer.
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School of St Jude
He's the patron saint of hopeless cases, but St Jude would definitely be smiling at what has been achieved in his name in a school just outside Arusha. To score a place in Australian Gemma Sisia's pioneering establishment you have to meet two very different requirements. First you've got to be extremely bright, only the smartest kids get to even sit the entrance exam and only the best results get a place. Second you've got to be very poor, if you come from a home with more than two rooms or with electricity you're ineligible.
The School of St Jude kicked off in 2002 with a handful of kids and one teacher. By 2007 the school had expanded to 850 children, 60 teachers and…
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Bagamoyo Town
With its cobwebbed portals, crumbling German-era colonial buildings and small alleyways where the sounds of children playing echo together with the footsteps of history, Mji Mkongwe (Stone Town) as it's known locally, is well worth a leisurely stroll.
The most interesting area is along Ocean Rd. Here, among other buildings, you'll find the imposing remains of the old German boma (colonial-era administrative offices), built in 1897; a school, which dates to the late 19th century and was the first multiracial school in what is now Tanzania; and Liku House, which served as the German administrative headquarters until the capital was moved to Dar es Salaam. Directly on the…
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Beit el-Ajaib
One of the most prominent buildings in the old Stone Town is the elegant Beit el-Ajaib, now home to the Zanzibar National Museum of History & Culture. It's also one of the largest structures in Zanzibar.
It was built in 1883 by Sultan Barghash (r 1870-88) as a ceremonial palace. In 1896 it was the target of a British naval bombardment, the object of which was to force Khalid bin Barghash, who had tried to seize the throne after the death of Sultan Hamad (r 1893-96), to abdicate in favour of a British nominee. After it was rebuilt, Sultan Hamoud (r 1902-11) used the upper floor as a residential palace until his death. Later it was used as the local political headquarters…
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Beit el-Sahel
Just north of the Beit el-Ajaib is the palace, Beit el-Sahel, which served as the sultan's residence until 1964, when the dynasty was overthrown. Now it is a museum devoted to the era of the Zanzibar sultanate.
The ground floor displays details of the formative period of the sultanate from 1828 to 1870, during which commercial treaties were signed between Zanzibar and the USA (1833), Britain (1839), France (1844) and the Hanseatic Republics (1859). There is also memorabilia of Princess Salme, a Zanzibari princess who eloped with a German to Europe and later wrote an autobiography. The exhibits on the 2nd floor focus on the period of affluence from 1870 to 1896, during…
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Mt Kilimanjaro National Park
An almost perfectly shaped volcano rising sheer from Tanzania's northeastern plains, Mt Kilimanjaro is one of Africa's most magnificent sights. Snowcapped and not yet extinct, at 5896m (19343ft) it's the highest peak on the continent.
The name of Kilimanjaro is as shrouded in mystery as the mist-enveloped summit. 'Mountain of Light' is one of the several possible translations, although many locals refer to the snowy peak as Kipoo or Kibo.
Daunting as it looks, it's possible to scale the mountain without technical mountaineering skills - all you need is determination, warm clothing and a properly equipped guide. There's no doubt you'll go through the pain barrier on the…
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Ruvula
Most visitors head straight to the tiny village of Ruvula, which is about 7km beyond Msimbati village along a sandy track (or along the beach at low tide), and which boasts a fine stretch of sand, although the views have been marred in recent times by the rigs set up at one end in connection with exploitation of offshore gas fields found in Mnazi Bay.
In addition to its beach - one of the few on the mainland offering sunset views - Ruvula is notable as the spot where British eccentric Latham Leslie-Moore built his house and lived until 1967 when he was deported after agitating for independence for the Msimbati Peninsula. Deportation seemed a better option to Leslie-Moore…
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Beit el-Sahel (Palace Museum)
Just north of the Beit el-Ajaib, is Beit el-Sahel. This palace served as the sultan's residence until 1964 when the dynasty was overthrown. Now it's a museum devoted to the era of the Zanzibar sultanate. The ground floor displays details of the formative period of the sultanate from 1828 to 1870.
There is also memorabilia of Princess Salme, a Zanzibari princess who eloped with a German to Europe, and later wrote an autobiography. The exhibits on the 2nd floor focus on the period of affluence from 1870 to 1896, during which modern amenities such as piped water and electricity were introduced to Zanzibar under Sultan Barghash. The 3rd floor consists of the modest living…
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Sukuma Museum & Bujora Cultural Centre
If you’re interested in learning about Sukuma culture, the Sukuma Museum & Bujora Cultural Centre makes a worthwhile day trip from Mwanza. The centrepiece is an open-air museum where, among other things, you’ll see traditional Sukuma dwellings, the house of a traditional healer, a wooden trough used for rainmaking potions and a blacksmith’s house and tools. There is also a large map showing the old Sukuma kingdoms, and nearby a rotating cylinder illustrating different Sukuma systems for counting from one to 10. Traditionally, these systems were used by various Sukuma age-based groups as a sort of secret language or symbol of initiation. Each group – girls, boys, women,…
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Kaole Ruins
Just south of Bagamoyo time slides several centuries further into the past at the Kaole ruins. At its centre are the remains of a 13th-century mosque, which is one of the oldest in mainland Tanzania and also one of the oldest in East Africa. It was built in the days when the Sultan of Kilwa held sway over coastal trade, and long before Bagamoyo had assumed any significance. Nearby is a second mosque dating to the 15th century, as well as about 22 graves, many of which go back to the same period. Among the graves are several Shirazi pillar-style tombs reminiscent of those at Tongoni, but in somewhat better condition, and a small museum housing Chinese pottery fragments and…
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Mtoni Palace Ruins
The ruins of Mtoni Palace, built by Sultan Seyyid Said as his residence in the early 19th century, are located just northeast of Maruhubi Palace. In its heyday, the palace was a beautiful building with a balconied exterior, a large garden courtyard complete with peacocks and gazelles, an observation turret and a mosque. By the mid-1880s the palace had been abandoned, and during WWI parts of the compound were used as a supplies storehouse.
Today nothing remains of Mtoni's grandeur other than a few walls, although you can get an idea of how it must have looked once by reading Emily Said-Reute's Memoirs of an Arabian Princess. To get here, continue north on the main road…
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National Museum
The National Museum houses the famous fossil discoveries of zinjanthropus (nutcracker man) from Olduvai Gorge, plus some scattered but intriguing displays on numerous other topics, including the Shirazi civilisation of Kilwa, the Zanzibar slave trade, and the German and British colonial periods. For aficionados of vintage autos, there’s a small special collection in the plaza between the main buildings, including the Rolls Royce used first by the British colonial government and later by Julius Nyerere, and the original East African Community Mercedes Benz. In the back building are a couple of old wooden bicycles – one of which uses no metal at all. The museum is near the…
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Old Fort
Just south of the Beit el-Ajaib is the Old Fort, a massive, bastioned structure originally built around 1700 on the site of a Portuguese chapel by Omani Arabs as a defence against the Portuguese. In recent years it has been partially renovated to house the Zanzibar Cultural Centre, as well as the offices of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF). Inside is an open-air theatre that hosts music and dance performances.
There's also a small information centre that has schedules for performances, and a good restaurant. The tree growing inside the fort, in the area in front of the café, is known in Swahili as mwarobaini (the tree of forty) because its leaves, bark and…
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Amboni Caves
Long the subject of local legend, these limestone caves are one of the most extensive subterranean systems in East Africa and an intriguing off-beat excursion for anyone with an interest in spelunking. Now home to thousands of bats, they were traditionally believed to house various spirits, and continue to be a place of worship and ritual. The caves were originally thought to extend up to 200km or more, and are said to have been used by the Kenyan Mau Mau during the 1950s as a hide-out from the British. Although a 1994 survey concluded that their extent was much smaller – with the largest of the caves studied only 900m long – rumours of them reaching all the way to…
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Tongoni Ruins
The ruins – which are surrounded by rusted barbed wire and set between baobabs overlooking nearby mangroves and coastline – include the crumbling remains of a mosque and about 20 overgrown Shirazi pillar-style tombs, the largest collection of such tombs on the East African coast. Both the mosque and the tombs are estimated to date from the 14th or 15th century, when Tongoni was a major coastal trading port. Although most of the pillars have long since toppled to the ground, you can still see the recessed areas on some where decorative porcelain vases and offering bowls were placed. There are also about two dozen more recent, and largely unremarkable tombs dating from the…
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Kidichi Persian Baths
The Kidichi Persian Baths are another construction of Sultan Seyyid, built in 1850 for his Persian wife at the island's highest point. Like the other nearby ruins, they're rather unremarkable now, but with a bit of imagination, you can see the Sultan's lavishly garbed coterie disrobing to test the waters. The décor, with its stylised birds and flowers, is typically Persian, though it's now in poor condition.
To get here, take dalla-dalla 502 to the main Bububu junction, from where it's about a 3km walk east down an unsealed road. Look for the bathhouse to your right.
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