How to get to Tanga City – Town
Tanga can be accessed via four means, thus through railway, boat, road and air by flight.
By Road
By bus from the southern Kenyan border post of Lungalunga/Horohoro, it is a beautiful drive on a new highway through the quiet Mkinga district, with the rising Usambara Mountains in the west as you approach Tanga.
The city, being on the highway between Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, is well served by bus services from both Kenya and the northern Tanzania regions of Usambara, Moshi and Arusha. Ratco and other buses for Dar es Salaam depart daily every few hours from 6am to 2pm in each direction (six hours).
To Arusha there are at least three departures daily between about 6am and 11am (seven to eight hours). To Lushoto there are several direct buses departing daily from 7am (four hours).
By Rail
A defunct railway link also still exists between Moshi and Tanga. A small airport in the city is served by only two small local air operators.
As of July 2019, diesel powered cargo trains are leaving Tanga Railway Station again and passenger transport between Tanga and Arusha is set to start in September 2019. This is in operation now.
By Air
Tanga has a small airport and is currently served by only two regional airlines Auric Air and Coastal Aviation providing scheduled services to Dar es Salaam, Pemba Island and Zanzibar. There are also a small number of private airstrips in the surrounding area around the city that facilitate the private estates and surrounding industries. The city is served by Tanga Airport.
By Boat
Azam Marine’s Sealink ferry goes weekly between Tanga and Pemba (four hours, US$35), with connections on to Zanzibar Island. Departures from Tanga are on Tuesday, and from Pemba on Sunday. Tickets can be bought online or at the Azam Marine Booking Office.
4 ways to go to Tanga Region Tanzania
Weekly
Daily
Daily
Daily
Difference between fly and go by a car is 60 km.
Tanga - Town FAQ's
You will require a passport valid for at least six months after your date of entry. If you are arriving from a country in which Yellow Fever is endemic (such as Kenya), you will require an immunization certificate or health card.
Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and most countries in the EU, need a tourist visa to enter Tanzania. Application details and forms can be found on Tanzanian Embassy web sites.
As with all visa matters — contact your local Tanzanian Embassy for the latest information.
The official unit of currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS), divided into 100 cents. Notes are issued as TSh10,000; 5000; 1000; 500; 200 and 100. Coins are issued as TSh100; 50; 20; 10, 5 and 1.
The tourism industry prices everything in US Dollars and they are the preferred unit of currency. Major currencies can be exchanged in the larger towns. Foreign exchange bureaux in the main towns usually offer a better rate on traveller’s cheques than do the banks. ATMs are available in major cities only. Major lodges, some hotels and travel agents in urban areas accept credit cards, but these should not be relied on and can incur a 10% surcharge.
See www.oando.com for the latest exchange rates.
Purchasing your visa upon arrival is standard.
The tourist visa is valid for 90 days and the cost is $50 for foreigners, $100 for US citizens. That said, roughly 50 countries from around the world are exempt, including South Africa, India, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brazil. For the full list of exemptions, please go here.
For those in need of a visa, note that you’ll be given an entry form on the plane to fill in. When you land, an immigration officer will look over your passport and entry card, then ask about your accommodation and departure date, before sending you to the cashier’s window.
Once the cashier receives your passport and payment, you’ll be asked to wait in a designated area. After processing, they’ll call your name, return your passport (visa stamp in place), and provide you with a receipt. Your new tourist visa is good for one year, but you can only stay in the country for 90 days at a time.
There are no mandatory vaccinations for entering Tanzania. The only exception is proof of a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country with a known yellow fever epidemic.
That said, to ensure your health whilst travelling abroad you should have the following vaccinations: typhoid, TDP, varicella (unless you’ve had chicken pox), and Hepatitis A and B. If you’re an adventurous eater, you might want to add cholera to the list.
Tanzania is in a malaria zone, as shown in the map below. That said, malaria isn’t an issue in all parts of the country. But you might want to consider using anti-malaria medication. If so, please order enough to be able to continue taking them seven days after returning home.
All good accommodations where mosquitoes are an issue provide you with netting around your bed.
Finally, your doctor may recommend a rabies shot – a series of two doses over a four-week period – if you plan on caving or working with animals.
Insect repellent and sunscreen
Please bring enough insect repellent and sunscreen for the trip. You’re heading to a country just south of the Equator, and so it can get very hot. It’s not easy to find insect repellent and sunscreen in Tanzania and, when you do, they’re pricey.
Whilst on safari, you need to protect yourself from tsetse flies. These flies can transmit African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness. It’s best to wear light-colour clothing; tsetse flies are attracted to dark colours, especially shades of blue. Unfortunately products containing DEET usually don’t discourage tsetse flies from biting, so try to find a natural insect repellent containing eucalyptus oil.
The three international airports in Tanzania are in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Zanzibar. There are many other airports, as well as airstrips, that one can use for travel within Tanzania.
Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam
This airport is on the east coast. It’s the biggest airport and you may need to fly here and then catch a connection to one of the smaller ones. This airport makes the most sense if you’re heading to west, central or southern Tanzania.
Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) near Arusha
JRO is just outside of Arusha, the main city of northern Tanzania. This is the ideal airport if you’re heading on a Northern Circuit safari or a Kilimanjaro climb. As you can see in the map below, it’s very close to Moshi, the closest town to Kilimanjaro National Park.
JRO is also the closest major airport to the large game reserves of the north like Serengeti National Park. That said, Tanzania is a big country and it will take a day to drive from JRO to the Serengeti, for instance, especially as much of the drive is on dirt roads that require four-wheel drive. You might like to consider flying to one of the various airstrips across northern Tanzania to reduce travel times.
Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume Airport (ZNZ) in Zanzibar
If you’re heading to the Zanzibar archipelago, then you want to fly into ZNZ on Unguja Island. If you’re heading to Zanzibar from elsewhere in Tanzania, then you could also use Pemba Airport (PMA) depending on your planned itinerary.
Zanzibar is famous for its beautiful, warm-water beaches, unique cultural history, beautiful game parks and wildlife, and water sports. We find that many like to fly there from Kilimanjaro International Airport after having completed a Kili climb in order to relax and unwind after their epic trek.
Fly into Kenya and drive south
Note that you could also choose to fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO) in Nairobi, Kenya, and then drive southwards for 800 km to reach the Tanzania border. This works well for those wanting to visit both Kenya and Tanzania.
Note that if you’re going to visit more than one nation in the region, you’ll probably want to obtain an East African visa over just a Tanzanian visa.
| Distance: 359 km | Time: 7HR |
Tanga Region in Tanzania
Tanga in northern Tanzania is the regional headquarter and one of the largest cities in the country. Compared to Arusha or Moshi it is a rather quiet city, but with a comparable population. The city of Tanga is located on the Indian Ocean near the border with Kenya.
Serengeti Trips Tanzania
Find all the transport options for your trip from Arusha to Ngorongoro Crater right here. We displays up to date schedules, route maps, journey times and estimated fares from relevant transport operators, ensuring you can make an informed decision about which option will suit you best.
Tanga is Tanzania’s second-largest seaport, situated close to the border with Kenya. Initially, it was intended to be the capital of Tanzania as per the plans of German colonialists. Tanga was the country’s industrial base with factories manufacturing soap, blankets, steel, fertilizers, and many other products. Today, Tanga may have lost the economic and cultural allure of past decades, but it is potentially the most productive region in Tanzania.
Things to do in Tanga
Amani Nature reserve (ANR) has been termed as the “Last Paradise” it is a paradise of nature in the sense that the flora and fauna are unique.The species composition is very diverse with a complex structure very large and Tall trees (over 60 metres) exist throughout the ANR while below then many different types of plant species including climbers parasitic plants bryophytes, epiphytes and lianas being supported by tall trees.
These characteristics make ANR a suitable area for Eco-tourism whereby it could be utilized for human pleasure by undertaking activities such as game viewing enjoying natural beauty or site seeing, hiking, camping, walking, picnics boating fishing and learning while maintaining sound ecological processes and stability of the area.
The Amani Nature Reserve Includes also one of the largest Botanical Gardens in Africa. This garden was started by the Germans in 1902 including the first tree nursery in Tanganyika.
The Amani Botanical Gardens (ABG) occupies an area of 350 hectares, The German planted about 900 different tree species both indigenous and exotics from different parts of the World. Thus ANR is centre for biological diversity. The floristic composition is very diverse and there are 2012 vascular plants species per Ha. Thus a large proposition of the endemic species are found within ANR.
There also within ANR rare animals birds and butterflies which are very rare in other parts of the world.
The whole of Coastal area which stretches from Tanga to Pangani gives a Swahili type of culture with dressings of ‘Kanzu’ and Kofia for men and Baibui for women. One can also see the men playing a game known as ‘Bao’ during evening while women are weaving different types of colorful. Mats or themselves with heena in their hands and feet with a variety of designs. As one leaves the coastal area to districts such as Muheza, Handeni, Korogwe,Lushoto and Kilindi, there is a slight change in dressings and culture. There are some places where some cultural mutual ceremonies are still performed such as those performed by Wakilindi at the Taragunda Culture site in the Kwagunda village and many more others in Zigua area Bondei, and Wasambaa areas.
These Ceremonies might include rain making ceremonies where a wide variety of drums and music instruments are played and dancing takes play in the marry -making.Learn about environment of Tanga and behavior. for those travelers interested in volunteering knowledge, Love, caring, sharing and laughter, also there plenty opportunities to be arranged for you to enjoy a close experience with village families, hospital and orphanages
Interested in improving their lives from learning from you.
Amboni Limestone Caves
The most extensive limestone caves in East Africa, It is home for many spirits that hold great religious significance for many local tribe, Ethnic groups such as the Segeju, Sambaa, Bondei and the Digo who lived near the caves used them for prayers. Its eight kms from town to amboni caves and its four km from Amboni Caves to hot spring water. You can watch the physical feature in side of caves and not man made it, Beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. Various stone formations, seven unique caves will be visited, mother marriage (Engel) and Madonna, with white colobus monkey around outside the caves.
–
The Galanos Hot Spring Water
(optional)-are hot and sulphurous and havetherapeutic properties. A bath in the springs is believed to relieve skin ailments, you can test the coconut wine (Tanga wine) and coconut fruit juice, will learn a lot of botanic species a crossing the Zigi River.
Galanos Hot Sulphur Springs is about 12km on the way to Mombasa from Tanga city. The spring is still active bobbling from the earth and flowing to form a stream along to the Ziggi River.
The spring is obviously rich in minerals. Evidence of this can be seen in the blue and yellow color deposited in the canal in which sulphur water flowing through from the main sources.
The hot spring is located in a coconut plantation, and you can enjoy drinking coconut juice and testing the different types of fruits which are growing there.
Totein Island
Toten Island is situated off the Tanga Habour but is within the Tanga Bay. Relax on the beach, explore the island, and catch fish and swim, snorkeling on the beautiful island. Executions were common during the German Colonial period; however the island is currently not inhabited. Ruins of Arabs mosque and German cemetery,
Tongoni RuinsTongoni is a small fishing village situated 17 km south of Tanga City. It was once a prosperous and respected trading center in the 15th century. Established by the Shirazi of Persian origin who established Islamic settlements in Eastern Africa such as Kilwa and Mafia. Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese sailor is said to have first visited Tongoni in April 1498. He made a second visit the next year and spent 14 days in Tongoni. Tongoni ruins consists of mosques and tombs, remains of residential house of the first shiraz and the location of the first port before Tanga.
Tanga is best of the little known secrets of the Tanzania coast. It is quiet, has a beautiful white sandy beach fringed by coconut palms, mangroves and generally is an ideal place in which to relax. The beach is protected by three reefs, the furthest one with excellent fishing activities,snorkeling and scuba diving.The twice daily tides here are extreme, with the water retreating for kilo meters in places to reveal a lagoon floor of sand, coral and seaweed.
This is great for exploring on foot and in kayaks, but inconvenient for swimming, which over the years has probably been the single biggest complaint that the island has received from visitors. The issue has been much alleviated in recent years by the fact that resorts, lodges and even some guesthouses now have swimming pools. There are also plenty of resources such as this where you can find out about the nature of the beaches in advance and choose to stay elsewhere if you think it might bother you.
It should also be pointed out that for large parts of the year the beaches can become strewn with seaweed… something which is a lot more common in the tropics than the glossy publications would lead you to believe. Most good lodges clear the seaweed after every tide, which is an incredible and endless task, but one deemed necessary in order to fulfill guest white-sand expectations.
Large sections of these beaches are backed by villages, whose people earn their living by fishing and seaweed farming in the lagoon. Naturally the beaches in and around the villages can become busy with people, boats and seaweed plantations. For many visitors this local color is what makes Tanga so special. One of the great joys of a stay on this coast can be to stay in amongst these villages and settle into the hypnotic tidal rhythm that dictates the pace of life out here. But some guests find the presence of local people on the beaches to be quite disturbing. A quick look on Google Earth or on the aerial photos on this website should be enough to inform you whether or not your chosen lodges are in or out of the villages.
Tanga Town at Sand bank Island
Tanga Island is bathed by the warm currents of the equator. The coral reefs offer exhilarating scuba diving and snorkeling within a short boat ride from most beaches. Scuba is most spectacular off Tanga Island, however for scuba beginners the safe calm waters of Tanga are recommended as the current off shore from Pemba can be strong. Snorkeling is best however off Tanga Island, whose eastern barrier reef encloses a series of shallow and sheltered tidal lagoons home to an abundance of colorful marine life.
ITINERARY:
09:00-Meet at your Hotel or Reskazon Beach and walk to the boarding point.
09:15 – arrive at the boarding point and guide briefing and head to do snorkeling near Island for about an hour.
- When arrival start snorkeling at coral reef point with sail or machine to drive you in all interesting place at sandbank for watching and catching various fish.
- 12:30 – Lunch prepared at the sand bank.
Afterward relax and swim around the sand bank.
Set sail back to Tanga Town.
Saadani National Park was only gazetted in 2003 and is the only park in Tanzania with ocean frontage. The park itself is unique to the rest of east Africa combining a variety of ecosystems including bush, beach and river.Some of the animals do come down to the beach and you can occasionally see some in the surf.
The park has plentifull game including giraffe, hartebeest, waterbuck, wildebeest, buffallo, hippos and crocodiles. It is also possible but harder to see lion, leopard and sable antelope.Game drives in the park are rewarding as are boating safaris along the Wami River, at the river estuary the salt pans are filled with flamingos and the river is a birder’s paradise.
To the north of the park is a green turtle breeding beach which is currently supported by the lodges in the park. All our guests who visit Saadani find it a special and unique place and is a good alternative to end a safari here rather than on a typical beach holiday
The Mkomazi National Park is a magnificent, 3,500 square kilometre game reserve in northern Tanzania. Remote and initially inaccessible, it was established in 1951, but never attracted the financial support provided for the better known wildlife strongholds such as the Ngorongoro and the Serengeti National Parks. Only since 1989, when the Tanzanian Government re-examined the reserve’s status and designated it a National Priority Project, has its true significance and importance been recognized. Nowadays it is good accessible. From MamboViewPoint it is only one and a half hour drive to the Kivingo entrance.
The Mkomazi National Park is a spectacular wilderness. Within sight to the northwest is Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest summit. To the south, the Pare and Usambara Mountains form a dramatic backdrop and, to the north, Kenya’s vast Tsavo National Park shares a border with Mkomazi, making common ground for migratory herds of elephant, oryx and zebra during the wet season. Together with Tsavo, it forms one of the largest and most important protected ecosystems on earth.
Mkomazi is the southern tip of the Sahel zone. It is a classic dry-country reserve of grey-green nyika bush, ancient baobab trees and isolated rocky hills. Elsewhere, the seas of bush give way to open savannah woodlands of umbrella acacias and mbugas – shallow valleys of grassland.
The animals, too, are typical of the arid nyika. Giraffe, oryx, gerenuk, hartebeest, lesser kudu, eland, impala and Grant’s gazelle share the reserve with elephant, buffalo, and numerous predators, including lion, leopard and cheetah. In all, 78 species of mammals have been recorded.
The birds of Mkomazi are even more numerous, with over 400 recorded species. Doves, hornbills, weavers and guinea-fowl are all present in large numbers – as well as such striking species as the martial eagle and violet wood-hoopoe.
Tanga Travel Guide
Tanga on the Tanzanian northern coast close to the Kenyan border has a fascinating history as one of the oldest settlements along the East African coast. The word “Tanga” means “sail” in the Kiswahili language, an indication that the protected Tanga Bay has over many centuries offered a safe haven for local fishers and the thriving Indian Ocean trade along the East African coast.
Another translation of “Tanga” refers to the Bondei word “farm”. In 1631, people from the area joined the Mazrui dynasty of Mombasa in their fight against Portuguese rule and remained under their influence thereafter. Tanga and Pangani became important trading centres for slaves and ivory when the Sultan of Muskat and Oman moved to Zanzibar in 1832 and controlled a coastal strip of 10 miles inland of the East African coast.In the scramble for Africa over the last decades of the 19th century, German commercial interests and later the German government conquered the inland, bought the coastal strip from the Sultan and developed the colony as ‘German East Africa’.
With its protected port and fertile hinterland, especially in the Usambara mountains, Tanga became a centre of German colonization and also an administrative centre up to 1890 when Dar es Salaam was made the capital of the emerging colony.Rapid colonial infrastructural and economic development followed from 1889 after the end of the bloody ‘Bushiri war’ – an uprising of local Arab rulers (accused of being slave-traders by the Germans) and their followers against the German occupation and the sale of the coast by the Sultan. To open up the hinterland and especially the fertile and cool Usambara mountains for economic development and trade, a railway was built from Tanga to Moshi and a road network developed, including the scenic winding paved road from Mombo up the mountains to the emerging district centre Wilhelmsthal (now Lushoto).
Kiswahili was made the official language of the colony and African boys were offered education in the (still existing) Tanga School to join the lower ranks of the colonial administration. Tropical diseases were researched and a public health system was introduced with largescale screening and early forms of treatment of cholera, tuberculosis, malaria and sleeping sickness among others. Tanga town was developed with a range of public, commercial and residential buildings. At the end of the 19th century Tanga already had around 5,000 inhabitants. It was an important centre for trade and settlement together with Dar es Salaam, Ujiji, Tabora, Bagamoyo, Pangani and Kilwa Kivinje – the latter five being either slaving ports or caravan crossings. By 1913, Tanga was the fourth largest town in Tanzania; by Independence in 1961 it was second.
LOCATION
Situated at the North-Eastern corner of Tanzania, the region of Tanga links well known Kilimanjaro Region with Dar salaam in the south and Kenya in the north.
Tanga offers its visitors a great variety of landscapes from the stretched coast with mangroves and long white-sandy beaches to the lush mountains covered with rainforests that are overlooking the vast and hilly inland.
Its Regional Headquarters is in Tanga City, the biggest town and the economic centre of the Region. Tanga Region is divided into Nine Districts, each having their own administration.
CLIMATE
The coastal area is warm with an average temperature of around 28 c (82F).Sea breezes make the climate very pleasant all year. The central plateau around Korogwe and Handeni experiences hot days and cool nights. In the hilly country between the coast and the northern highlands temperature can drop at night below 10c (50F) in the winter season (June to August)
The hottest months are from October to February. The main rain season is from April to late May where it rains mostly at night, leaving the day with bright sunshine.
ROADS
The city and the region is interconnected with a good road network of 840kms giving easy access within and to areas outside. A large part of the urban road system, about 93kms is tarmac. The highways to the neighboring regions of Daresalaam, Kilimanjaro and Arusha are also tarmac. The main road connecting Tanga and Kenya is tarmac and passable throughout the year.
Similar improvements are being planned to link Tanga to Dar along the coastal highway through Pangani, Saadani and Bagamoyo.These developments will open up more markets and business opportunities, especially in goods and tourism.
- RAILWAY LINE
The city is the eastern terminal of the railway line connecting it to Moshi (Kilimanjaro) and Arusha in the Northern Tanzania.A branch (Ruvu- Mnyusi) links this northern system to the central railway from Dar es salaam across the country to Kigoma on lake Tanganyika.
Tanga- Arusha railway also has a connestion to the link between Mombasa and Uganda through Moshi- Taveta- Voi branch line. This facilitates the transportation of bulk goods and people to various parts of Tanzania, and to neighboring Kenya and Uganda as well as to land-locked Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
TANGA HARBOUR/PORT
Tanga is the second largest seaport in Tanzania with a handling capacity of 500,000tons of cargo a year and experienced a tremendous growth in traffic in recent years.It handled more than twice the traffic in 2003- 2006, as compared to 1999-2001.The port is handling more cargo in the form of copper concentrates of Kahama mines, bulk wheat for pembe flour mills,tanga Cement, Rhino Cement, Tanga Fish fillets/Octopus and skins from Moshi. Sisal and coffee are also exported to European and Asian markets. There are container handling and cold storage facilities as well.
The already great importance of Tanga harbor for the local employment is expected to grow with the further development of the harbor capacities. The existing habour is to be rehabilitated and new and powerfully harbor is planned.
AIRPORT
The city of Tanga has airport facilities capable of handling passenger planes such as Fokker Friendship and CESSNA 206.It situated 4kms from the city centre along the Tanga- Dar- Arusha highway road. The asphalt runway is 1.268 meters long and 31 meters wide.
Smaller aircrafts are also used in charter flights to and from Dar salaam, Zanzibar,Pemba, Mombasa, Kilimanjaro, Arusha and Mafia ferrying passengers and their luggage.
TELECOMMUNICATION AND POSTS
The city is well served with a telecommunication network to the rest of the world. Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited (TTCL) offers more than 6,000 lines and 8000 wireless loop line system which can be also used for wireless internet connections in all offices in the city area and the whole regional at large, even on the beach. There are cellurar phone system operated by AIR TELL, TIGO, VODACOM, ZANTEL, Internet cafes, fax cable and postal services are also available.
FINANCIAL SERVICES
There are more commercial banks, National Bank of Commerce (NBC) Barclays Bank, CRDB, EXIM BANK, DIAMOND TRUST BANK. Automated Machine services are available for all major credit cards and also for normal maestro banking cards. The ATMs are working 24 hours seven days a week. There are also NGOs which provide micro- finance services like SEA, PRIDE, FINCA, FAIDIKA, B BLUE, SACCOS and others.
POWER SUPPLY
Tanga City/Regional is well served by the national electricity grid and consumes around 25megawatta (MW) about a third of the 66MW supplied to the Region. The Pangani river is the main source of hydro electricity with stations at Mwakinyumbi. Pangani Falls and Hale and their combined generating capacity is about 17,500 and 21,000KW.The grid also links to other hydro-electricity system such as from Nyumba ya Mungu (on Pangani River) and Mtera (on Ruaha River).Tanga has the potential for sufficient power supply for additional industrial and other demands, but there is also room for improvement to meet these demands. A large potential also exists for developing solar and wind generated electric supplies at various scales, for example for individual households to institutions like hospitals.
WATER SUPPLY
Tanga Region has abundant water sources. Water from the Ziggi River is diverted to Mabayani dam and pumped to a treatment plant. The water then flows for use in the town by gravitational force. The maximum processing capacity is 42,000m cubic per day daily demand is about 26,000m cubic.It is estimated that the currently installed capacity will meet the increasing demands for water until the year 2012.
The urban Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (UWSA)
WATER DISPOSAL SYSTEM
Tanga has started to develop an effective and sustainable waste disposal system. The system has been developed to handled waste and sewage from household waste and sewage from households and industries.
- Arts and crafts visits
- Fishing
Enjoy learning how to fish with the local fisherman and catch fish using centuries old ways; see how they clean the fish, sell and prepare the catch.
- Ceremonies
Every March and October bands from all over Tanzania, Kenya,Cameroon, Zanzibar, and Congo meet at Mkwakwani Stadium for the ‘Battle of the Bands’ concert.People from all over the East Coast of Africa come for the concert.From January to December the circus ‘Mama Africa’ shares creative entertainment with locals touring Africa, visiting Tanga during June.In Tanga, various religious groups are active, like Christians, Muslims,Hindu, Sikhs and others; most of them are open for visitors to their ceremonies. During the four week period of Ramadhan (fasting time for the Muslims) some shops and restaurants may be closed. Pretty much every weekend there is a wedding going on in Tanga, and you can pop in and enjoy the cultural style.
- Traditional beliefs
Traditional healing areas, as the locals believe, are spirit places where a witch doctor performs rituals that are believed to ward off evil happenings in your life – or in the reverse side – develop a ritual against an enemy. Visiting a witch doctor or a local medicine man and tasting their products brings you in contact with centuries old traditions still performed today. This can be experienced throughout the year.
- Traditional medicines
Natural medicines, devised from generations old procedures, use the roots of trees, gums, leaves, spring water, ocean water, blood and coffee. Learning the uses can be an exciting experience and give you a ‘sense of medicine of time’ before laboratory pharmaceuticals were the norm
- Music/dance
You can experience traditional local dance and music from the variety of ethnic groups living in and around Tanga City. In the bars and clubs in town you will find live performances of modern Tanzanian music like Taarab, Baikoko, Bongo Flava and Hip Hop and the ‘Old Dance’. Some entertainment is not active during the month of Ramadhan.
- Joining youth group
There are several NGOS and organisations supporting and empowering the local young people, e.g. Nguvumali Youth Centre, TAYODEA and the Novelty Youth Centre. Among other things they organize International Youth Days, National Youth Weeks, Round Table Discussions, Youth Work Camps, Monthly Youth Dialogue and the Tanga Youth Parliament.
- Agricultural activities
Learn how the locals prepare their land, plant, harvest, sell and prepare their crops. Visit the local livestock herders and pastoralists like the Maasai and see how they keep their cows, goats, sheep, chicken,ducks and pigs. Visit them in their homes and how they manage their livestock. Enjoy the rich variety of fruits which Tanga Region is famous for, both temperate and tropical climate fruits, such as peaches, apples, pears, wild raspberries, guava, loquarts, cape berries, as well as pineapples, mangos, bananas,papayas, passion fruit, oranges,mandarins and jack fruit.
- Traditional meals preparations
- Participating in environmental conservations
- Volunteering opportunities
Lushoto and its people; it would be hard to know where to start. It is a town that exists in a nebulous state of optimistic beauty after being hardened by stunning scenery and a breath of fresh air. Like all places where winter likes to settle in for a good, long stay, the people of Lushoto nearly always embrace every moment of cool weather. When you live, visit or grow up in Switzerland, Lushoto sounds about as close and familiar as Switzerland.
It has sweeping landscapes with their towering peaks with farms, the breathtaking view and endless vistas (green and lush scenery) that interest many visitors.
Lushoto boasts of a rich hinterland ideal for farming, which includes bananas, pears, pumpkins, tomatoes, potatoes, yams, maize, cabbage, carrots, capsicum, plumps or apples and more that find their market within the Tanga region and beyond.
Its rainforest is one of the most popular bio diversity places in Africa. Now, it is a centre of one of the best cultural tourism programmes in Tanzania – The Friends of Usambara (www.usambaratravels.com.).
The cultural tourism enterprise provides various activities for visitors, such as guided hikes and cultural visits to the Irente view point, Irente farm, Usambara farms, Magamba rainforests and more. Most of the incomes go to fund development projects such as drilling well in remote areas, building primary school and funding reforestation efforts.
In Lushoto, people live a more traditional lifestyle, and the locals are genuinely happy to see visitors walk by, greeting everyone with big smiles.
Location and access:
Lushoto is accessed via Mombo town on the Arusha to Dar es Salaam highway. Public transports to Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Moshi and Tanga are available daily.
Accommodation:
Lushoto has several up-market facilities which include: Mullers lodge, The executive lodge, Irente Cliff lodge, Lawns hotel, Lushoto White House, Swiss farm Cottage, Irente Biodiversity Reserve, Mkuzi creek Resort and more.
Tour Guides:- The guides of Tanga Cultural Tourism Initiative are indigenous of Tanga region who speaks good English and have ample experience in tour guiding in the area
The following tours are on offer;
– AMBONI CAVES TOUR
– TONGONI RUINS
– TOTEN ISLAND TOUR
– HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS
– YAMBE ISLAND TOUR
– ULENGE ISLAND TOUR
– SAND BANK ISLAND TOUR
– SWAHILI COAST TRADITIONAL DANCES
– VISITING TRADITIONAL HEALERS
– FISHING WITH LOCAL FISHERMEN
AMBONI CAVES TOUR (2 ½ hours)
Amboni guided tour starts from Tanga City centre through various historical buildings then to Kiomoni village. You will get to know how local brew is prepared as you pass through a number of local clubs and get to know the lime making process as well. Outside the caves enjoy a natural forest around and welcoming sounds of monkeys and birds. Your guide will take you through various compartments/rooms used for different purposes and enjoy the Cave’s natural beauty while listening to well narrated stories about the caves.
Amboni caves are 8 kms from the Tanga city centre. Visitors can opt to explore the caves by a rented tax (2 hours tour), use a bicycle (3 hours tour) or use public transport and then walk for 20 minutes to the caves from public road (5 hours)
TOTEN ISLAND TOUR (3 hours)
On your dhow or engine boat, sail to Toten Island to meet the fishing villagers and explore a coastal forest dominated by huge and majestic Baobabs. Listen to hundreds of tales and myths surrounding the Baobab trees and the island. Proceed to the Portuguese ruins which are remains of what used to be a prison in 15th century. Explore the great places where at different colonial times British and Germans lived.
HOT SULPHUR SPRINGS TOUR (1 ½ hours)
A cycling tour to gallanos sulphuruos hot spring which the local people use to bath for skin healing which the local believe if they bath there, while crossing local farms of various type like coconut, vegetable gardens and learn the process of planting to harvesting of the crops.
YAMBE ISLAND TOUR (6 hours)
Explore old German ruins which were used as quarantine in 19th century on a half day sailing tour to Yambe Island. Come and meet local inhabitants in this area and learn more about their cultures
NDUMI VILLAGE TOUR (3 hours)
The tour will take you along the Coast of Indian Ocean to explore old buildings, collection old stuff such as coins, beads and sheds of pottery at Ndumi dated 14th century.
ULENGE ISLAND TOUR BY BOAT (HALF DAY)
Visitors will visit the German building which was use as administration block
By the Germans during the colonial period, German graves and Hospital.
SAND BANK TOUR (FULL DAY)
Tour starts from Raskazoni passing by the fish market where you will see how the fisherman trade the fish business and identify different species of fish, Proceed for your water sports activities (diving, snorkeling and boat rides)
TRADITIONAL DANCE (4 – 5 HOURS)
A group of women known as TWAN traditional dances will give you an insight of their traditional dance and songs, you will participate in various Swahili dances elaborating different occasional and events such as marriage ceremony.
TRADITIONAL HEALER
Get an insight on how African traditional healers do their work. On your guided tour your guide will explain various things about the healing process, medicines and different diseases cured
SISAL FARM TOUR (3 hours)
Get an insight of sisal production by visit the sisal plantation. Learn the whole process from how sisal is grown to the final stage of making sisal ropes locally and other modern factory processing ways. Then proceed to local salt mining farms just beyond sisal plantations.
FISHING WITH LOCAL FISHERMEN (6 hours)
You will participate on fishing with local fishermen using local available materials. Get your catch of the day that will be prepared as part of your meal and sell the rest of the catch at the fish market. Learn how to negotiate when selling fish after a long hard work in the Indian Ocean.
Where to stay: A wide range of guest houses, hotels and lodges is available in and around the town of Tanga. Camping grounds are available in various places depending on nature of your tour around the region. Camping facilities and Mountain bikes can be hired in Tanga town at a very reasonable price. Tourist information office or tour guides can make arrangements for homestays and overnights in local guest houses when staying or making hikes of several days in Tanga
Urithi Tanga Museum
Tanga’s new boma has been renovated with support from the German Embassy in Tanzania and Tanga’s sister city Eckernforde. It was originally built in the 1890s by the Imperial German colonial administration during the then German East Africa.
The building, built using coral stone, lime and sand was used as a government office and residence for the province commissioner of northern Tanganyika then comprised of Tanga, Kilimanjaro and Arusha. It was fully rehabilitated and conserved by URITHI using expert technicians from the Zanzibar Stone Town.
Once the conservation work was complete, URITHI was granted the use within the building for a museum dedicated to the heritage of Tanga. Photo exhibits on Tanga’s historical architecture and buildings and the Sisal industry are on display. The museum building is open for viewing, from the basement to the watch-tower, including the two floors.
Urithi Tanga Museum is a project of URITHI – The Tanga Heritage Centre. URITHI’s mission is to preserve and promote Tanga’s heritage and to make use of the heritage for community development.
Location:
Independence Avenue (next to the Tanga Library), Tanga city.
