TownS and cities
Dodoma
Located in the heartland of Tanzania, Dodoma is the
nation’s official political capital and the seat
of government in the country. Comparably much smaller
and less developed than the country’s commercial
centre Dar es Salaam, Dodoma remains a centre for national
politics. Situated on the eastern edge of the southern
highlands, the city is surrounded by a rich agricultural
area and pleasant scenery. It is the centre of Tanzania’s
growing wine industry and the Tanganyika Vineyards Company
is actively promoting its products.
Historically, Dodoma was a stopover
on the overland caravan route that travelled from the
Swahili Coast inland towards Lake Tanganyika. Early
in the 20th century, the city became a major point on
the Central Line Railway, which carried agricultural
crops for export to the harbour in Dar es Salaam. In
recent times, the town’s economic base has declined
in favour of the coastal city, but in the early days
of Tanzanian independence, there was a popular political
motion to move the entire government to the town in
the southern highlands. These days, the government divides
its time between the two cities.
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s largest city and its
economic capital. Located in a quiet bay off the Indian
Ocean coast, the city has grown in economic importance
to become a prosperous centre in the East African region.
Its bustling harbour is the main port in Tanzania and
its industrial area produces products for export and
use throughout the country. Government offices all have
their main base in Dar es Salaam, and diplomatic missions
and non-governmental organisations in the country all
have a presence in this bustling urban city.
During German occupation in the early
20th century, Dar es Salaam was the centre of colonial
administration and the main contact point between the
agricultural mainland and the world of trade and commerce
in the Indian Ocean and Swahili coast. Remnants of colonial
presence, both German and British, can still be seen
in the landmarks and architecture around the city. The
National Museum, the Village Museum, and many colourful
markets are well worth a visit. Numerous historical
landmarks, including St Joseph’s Cathedral, the
White Father’s Mission House, the Botanical Gardens,
and the old State House make for an interesting walking
tour around the waterfront and city centre
Mwanza
The city of Mwanza is the major Tanzanian port on Lake
Victoria and a centre of economic importance in the
region. The lake borders Uganda to the north-west, and
Kenya to the north east, and export and transport between
the countries is a foundation of Mwanza’s economy.
Around the city of Mwanza, the land is primarily devoted
to agricultural enterprise. Tea, cotton, and coffee
plantations throughout the area produce large volumes
of cash crops that pass though Mwanza on their way to
market.
For visitors, the city makes a good
base from which to explore nearby Rubondo Island National
Park and the western parts of the Serengeti. Rubondo
Island National Park offers pleasant day-hikes and bird
watching around the lakeshore. Mwanza’s proximity
to the western Serengeti makes it a necessary stop for
visitors who want to experience a less busy part of
the park and see the magic of the Serengeti without
the parade of safari vehicles and seasonal crowds. Mwanza
is also the centre of the Sukuma tribe, the largest
tribe in Tanzania, who have inhabited and farmed the
region for centuries. Cultural tourism programmes to
their local villages and farms can be arranged through
the local cultural centre.
Itineraries
Pick up from your hotel at 14:45 pm
for the journey of 15 minutes to the Village Museum
& the Cultural Centre.
15:00 pm – 17:45 pm. (Tour of
the Village Museum)
During the tour you will get an opportunity to visit
the
• The Village Museum
• Africa artist at work
• Traditional Tanzania houses
• Nature walk
• Traditional paintings
18:00 pm – 20:30 pm (Dinner)
Enjoy the buffet dinner served in a traditional Tanzanian
way under the open sky. The meal comprised of three
different meats and seasonal tropical fruits.
20:30 pm – 22:00 pm: (Traditional
dances)
Entertained by the urgent beat of tribal music and dancing
– Sound of Africa
You may also shake your body with the group. Video and
pictures are allowed.
After the dance you will be drive back
to your hotel for overnight.
Cost includes
Transport from the hotel to Village Museum and the way
back
Entrance fees
Fee for a guide
Buffet dinner and a bottle of water or coke
Fee for the traditional dancers
Pure drinking water
Not included
Any kind of drinks during the traditional dance
Half day Dar es Salaam city tour
Mbeya
Near the Zambian border deep in the southern highlands,
the city of Mbeya is the major agricultural capital
in the country’s southwest region. The Mbeya Mountain
Range lies to the north, and the Poroto Mountain Range
lies to the southeast. Coffee, tea, bananas and cocoa,
all of which are grown in the region, are sent to Mbeya
for packaging and transport. Mbeya’s location
also makes it an idea transit point with good travelling
by road and rail between Tanzania and neighbouring Zambia
and Malawi.
In addition to its agricultural prosperity, Mbeya’s
mineral wealth has attracted investment and provides
the country with a good source of income. The town was
originally founded in the 1930s, when gold was discovered
and a ‘gold rush’ ensued. But instead of
the supply running out and Mbeya becoming a ghost town,
the city has continued to supply the country with a
regular amount of gold. Its mountain views and pleasant
weather make it a good stopover point for over land
travellers heading south.
Bagamoyo
These days, Bagamoyo is a centre for dhow sailboat building
on the Tanzanian coast. A quiet village with a few German
colonial buildings still standing, it was once one of
the most important trading ports on the East African
coast, and the penultimate stop of slave and ivory caravans
travelling on foot from Lake Tanganyika on their way
to Zanzibar. Missionaries active in abolishing the slave
trade made Bagamoyo a centre of their activities. The
name ‘Bagamoyo’ means ‘lay down your
heart’ in Kiswahili, and this is particularly
poignant given that the town was the last stop on the
mainland before captured slaves were sent to destinations
unknown from Zanzibar, never to return.
Kigoma
The bustling town of Kigoma is the regional capital
of western Tanzania and a central port in the area.
Located on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika, Kigoma
is surrounded by rugged mountains and forests that make
it a pleasing and beautiful location. In the past, Kigoma
has been in competition with nearby Ujiji, but over
the last decades Kigoma has gained a strong economic
foothold in the region and its port is of central importance
to the activities of the area.
Historically, the town was the final
stop of the Central Line Railway, built in the 20th
century to transport agricultural goods from the African
hinterland to the East African Coast. The town makes
a good overland base for visits and chimpanzee safaris
to both Gombe Stream National Park and Mahale Mountains
National Park.
Moshi
Nestled at the base of Mt Kilimanjaro, Moshi is the
coffee-producing centre of the country. All around the
town, and on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, vast plantations
of coffee blanket the area. Coffee is a mainstay of
life in Moshi, and the seasonal coffee auctions, where
international buyers bid for wholesale coffee, is an
event not to be missed if you’re in town. Sugar
plantations are also of central importance to the region’s
economy, and can be seen outside the town. Cultural
tourism programmes can arrange short hikes and day-trips
to tribes and villages, and also tours of nearby coffee
farms.
But the main reason visitors come to Moshi is to climb
Mt Kilimanjaro, the mountain whose thick clouds and
snow-capped peak tower over the agricultural town. Climbing
expeditions depart for Kilimanjaro National Park early
in the morning, before the clouds that cluster daily
around the mountaintop have risen, and when the air
is fresh and cool. Whether you’re in Moshi to
scale to the top of Africa or learn more about coffee
growing and production, Moshi is a quiet haven of tranquil
peace, its sedate streets offering a warm welcome in
a beautiful setting.
bustling port of Tanga is Tanzania’s secondary
port after the urban centre of Dar es Salaam. Although
the port is a centre of marine export, import, and trade,
the town of Tanga still has a quiet, laid-back feel
to it, as if not much has changed over the decades.
Indeed, along the older sections of the town, examples
of old colonial architecture and a few Arab houses still
give testament to the area’s importance during
the heyday of Indian Ocean trade. The fish market and
beaches make a pleasant stop during a day trip, and
the city is a good place for buying supplies if you’re
headed to one of the more remote areas of beaches on
the northern coast.
Tabora
The sleepy town of Tabora, in the hinterland of western
Tanzania, remains a key transit point in the country.
The Central Line railway branches at Tabora to both
Kigoma and Mwanza, and visitors travelling by train
often use Tabora as a stopover point during their journeys.
The regions around Tabora are famous for the honey they
produce, and large jerry cans and bottles of the famous
nectar can be bought in the village market.
Historically, Tabora was once a major
trading point and stopover for caravans that connected
Lake Tanganyika and Central Africa with the coastal
town of Bagamoyo to the northeast. Its former importance
is illustrated by the fact that the infamous slave and
ivory trader Tippu Tip, who lived during the 19th century,
made Tabora the centre of his vast trading empire. The
town was also an important mission station during early
European exploration of Tanzania. Stanley and Livingstone
both stopped here on their journeys. During the German
occupation, Tabora was one of the most populated and
prosperous towns in the whole of East Africa.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar’s old quarter, also known as Zanzibar
Town, is a fascinating maze of narrow streets and alleyways
which lead past numerous old houses and mosques, ornate
palaces, shops and bazaars. Many buildings in Stone
Town date from the 19th-century slave boom. Highlights
include the magnificent House of Wonders, the Palace
Museum and the seafront fish market in Forodhani Gardens.
The town is situated along the waterfront, and has a
number of wonderful cafes and restaurants that overlook
the sea and magnificent sunsets.
Pangani
Once a centre of Swahili trade with the African mainland,
the town of Pangani is now a sleepy backwater that little
remembers its days of splendour. An old German administrative
boma still stands behind a colonnade of tall shade trees
and the former prison, painted a fading ochre red, looks
over the river’s lazy waters. Old houses along
the main road offer lived-in examples of colonial and
traditional Swahili architecture, the buildings slowly
crumbling against the monsoon winds. Visitors passing
through the area would do well to explore what remains
of the old town on foot. Even a short walk rewards visitors
with a glimpse of quiet life in the old trading towns
along the Swahili Coast.
Iringa
Located in the southern highlands of Tanzania, near
the country’s legislative capital of Dodoma and
the agricultural centre of Morogoro, Iringa is a pleasant
small town and a focus of regional agriculture and production.
Its streets are quiet and peaceful, and the market offers
a colourful scene of traditional African culture. Iringa
overlooks the Little Ruaha River and is a popular stopping
point for visitors to Ruaha National Park.
Historically, Iringa was a centre of colonial administration.
During German occupation, the German military constructed
the town as a fortified defence against marauding Hehe
tribal warriors intent on driving them out of the region.
Gangilonga Rock, a site just outside of the town, is
a legendary spot where the Hehe chief at that time,
Chief Mkwawa, met with his people and decided how to
fight the Germans. Iringa was also the site of several
battles during the First and Second World Wars, and
Commonwealth War Graves are located just outside of
town.
