TANZANIA – EAST – The Trip

Tanzania – April 22 – May 5, 2023

Tanzania 31st largest in the world, ranked between the larger Egypt and smaller Nigeria. It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is located on the eastern coast of Africa and has an Indian Ocean coastline approximately 1,424 kilometres (885 mi) long. It also incorporates several offshore islands, including Unguja (Zanzibar), Pemba, and Mafia. The country is the site of Africa’s highest and lowest points: Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level, and the floor of Lake Tanganyika, at 1,471 metres (4,826 ft) below sea level, respectively.
Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located. Three of Africa’s Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the southwest lies Lake Nyasa. Central Tanzania is a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore.
Kalambo Falls in the southwestern region of Rukwa is the second-highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa and is located near the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar’s largest marine protected area.
Police. Constantly scam with fake speeding tickets that require bribes. Tanzania police made me leave early and skip a lot of their attractions.

Capital. Dodoma
Largest city. Dar es Salaam
Languages. Swahili, English, and Arabic (only in Zanzibar). Over 100 languages, including (1m+) Sukuma, Nyamwezi, Chaga, Ha, Bena, Gogo, Haya, Dholuo, Makonde, Nyaturu, Maasai, Jita, Pare.
Ethnic groups. Over 100 ethnic groups
Religion. 63.1% Christianity, 34.1% Islam, 1.5% No religion, 1.2% Traditional faiths.
Area. 947,303 km² (365,756 sq mi) (30th). Water 6.3%
Population. 61,741,120 (23rd). Density 47.5/km² (123.0/sq mi) (157th)
GDP (PPP). $207.5 billion (72nd). Per capita $3,374 (163th)
GDP (Nominal). $76.5 billion (76th). Per capita $1,245 (164th)
Gini. 40.5 medium
HDI. 0.549 low · 160th
Driving side. Left
Calling code. +255
Electrical plug. British 3-prong

Visa. VOA at borders or airports or e-visa visa.immigration.go.tz. I entered overland on my bus from Mombassa to Dar es Salam at the Lunga Lunga Border. Supposedly this requires an exit flight, but the whole process was surprisingly easy – no accommodation, no exit flight, just US$50. I foolishly booked a flight on Expedia for the exit from Tanzania. Unfortunately, the rule states that cancellations have to happen on the day of the booking, not simply 24 hours. I made the booking at 4 am Kenyan time, 8 pm in Canada and thus only had 4 hours to cancel. So I am stuck with a flight that hopefully I can make.
Money. Tanzanian Shilling (TZS). 1US$ = 2340TZS; 1€ = 2551TZS; 1CA$ = 1742TZS xe.com April 2023

Observations
1. People. Like most everywhere, Tanzanians are extremely nice and all too ready to help with advice or directions. English can be sporadic and many speak little or none. I downloaded Swahili on Google Translate and found it very useful.
It appears that the most common employment for young Tanzanian men is as boda drivers – they are everywhere. Many are not educated and speak little or no English but some are educated people who cannot find jobs.
Another significant employer is as “grass cutters” on roadside ditches. Cows and sheep often browse in the ditches in other countries but not here. It is common to see large gangs of men with machetes cutting the grass, a very labour-intensive job.
2. Driving. Tanzania has generally excellent roads (except in Ngorongora and Serengeti) with few potholes. The only posted speed limits are the 50km/hr signs on either side of most any house on the side of the road, so there are a lot of speed zones. The upper speed is never posted, but I am assuming it’s 100km/hr. Police are only in the towns and are common, pulling over as many people as possible in search of bribes. Because every town has speed bumps, and the speed is strictly enforced, the only reasonable way to drive is to stick as close to 50 as possible. Certainly, the locals do. It is important to not give them any excuse to pull you over.
On the drive from Songea to the coast, there were many towns, most a long row of houses along the road. Many didn’t have speed bumps and there were no police.
These police don’t often have radar. In some places, radar is on thin white poles with solar panels.
Outside of cities, there is little traffic. Big trucks, the Toyota Cruiser buses, share taxis, motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians and tuk-tuks can make for slow driving. Driving at night is discouraged as there are many pedestrians and motorcycles with no lights. Stopped vehicles often put rocks in the lane they are obstructing.
3. Police. Tanzania is notorious for police corruption and bribery. Surprisingly, after 8 days of driving, I have only been pulled over four times and am yet to get a ticket. Whining helps but they are very persistent. The one thing that works best is to say that you have no cash and pay for everything with a credit card.

TANZANIA – EAST (Dar es Salaam, Pwani, Lindi, Mtwara)
Borders: Mozambique-Tanzania, Tanzania mainland (sea border/port/lake)

Day 1 Sat Arp 22
I caught the 05:30 bus from Mombassa to Dar es Salam on Tehmeed bus lines, the only company offering daily trips on this route. 1700KS (versus US$370 to fly). I got a Bolt to take me to the Tahmeed pick-up point 300KS. The bus was fine with wide individual seats three across. It was raining hard and water dripped out of the overhead vents. We stopped once to eat and once for a BR break – 10 hours. I was let off about 3.5 km from my hostel and took a tuk-tuk in the rain. 

ON L&J Modern Backpackers Kinondori $11/night. Could be considered a “party hostel” with some long-term foreign residents and Tanzanians. The location was not great as an equal distance from downtown (and the NM sites) and the ferry to Zanzibar. Breakfast.

Day 2 Sun Apr 23
I was early for a big day of seeing all the NM sites in Dar.

DAR ES SALAAM (Dar) (pop 6 million) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. Located on the Swahili coast, it is one of the fastest-growing cities in the world. The town was founded by the Sultan of Zanzibar as the main administrative center of German East Africa. In 1996, the capital was moved to Dodoma. Tanzania’s most prominent city for arts, fashion, media, film, television, and finance.
In 1967, the Tanzanian government declared the ujamaa policy, which made Tanzania lean towards socialism. Delayed necessary development. 1980s ended socialism. During the 2000s, businesses opened and prospered; growth expanded in the construction sector, with new multi-storey buildings, bridges and roads. Tanzanian banks headquartered in the city became better regulated, and the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange expanded. The port is prominent for entrepot trade with landlocked countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, and the eastern portion of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city’s skyline features tall buildings, among them the 35-storey PSPF Tower (finished in 2015) and the Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) Tower, the tallest in the country (completed in 2016). On a natural harbour on the coast of East Africa, with sandy beaches in some areas.
Kariakoo Market. A new huge market of concrete closed because of contractor issues and was surrounded by a corrugated metal fence.
Uhuru Monument. Dated 9 December 1961, it is a four-sided white monument with a torch on top in the corner of a park.
Khoja Shia Ithnasheri Mosque. Two stories with a large minaret and a big gold onion dome. Unusually one-third of the prayer hall has chairs with lecterns. Blue tiles around walls and mihrab.
Twin Towers. With a large central 4-story bottom, each tower has 17 floors.
Azmar Marine. Bought my ticket for the ferry to Zanzibar at 7 am on the 24th. $35 by credit card.
St. Joseph’s Cathedral. A lovely cathedral with a large bell tower, three large rosette stained glass windows per side and unusual oil paintings (quite dark) as Ways of the Cross.
Clock Tower. In the middle of a roundabout, it is a simple column with a clock. 
Askari Monument. In a roundabout, this small monument is of bronze. soldier advancing with his bayonet.
Azania Front Lutheran Church. Has a huge central bell tower, balconies over the lateral naves, and three large stained glass windows behind the altar. There was a full band with 6 singers, drums, guitar and two organs playing to an empty church, especially after I left.
Dar Es Salaam Fish Market. On the water, this large fish market had remarkably few large fish – almost all were sardine-sized. An interesting thing was the auction. On a large metal table, fishermen dumped baskets of fish, the bidding was fast (most were women crowding around both ends) and the boughten fish rapidly put in plastic buckets.
National Museum and House of Culture. One of the poorest national museums, I have ever visited. Start with a small art gallery with paintings (many of Nyere), and wood sculptures. A good review of African rock art (but little from Tanzania). Nyere’s six cars including two Rolls Royce. A small photo gallery. 1200 TS
Botanical Gardens. In a large park setting, this is mostly grass and big trees. Free
Greek Orthodox Cathedral. (Patriarch of Alexandria and All of Africa). A simple Orthodox cathedral with an iconoclast of four simple bas reliefs, a nice stained glass window behind the altar and a huge stained glass window at the back of the church.
Maamur Mosque. A lovely mosque with a white brick exterior, a crenellated roof line and a lot of marble inside. Unusual mihrab, a quarter circle with two arches, one for the Iman.

ON L&J Modern Backpackers Kinondoni.
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TANZANIA – ZANZIBAR and PEMBA
Day 3 Mon Apr 24
I was up at 5, showered, packed, ate and caught a boda the 6 km to the ferry (5000 TZ).
Ferry to Zanzibar. Zanzibar Fast Ferries, $35 (payable by card), 7 am departure, 2 hours. Departs from the waterfront downtown opposite the Catholic Cathedral. Arrives at the north end of the town. Go through Zanzibar “immigration” with another stamp in your passport.
It was raining lightly. All the NM sites in Zanzibar City were between the ferry and my hostel so I saw them all on the way.

ZANZIBAR
ZANZIBAR CITY (pop 223,000 2012) or Mjini District, often simply referred to as Zanzibar with an area of 15.4 km² (5.9 sq mi). It is located on the west coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago. It has two main parts, Stone Town and Ng’ambo (literally: “The Other Side”). Stone Town is the historical core of the city, former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate; because of its unique architecture and culture, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Ng’ambo is a much larger, modern area that developed around Stone Town after the Zanzibar Revolution. Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.

STONE TOWN of ZANZIBAR WHS Swahili coastal trading town of East Africa. It retains its urban fabric and townscape virtually intact and contains many fine buildings that reflect its particular culture, which has brought together and homogenized disparate elements of the cultures of Africa, the Arab region, India, and Europe over more than a millennium.

Located on a promontory jutting out from the western side of Unguja island into the Indian Ocean, the Stone Town of Zanzibar is an outstanding example of a Swahili trading town. This type of town developed on the coast of East Africa, further expanded under Arab, Indian, and European influences, but retained its indigenous elements, to form an urban cultural unit unique to this region.
The buildings of the Stone Town, executed principally in coralline ragstone and mangrove timber, set in a thick lime mortar and then plastered and lime-washed, reflect a complex fusion of Swahili, Indian, Arab and European influences in building traditions and town planning. The two-storey houses have long narrow rooms around an open courtyard, reached through a narrow corridor, and are distinguished externally by elaborately carved double ‘Zanzibar’ doors, and some by wide verandahs, and by richly decorated interiors. Together with, the simple ground floor Swahili houses and the narrow façade Indian shops along “bazaar” streets constructed around a commercial space “duka”.
The major buildings date from the 18^th and 19^th centuries and include monuments such as the Old Fort, built on the site of an earlier Portuguese church; the House of wonder, a large ceremonial palace built by Sultan Barghash; the Old Dispensary; St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Cathedral; Christ Church Anglican Cathedral commemorating the work of David Livingston in abolishing the slave trade and built on the site of the last slave market; the residence of the slave trader Tippu Tip; the Malindi Bambara Mosque; the Jamat Khan built for the Ismaili sect; the Royal Cemetery; the Hamamni and other Persian baths. Together with the narrow, winding street pattern, large mansions facing the seafront and open spaces these buildings form an exceptional urban settlement reflecting the longstanding trading activity between the African and Asian seaboards. In particular, the Stone town is also marked by being the site where slave trading was finally terminated. Also, the base from which its opponents, such as David Livingstone, conducted their campaign.
Doors. Most Omani homes are 2-3 story. The most remarkable thing about them are the doors decorated by Swahili carvers. The oldest is in the Peace Memorial Museum dating to 1694. They have images of frankincense and date palms indicating wealth. The lintels often have rosettes and lotus flowers indicating the Indian influences. Inscriptions are verses from the Koran, ancestors, names and dates. The centre post if often the most elaborately decorated with geometric and floral motifs. Iron of brass studs hold the panels together and hasps and chains are used to close them. Some have a smaller inset door.

Malindi Mosque. A two-story mosque with a crenellated roofline and great carved door jambs.
Peace Memorial Museum. In the Sultan’s Palace, a large white building on the waterfront. Temporarily closed.
Old Fort of Zanzibar. The original Omani fort dates from 1710. It eventually became a prison and is now a cultural centre with an amphitheatre and stage on the north side and a large green space occupying half on the south. There are several towers, 3 at the back, one rectangular one on the SW and one over the entrance. No exhibits. Free
Freddie Mercury Museum. On the main street of downtown Stone Town, the museum is the other side of the Tembo Hotel, the same house where Freddie and his family stayed until they moved to England in 1963.
The Museum showcases a detailed accord of Zanzibar starting from the late 1800s, the birthplace of Farrokh Bulsara, his roots with the Zoroastrian Religion, his childhood and upbringing in Zanzibar, followed by his schooling in Panchgani, India, and then his extraordinary journey to becoming one of the greatest stars of all time. 10,000 KS
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara (1946 – 1991) was a British singer and songwriter, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Mercury defied the conventions of a rock frontman with his theatrical style, influencing the artistic direction of the Queen.
Born in 1946 in Stone Town, Zanzibar to Parsi-Indian parents, Mercury attended English-style boarding schools in India from the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school. In 1964, his family fled the Zanzibar Revolution, moving to Middlesex, England. Having studied and written music for years, he formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including “Killer Queen”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Somebody to Love”, “We Are the Champions”, “Don’t Stop Me Now” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”. His charismatic stage performances often saw him interact with the audience, as displayed at the 1985 Live Aid concert. He also led a solo career and was a producer and guest musician for other artists.
Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He continued to record with Queen, and posthumously featured on their final album, Made in Heaven (1995). In 1991, the day after announcing his diagnosis, he died from complications of the disease, at the age of 45. In 1992, a concert in tribute to him was held at Wembley Stadium, in benefit of AIDS awareness. His career with Queen was dramatized in the 2018 biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
As a member of Queen, Mercury was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1990, he and the other Queen members were awarded the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music, and one year after his death, Mercury was awarded it individually. In 2002, Mercury was voted number 58 in the BBC’s poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.
Mercury was born with four extra incisors, to which he attributed his enhanced vocal range. As Zanzibar was a British protectorate until 1963, Mercury was born a British subject. He had “an uncanny ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard on piano”. In 1970, he legally changed his surname, Bulsara, to Mercury. Mercury wrote 10 of the 17 songs on Queen’s Greatest Hits album. He claimed that he could barely read music and composed most of his songs on the piano and used a wide variety of key signatures. On stage, he displayed a highly theatrical style that often evoked a great deal of participation from the crowd. Throughout his career, Mercury performed an estimated 700 concerts in countries around the world with Queen.
By 1985, he began another long-term relationship with Irish-born hairdresser Jim Hutton (1949–2010), whom he referred to as his husband. Hutton, who tested HIV-positive in 1990, lived with Mercury for the last seven years of his life, nursed him during his illness, and was present at his bedside when he died. Some believe Mercury was bisexual.
Saint Joseph’s Cathedral. Roman Catholic. Crowded into the old town, it has two bell towers and a door with massive silver hinges.

I then rented a car (US$40), obtained the required Zanzibar driving permit at a police station (US$10) and left for a drive about around the island. Traffic was intense and slow near the city but slowly thinned out to mostly buses.
These three vestiges of the past are all ruins with little of interest except the arches. None are certainly worth the 12,000 TS entry fee, the same in each.
Marahubi Palace. In the NM series Vestiges of the Past, Maruhubi Palace was built 4 km outside Zanzibar Town in 1882 for Sultan Barghash to house his impressively large harem. A few years later it was destroyed by fire, although the remaining walls and arches, and the 12 large columns that once supported an upper balcony, hint at its previous scale. 12,000 but eventually paid 10,000 when I haggled.
Mtoni Palace Ruins. In the NM series Vestiges of the Past, Mtoni Palace was built for Sultan Seyyid Said in 1828. It was home to the sultan’s only legitimate wife, many secondary wives and hundreds of children. According to contemporary descriptions, it was a beautiful building with a balconied exterior and a large garden courtyard complete with peacocks and gazelles. Now only a ruin remains with roofless halls and arabesque arches framing glimpses of tropical foliage and an azure sea. On Tuesdays and Fridays, a concert and dinner are held in the courtyard, open to the public. 12,000TS
Fukuchani Ruins. In the NM series Vestiges of the Past, Fukuchani is a village (pop 2,208) with the Fukuchani Ruins near the edge of the village. The remains of a 16th-century coral rag house. The ruins are known to locals as the “Portuguese House”. The house had pointed stone arches and appeared to be a fortified domestic dwelling, with gun slits in the walls of the gatehouse. The entire ruin is under a large corrugated metal roof and have little to see. Also here are two caves with long stairs going down to swimming holes. I was told they cost 20,000TS.
Cheetah’s Rock. A wildlife sanctuary for rescued cheetahs, tigers, and monkeys. otters and others, one can pet the cheetahs and swim with the otters. The VIP Wildlife tour is $160, The VIP Otter tour $150 and the Combined tour $280. Includes pickup in Zanzibar City but not lunch! It was closed but I would not have paid this anyway.
Nungwi is a small town at the far northern tip of the island. The road here is good but watch where you go in the town, a mess of huge water holes (I almost got stuck in one).
Nungwi Beach. A lovely white sand beach fronted by small resorts. Continues all the way to the north tip of the island.
Baraka Natural Aquarium. The aquarium buys turtles from Nungwi fishermen and provides a natural environment to live. It is best to walk the 700m here to avoid the disastrous roads in the town – Follow the signs to Aluna Beach. Swim with the turtles. $10, $10 for a snorkelling mask rental,

I didn’t go the long distance to the ruins, but turned around and returned to Zanzibar City.
Darajani Market. A busy local market – produce at the front, meat and fish in the long, high central building and a “spice market” behind. This is the only time I saw white folks all day.

I parked the car near the hostel at about 6pm, went up to my room and fell asleep until 10:30. I walked downtown and was amazed at the crowds: thousands of people mostly teenagers and families standing, sitting and walking around the large park on the water. There was only a fast food place and I was the only one eating despite it being Eid, the last day of Ramadan and supposedly a day of feasting. A constant stream of traffic coursed along the one-way street at the west side of Stone Town.

ON Stone Town House. In the heart of the old town, it is 3-story beautiful building, nicely restored, high ceilings with exposed wood logs, wood bed frames and doors. I was alone in a room with two twin beds. The woman here was great help in getting a cheap rental car. Little atmosphere and no common area or kitchen (or kettle). The really weird thing about this hostel is there is no place to hang your clothes in the shower. It is a coed bathroom and you have to almost enter naked.
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Day 4 Tue Apr 25
Flight Zanzibar-DAR @10:45-11:15 Precision Air. This flight was $35 the day before but I booked the day of and the price had increased to $60. Boda 800 to the airport.
I organized my rental car with Mohammed Car Rental. Initially $100/day, he gave it to me after some discussion with one of the hostel’s guests (who knew Mohammed and had rented from him previously) for $50/day, a great deal.
He wanted the money upfront, I paid and then waited all day for him to get the car ready. He delivered it at 9 pm.

Return to Tanzania – East
Upon return to Dar es Salam, I tried to rent a car for the next 5+ days to see the rest of Tanzania. Unfortunately, all the major rental companies required one to have a driver which I hate as I am a much better driver than all these guys, plus they are a significant expense. Tanzania Car Rental met me at the airport. A taxi driver with their logo accosted me and was going to drive me to the rental office for 50,000! I said that we had a misunderstanding, I wouldn’t pay anything to be driven to the office and he returned me to the airport saying he had never met anyone like me. I then ran into the real agent from the car rental who took me to the office where I learned that a driver was required and the cost of the car per day was 350,000TZ (~$150 but the driver was free!!). I then phoned First Car who charged $110/day but the daily mileage was 102km!! I then finally got hold of Budget. The guy spoke good English, and informed me that all companies require a driver outside of Dar. Their charge was $70 + $15 for the driver per day. I said that I would think about it. 
I sat down outside the airport and weighed my options, but decided I was going to leave Tanzania (and not see 5 new NM regions and 5 new WHS) as it was simply too expensive (Tanzania has priced itself out of the tourist market. My next destination was Zambia, a flight to Lusaka that day was CA$1,300 and the next day (April 26th) was CA$307, so I returned to L&J Modern Backpackers to stay for the night, booked my flight and left for Zambia. 
At the hostel, the Indian fellow told me about Mohammed who rented him a Land Cruiser for US$50/day. We finally reached each other on WA (+255 688303039) and decided that I would rent a Toyota Harrier (a great AWD with good mileage) instead of a Land Cruiser. He wanted $100/day with no driver and the Indian guy intervened. Mohammed finally agreed to $50/day!!
I had several problems: three tires blew (two at once in Ngorongoro) and I ended up buying three tires on the road for 8000,000 Tsh. The other tire had a flat from a nail but was repaired.

ON L&J Modern Backpackers Hostel. Another night here, this time with AC and hopefully no mosquitoes.
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Day 5 Wed Apr 26
I spent the day relaxing and playing bridge.
Mohammed finally delivered the car at 9 pm
ON L&J Modern Backpackers Hostel. Another night here, this time with AC and hopefully no mosquitoes.
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Return to Tanzania East
Day 11 Wed May 3
The plan was still to take the train from Dar es Salam to Zambia on Friday.
I was up and off at 05:30. 54 km from Maswan, I stopped for gas. I forgot to wash the window and while doing it, another driver noticed that the right front tire was low. I reached another gas station with a tire repair facility and the tire was almost flat. It was 6:30 and they had to call in someone. There was a nail in the tire and it was repaired fairly quickly for the time of day.
It was then 340 km from there to Kilwa.

TANZANIA EAST – Dar es Salam  and South
KILWA
Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara WHS. The remains of two great East African ports on two small islands. 13th – 16th century, the merchants of Kilwa dealt in gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain; much of the trade in the Indian Ocean thus passed through their hands.

Located on two islands close to each other just off the Tanzanian coast about 300km south of Dar es Salaam are the remains of two port cities, Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara. The larger, Kilwa Kisiwani, was occupied from the 9th to the 19th century and reached its peak of prosperity in the13th and 14th centuries. In 1331-1332, the great traveller, Ibn Battouta made a stop here and described Kilwa as one of the most beautiful cities of the world.
Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were Swahili trading cities and their prosperity was based on control of Indian Ocean trade with Arabia, India and China, particularly between the 13th and 16th centuries, when gold and ivory from the hinterland was traded for silver, carnelians, perfumes, Persian faience and Chinese porcelain. Kilwa Kisiwani minted its own currency in the 11th to 14th centuries. In the 16th century, the Portuguese established a fort on Kilwa Kisiwani and the decline of the two islands began.
The remains of Kilwa Kisiwani cover much of the island with many parts of the city still unexcavated. The substantial standing ruins, built of coral and lime mortar, include the Great Mosque constructed in the 11th century and considerably enlarged in the 13th century, and roofed entirely with domes and vaults, some decorated with embedded Chinese porcelain; the palace Husuni Kubwa built between c1310 and 1333 with its large octagonal bathing pool; Husuni Ndogo, numerous mosques, the Gereza (prison) constructed on the ruins of the Portuguese fort and an entire urban complex with houses, public squares, burial grounds, etc.
The ruins of Songo Mnara, at the northern end of the island, consist of the remains of five mosques, a palace complex, and some thirty-three domestic dwellings constructed of coral stones and wood within enclosing walls.
The islands of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara bear exceptional testimony to the expansion of Swahili coastal culture, the Islamization of East Africa and the extraordinarily extensive and prosperous Indian Ocean trade from the medieval period up to the modern era.
The Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani is the oldest standing mosque on the East African coast and, with its sixteen domed and vaulted bays, has a unique plan. Its true great dome dating from the 13th was the largest in East Africa until the 19th century, but is no longer present.
Getting there: I stopped and asked some guys what was needed to get to the island. Despite many attempts to use Google Translate in Swahili, I got nowhere. I eventually was told that I needed a guide and it was 10 minutes before one appeared. Saidi Juma (WA +255 692717141; redorchanchidi@gmail.com) is the most knowledgeable guide for the WHS. For $40 he provides a full service visit. We drove back to get a permit from the government office about 500 m from the dock and then went to a photocopy shop to pay for the permit.
With it, we took a small boat 15 minutes from the dock to the island. We walked along the water to Marhindi Mosque, a small mosque dating from the 15th century built by a tribe from Kenya. There was. a water tank, well and ablution area, and three columns, stairs to the absent minaret and a mihrab in the prayer hall. Beside it are 10 tombs of important people and many small graves marked with a rock.
The Portuguese fort dates from 1505. The original triangular tower was replaced by the Omanis. to a round tower and lays in the water. The magnificent Omani door is new. The entire front wall of the fort is gone – the victim of high tide storms. There was some nice photos of the ruined walls and the background tower.
The Great Mosque. The original mosque dates from the 11th century and the walls still remain. The Omanis added on in the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries a beautiful mosque with many columns, arches and 16 domes (several are arched ceilings and some are domes). Behind the mosque is an ablution area and the imam’s house.
Markutani Palace and Market. Originally built by the Persians in the 15th century, the Omanis rebuilt it in the 15th century. Originally surrounded by walls, they have all been removed by the locals to build their homes. Most had two intact floors in the early 1990’s but the second floor may have been removed for safety. It is a lovely building with toilets and missing stairs, meeting rooms and a huge baobob (age unknown).
Small Dome Mosque. Built in the 15th century, it was used by the Sultan and his family. The dome is lying on its side.
Tombs of the Kilwa Sultans. Walk through some long grass, pass the ruins of the Janrivani Mosque and cross the flat tidal lake (water only at high tide) to the tombs. The oldest date to the 16th century but most are from the 18th and 19th centuries. The tombs have interesting sexual structures – breasts with holes on top (women), stepped indents (vaginas for daughters) and obvious penises for the two men buried here.
We walked back through the village. 2000 people live on the island in two villages. The other site to see are The Husuni Kabwa and Husuni Ngogo, the small and large palace with its market, a 30-minute walk and just ruins so I didn’t go. $40 (all included – permit, boat and guide)
Ruins of Songo Mnara are on another island and are seen with a 1-1 1/2 hour boat ride from the original dock. They are different in that the entire ruin is all in one complex and more intact than Kilwa.

25 km from the dock, the left front tire shredded. I put on the spare and was only about 5 km from the nearest town. I got a new tire for 190,000 + 10,000 to straighten the rim (they ingeniously put charcoal in an old rim, lit it on fire with old rubber tubing, used the air hose to add air and straightened the rim with a sledgehammer and block of wood) + 10,000 to the change tire guys (they had gotten the tire from across the street). So now with 3 shredded tires and one flat, this has become the “adventure of tires” and probably shows the problems with renting from a private rental store, but at a very cheap rate. 
I rented and paid for five days, used it for seven, and paid for three new tires. It will be interesting how much Mohammed charges me.
I still had 290 km back to the hostel in Dar es Salam.
After the most difficult driving of my life, I finally arrived back in Dar at 9:55 pm. B2, supposedly one of the major highways of Tanzania, is terrible. Start with potholes, then endless patching and the greatest variety of pavement possible. Add no shoulder for the entire distance, certainly no shoulder line and often no center line. Add in an incredible number of pedestrians, bicycles (none with lights), motorcycles and a lot of oncoming truck traffic, driving this in 2 1/2 hours of dark was impossible. I could only really see with my brights on.
The car was delivered so empty, I was surprised to get to a gas station. Of course, I wanted to leave it the same. So the worry about running out of gas only aded to the stress. I survived without hitting someone or damaging the car in any way. 

Day 13 Fri May 5
I bought groceries for the train trip and tried to exchange my Tanzanian shillings for Zambia Kwacha. A money exchange house had crazy bad rates and Exim bank had no Kwachas,
I took a boda (he went the wrong way and made a long journey a real test of my back) to Tazara Train station to learn that the train in Zambia was delayed and would not leave Dar until Sat May 6 at 13:50. I took another boda back for another night at the hostel (each boda trip was 10,000 Tsh). 
ON L&J Modern Backpackers. My fourth time here.

Day 14 Sat May 6
After a relaxing morning, I took another boda back to Tazara Train Station, supposedly to leave at 13:50. Then it was a long wait, first outside, then inside to board at 14:30.

Dar Es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia by train. The Mukuba Express Train, every Tuesday from New Kapiri Mposhi to Dar es Salaam and every Friday from Dar es Salaam to New Kapiri-Mposhi, departing from New Kapiri-Mposhi and Dar es Salaam at 16:00 CAT and 15:50 EAT, respectively. The Mukuba is named after Zambia’s top mineral export, copper, for which the country remains one of the top producers in the world. It takes approximately 46 hours to travel between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri Mposhi.
Passengers have the rare treat of viewing a variety of games along the way. When passing through the tunnels, and crossing rivers and gorges, passengers have a chance to appreciate the awesome and inspirational engineering works of the Chinese, who constructed the rail line between 1970 and 1975. It now uses 2016 Chinese-built cars.
The train passed through the Selous Game Reserve, but unfortunately at night.
Timetable: Departs Dar es Salam @ 15:50 Friday, Mbeya 13:08 Saturday, Tunduma (border) 17:02, Nakondé 16:22, Kapiri Mposhi (New)  09:26 Sunday. Stops last about 15 minutes.
Cost: 116,200 Tsh in 1st class sleeper, 95,000 Tsh in 2nd class sleeper, 83,400? Tsh in a 2nd class seat, 77,600? Tanzanian shillings in a 3rd class seat.
Buying tickets. You cannot buy tickets online, you should buy them at the station (this is what I ended up doing but cost 15,000 Tsh for a boda there and back) or by phone (never answered).  Call Dar Es Salaam ticket office on +255 22 26 2191 for westbound journeys, or call the station master at Dar on +255 78 7099 064, reserve by phone and collect and pay for tickets when you get there.  If these don’t work, these numbers for the booking office have also been reported as working: +255 767099064 or +255 787099064. Additional numbers to try +255 715469239, +255 784345492, +255 754260988 or +255 784454510. No matter how many times you try to call the phone numbers, they never get answered.
Tickets can also be bought through Sykes Travel Agents via email.
Tips: There aren’t many shops around the Tazara station, so if you need supplies for the journey, buy them in the town centre first.  Also, the few ‘hotels’ in Kapiri Mposhi are along the main drag, there’s nothing near the Tazara station.
To sit in the dining car, one must buy food. The next car is a “bar” car with loud music and guys getting drunk. Next are four couches with small tables facing each other. Next is a large car with good seats facing each other with a small table where I ended up spending most of my time.
The scenery was striking and varied (Tanzanian highlands were best), and the restaurant car food was basic but filling with beer. Good place to meet locals and other travellers. Bunks are fairly comfortable. Make sure you have enough cash for the journey. Once across the border in Zambia, your shillings are useless – the restaurant and bar will only take kwacha and vice versa if travelling in the other direction. Money changers will embark as you approach the border of Tunduma/Nakonde – he’ll take you for about 20%.
Buses outside the station take people to Lusaka or wherever their next destination is.  Bring a blanket or sleeping bag, bottled water, good books, a torch or a headlamp.
I was in a second-class sleeper with five nice black guys. There is not a lot of room to store stuff and most of mine is under one of the lower bunks. I went down to the dining car hoping to hang out there until it was time to sleep. But you can only sit here when you order food. A second dining car (the bar?) is next door but has loud music and guys drinking. I had a very soft avocado, tomato and onion. The train didn’t start to move until 15:15.
The only legal place to smoke on the train was at the very back where there is an open window. It is a long nine-car walk from the chair area where I spent most of my time.
I moved down from the dining room tables to a small area with 4 couches and tables. The two English left because one didn’t like the locals staring at her. My chips never arrived. I moved down to the next car with good seats facing each other and a half table. It was quite comfortable when all the windows were opened. I read more of “The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life” by Nick Lane, a fascinating and complex book to read, that I think I would have difficulty reading without a good medical background.

I had chips for dinner and talked briefly with the German physician and for a long time to a native Tanzanian going to Zambia where he has a business. He was a very smart guy with good English learned when he attended university in Boston. As expected he was quite religious. Things that I ascribed to luck, he said were “blessings from God”.
I had a good sleep using my silk sleep sheet and sleeping bag. The window was wide open and the noisy fan on.
Sitting in the “couch” area before bed, I talked for quite a while to one of the guys in my room who was a musician. There were women there, and they repetitively asked why I didn’t know Swahili. One, an enormous, very black woman wanted to have a chocolate baby with me.
The terrain we passed through as we neared Selous NP was a flat savanna with trees. With dusk approaching, I looked out the window for a long time hoping to see some wildlife but didn’t. Virtually uninhabited, we had a brief stop at a large blue metal-clad building with some large drilling rigs, then saw nothing until Mwaya where we stopped for over half an hour.

Selous Game Reserve. WHS Large numbers of elephants, black rhinoceroses, cheetahs, giraffes, hippopotamuses and crocodiles live in this immense sanctuary, which measures 50,000 km² and is relatively undisturbed by human impact. The park has a variety of vegetation zones, ranging from dense thickets to Miombo woodlands, open grasslands, riverine forests and swamps.
Diversity of vegetation types, including rocky acacia-clad hills, gallery and groundwater forests, swamps and lowland rain forest. The dominant deciduous Miombo woodlands, a fire-climax vegetation, soils are subject to erosion when there are heavy rains. The result is a network of normally dry rivers of sand that become raging torrents during the rains.
2,100 plants, impressive large mammal fauna: African elephant (106,300), black rhinoceros (2,135) and wild hunting dog. Hippopotamus (18,200) and buffalo (204,015).  sable antelope (7000), Lichtenstein’s hartebeest (52,150), greater kudu, eland and Nyassa wildebeest (80,815). Nile crocodile and 350 species of birds, including the endemic Udzungwa forest partridge and the rufous winged sunbird.
With its vast size (5,120,000 ha), the Selous Game Reserve remains relatively undisturbed and is embedded within a larger 90,000 km² Selous Ecosystem, which includes national parks, forest reserves and community-managed wildlife areas. Functionally linked with the 42,000 km² Niassa Game Reserve in Mozambique. With no permanent habitation inside its boundaries, human disturbance is low.

Day 15 Sun May 7
I finally got up at 07:30 and had breakfast of cereal, over-ripe bananas, cashews and coffee that I had brought along. We stopped at 8:45 at Makambako (my second time here) for over 45 minutes. There was an opportunity to buy food and have a smoke off the train.
I had guacamole for lunch (the avocado was so ripe and soft, I expected it to be black, but this variety remained entirely green, onion, tomato, and lime juice on bread from the kitchen). I hope to run out of all the food I brought from Zambia.
I spent the day reading and playing bridge and had chips + cucumber and tomatoes for dinner. 

Tanzania/Zambia Border 
We crossed the Tanzania/Zambia border at Tunduma/Nakonde at 9 pm. We were told nothing by the train people. The train from Zambia was also in the station and we had to climb across that train to get to Tanzania immigration. There was a large dark hall with nobody from immigration present, but a crowd crossing from Zambia. I eventually got into the exit line, filled out a form on got my exit stamp.
I was then at the mercy of the money changers. I had 19,500 Tsh worth officially 149 ZMW and got 140. I was then told that the ATM in Kapiri Mposhi was 15 km from the train station so changed US$50 for 850 ZMW (the official rate 900 ZMW). Zambian immigration was 2 km away and we boarded the train again.

SEE
Safaris – Park fees Tanzania is pricing itself out of the market and many skip. Serengeti can cost $150 per day. Many suggest skipping the NPs and enjoying the other parts of Tanzania (nice people, cheap hotels, good food, perfect snorkelling with mbuna cichlids and whale sharks). Other parks $20.
With good planning, it is possible to have a budget safari. Ngorongoro crater has no comparative place in southern Africa! Use iOverland for info. 3 toll gates: $35 pp + $20 for a foreign car.
1) rent a vehicle with Tanzanian number plate
2) concentrate on the Southern circuit
3) camp/sleep in a hotel outside the parks
4) Make a group of 8-9 people for the Ngorongoro crater day visit, and rent a 9-seater Landcruiser with a driver in Mto wa Mbu petrol station for 150$.
5) do not plan a long safari, spend the rest of your holiday in Mafia Island or other beach locality
Climate. Highlands, temperatures 10 – 20 °C (50 and 68 °F) during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C (68 °F). The hottest period extends between November and February (25–31 °C ) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (15–20 °C or 59–68 °F).
Tanzania has two major rainfall periods: one is uni-modal (October–April) and the other is bi-modal (October–December and March-May). The former is experienced in southern, central, and western parts of the country, and the latter is found in the north from Lake Victoria extending east to the coast.
Wildlife. Tanzania contains around 20% of the species of Africa’s enormous warm-blooded animal populace, found over its 21 National parks, reserves, 1 conservation area, and 3 marine parks. Spread over a zone of more than 42,000 square kilometres (16,000 sq. mi) and shaping around 38% of the nation’s area. Tanzania has 21 national parks, plus a variety of game and forest reserves, including the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, however there so many people who live in Ngorongoro and try to affect the environment. In western Tanzania, Gombe Stream National Park is the site of Jane Goodall’s ongoing study of chimpanzee behaviour, which started in 1960.
Tanzania is highly biodiverse and contains a wide variety of animal habitats. On Tanzania’s Serengeti plain, white-bearded wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi), other bovids and zebra participate in a large-scale annual migration. Tanzania has the largest lion population in the world.
The Great Migration is the world’s longest overland migration. The complete migration route is around 800 km (500 mi). South of this migration route covers the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where around half a million wildebeests are born between January and March. By March, at the beginning of the dry season, roughly 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebras start to migrate heading north towards Maasai Mara in Kenya. Common eland, plains zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle join the wildebeest. In April and May, the migrating herds pass through the Western Corridor. To get to the Maasai Mara, the herds have to cross the Grumeti and Mara Rivers where around 3,000 crocodiles lie in wait. For every wildebeest captured by the crocodiles, 50 drown. When the dry season ends in late October, the migrating herds start to head back south. Around 250,000 wildebeests and 30,000 plains zebras die annually from drowning, predation, exhaustion, thirst, or disease.

Transportation
Bus Mpanda to visit some Chimps in the Mahale National Park. Mpanda to Mahale – no public transport or even a real road. Katavi/Mahale, Gombe National Parks
Moshi to Dar es Salam – do not miss Lushoto and the Usambara Mountains.
Green farm at Kipembe Lushoto,
Irente Viewpoint.
Accommodation is cheap and you won’t need to camp since guesthouses are very inexpensive.
– Old Farm House just beyond Iringa in Tanzania, Great place to overnight! You can also order lovely farm-fresh veggies and meat!!!
– Tanga in Tanzania. Peponi Beach Resort is a beautiful beach camp with nice facilities and food.
– Fish eagle point (Tanga)
– Blues ‘n’ Chutney, Usa River, Arusha, Tanzania – pleasant setting, friendly staff, good food.
– Lakeshore Lodge Banda, Kipili, Tanzania – an outstanding place to stay; friendly, with excellent food, wonderful staff, overlooking the lake. We stayed in a banda, with excellent facilities; there are also cottages and a campsite.
– Hondohondo (Udzungwa)…
– Kinasi Lodge, Mafia Island, Tanzania – very good accommodation and a beautiful setting
– Riverbanks fish farm & Campsite, Tukuyu near Kiwira market just 2km from the main road and 50km from the Malawi border(Kasumulu)
– Lake Natron Masai giraffe campsite (very nice, good food, chalet, solar power, hot shower, clean sheets and towels, swimming pool, staff, in-house guide, restaurant, bar, large area beautifully lawned). Camping $10 p.p + TAWA overnight fee $39.50 pp plus $11.80 pp for the car. The lodge or chalet is only $29.50pp plus the same car fee.
– Flamingos $20pp (you pay for the car but cannot self-drive 10mins to the lake), waterfall $20pp too. 1 day for 2 people was $320.
Only Tawa fees can be paid by credit card.