Zanzibar Island
This large natural cavern with a freshwater pool was originally used as a source of drinking water for local people and is rumoured to have been used in…
Must-see attractions in Tanzania
Northeastern Tanzania
Tanga’s old boma has been rehabilitated, and now houses this small but worthwhile museum, with historical photos and artefacts from the area.
Dar es Salaam
An imposing complex set amid large grounds, the State House was originally built by the Germans and rebuilt after WWI by the British.
Western Tanzania
This notable and attractive Catholic cathedral has concrete inner walls painted to look like wood and marble.
Northeastern Tanzania
Long the subject of local legend, these limestone caves are one of the most extensive subterranean systems in East Africa and an intriguing excursion for…
Pemba
Spread out amid palm trees and cassava fields, Chwaka Ruins consist of two separate sites, the Mazrui Tombs dating back to the 17th century, and the main…
Northeastern Tanzania
Directly offshore from Tanga is small, mangrove-ringed island Toten Island ('Island of the Dead'), with the overgrown ruins of a mosque dating from at…
Zanzibar Town
The upmarket suburb of Mbweni, 5km south of Zanzibar Town, was a Universities Mission to Central Africa (UMCA) base and settlement for former slaves in…
Pemba
Down on the beach beyond Tumbe village, the sands are covered in fishing boats and tackle, and lined with a motley collection of huts where fishers gather…
Arusha
Despite the promising subject matter – the museum celebrates the groundbreaking 1967 declaration by then-president Julius Nyerere calling for African self…
Northeastern Tanzania
These green, odorous and rather underwhelming sulphur springs northwest of Tanga take their name from a Greek sisal planter who was the first to recognise…
Dar es Salaam
A striking edifice, with a red-roofed belfry overlooking the water, a rather stern Gothic interior and a marvellous, new handmade organ, this is one of…
Zanzibar Island
Although this mosque is thought to be one of the oldest Islamic buildings on the East African coast, it has been extensively restored and appears…
Mwanza
The rocky island 500m off Capri Point is Saa Nane National Park. Even though it’s just 0.76 sq km and home to only monkeys and impalas, visiting costs…
Pemba
This fairground was established in Pemba’s socialist days, and completely renovated (a gift from China) in recent years. The gleaming big wheels and…
Dar es Salaam
These overgrown but worthwhile ruins include the remnants of a late 15th-century mosque as well as Arabic graves from the 18th or 19th centuries, with…
Dar es Salaam
Although in danger of disappearing beneath development, these botanical gardens provide an essential shady oasis in the city. They were established in…
Pemba
This is where the Zanzibar State Trading Corporation (ZSTC) buys cloves in bulk from local farmers (usually between July and February). To get here, go…
Arusha
The collection of snakes and other reptiles here is the main draw, but there’s also a corny yet informative Maasai cultural museum with mock-ups of home…
Kiwengwa-Pongwe Forest Reserve
Zanzibar Island
Set back from the main road between Kiwengwa and Pongwe, this reserve protects a swathe of indigenous forest and its wildlife, including groups of the…
Northern Tanzania
At Kilimanjaro Mountain Resort, the small but worthwhile outdoor Chagga Live Museum illustrates traditional Chagga society with a range of tools, living…
Bagamoyo
This undistinguished museum has a small display documenting the slave trade. It's at the town entrance, just past and diagonally opposite CRDB bank. More…
Zanzibar Town
Built by Sultan Barghash in the late 19th century, these were the first public baths on Zanzibar. The various rooms were renovated in 2017 and, although…
Western Tanzania
This colonial-era building was constructed in the early years of the 20th century for German emperor Wilhelm II, who was planning a hunting expedition to…
Zanzibar Town
This lovely Arabesque-style mosque is one of the largest in Stone Town. As an Ijumma (Friday) mosque, the faithful come to pray here, rather than at their…
Zanzibar Town
This domed building, formerly the Peace Memorial Museum and now an archive, dates to 1925, when it was inaugurated as a memorial to the accords ending WWI…
Pemba
Hanging in trees just up from the port is a colony of Pemba flying foxes (a species of large bat usually found in forest areas). Despite their proximity…
Dar es Salaam
In addition to being almost always packed to overflowing during services, St Peter's is a helpful landmark showing the turn-off from busy Ali Hassan…
Selous Game Reserve
Here lies buried Frederick Courteney Selous, the British explorer and conservationist who was killed in the Selous during WWI, and after whom Selous Game…
Mwanza
Mwanza has a Maasai Market, with a couple of dozen Maasai selling beaded jewellery and medicines on both sides of the footbridge.
Dar es Salaam
This bronze statue, dedicated to Africans killed in WWI, is now a favourite haunt of street touts and dubious moneychangers.
Northeastern Tanzania
The architecturally intriguing St Anthony's Cathedral is set just back from the waterfront.
Northeastern Tanzania
The goal of this recently declared ‘park’ is to protect the local population of prehistoric coelacanth fish. The temporary headquarters are in Kigombe…
Zanzibar Town
Zanzibar's presidential palace was originally designed by British architect John Sinclair as the British Residency in 1903. Today it is not open to…
Northern Tanzania
This dusty and poorly curated collection of butterflies, birds and insects wouldn't be worth visiting were it not for the poachers' snares on display – a…
Zanzibar Town
Sitting quietly on Kaunda Rd, surrounded by decaying and overgrown gardens, Victoria Hall housed the legislative council during the British era. It's now…
Zanzibar Town
It's no longer a working cinema, but the grand old Cine Afrique is an art deco gem and a significant landmark.
Zanzibar Town
A venerable landmark on the waterfront, and popular meeting spot for passengers taking boat rides.
