Pembwe and the Southeast

Pembwe and the Southeast is the hot humid region of Tanzania including the principal city Dar es Salaam and most of the country's Indian Ocean coastline.

Cities

• 1 Dar es Salaam
• 2 Bagamoyo
• 3 Chake Chake – the main town on Pemba Island
• 4 Kilwa – historic Arab fort on an island just off the coast at Kilwa
• 5 Lindi – port with colonial boma
• 6 Masasi – largish town in the interior of Mtwara region
• 7 Mikindani – smaller town with a renovated colonial fort and other colonial buildings
• 8 Mtwara – new town created by the British as a deep sea port, now the main town in the area
• 9 Ndanda – small town that has built up around an old German mission station
• Tandahimba – between Mtwara and Newala

Other destinations

• 1 Mafia Island
• 2 Pemba Island

Talk

As with the rest of Tanzania, Swahili is the main language spoken, however you may come across tribal dialects such as Makonde or a mish mash of the two. English is spoken sporadically, tourists are rare in these parts so there has not been an incentive for people to learn foreign languages.

Get in

Dar-es-Salaam is the main port of entry for most visitors to not just the region, but to the country as a whole, be it by boat or by plane.

Get around

Flights leave Dar es Salaam on an almost daily basis to Mtwara.

You can also catch a weekly ferry from the port at Dar es Salaam to Mtwara. It can be cramped and uncomfortable.

There are daily buses leaving Dar es Salaam that run down the coast through Kilwa and Lindi before arriving at Mtwara.

Basic buses run between all the major towns in the area and smaller daladalas run between the surrounding villages.

Stay safe

	Note: The Mtwara Region should be avoided due to the threat of terrorism.
	Travel advisories United Kingdom United States
	(Information last updated 08 Jan 2024)