Things to do in Bagamoyo
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Bagamoyo
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the best all round months for the old town, Saadani and the beach.
The Bagamoyo Festival of Arts and Culture usually falls in late September at TaSUBa.
Short rains bring heat, humidity and slower roads, with November the most unpredictable month.
Hot and mostly dry, good for the lagoon and beach, with sightseeing best done early.
Long rains, heaviest in April, with difficult roads, high malaria risk and the hardest Saadani trips.
What's on
- Bagamoyo Festival of Arts and Culture late September
A week of ngoma, taarab, Afro jazz, dance and theatre at TaSUBa, running since 1982. Confirm the year's dates.
Best things to do in Bagamoyo
Kaole Ruins
Coral stone mosques and tombs from the 13th century that prove this coast was trading and urban long before Europeans.
Bagamoyo Catholic Mission Museum
The 1868 Holy Ghost mission museum, founded for people freed from slavery, where Livingstone's body rested in 1874.
Caravan Serai Museum
The old caravanserai where interior caravans ended and sea routes began, now a small museum on that trade.
Bagamoyo Old Fort
The whitewashed waterfront fort from about 1860, tied to the trade and slave holding history of the port.
Old German Boma
The 1897 German administration headquarters, from the years when Bagamoyo was a colonial capital.
Bagamoyo Old Town
A guided walk past carved doors, merchant houses and German era offices in the crumbling stone town core.
Bagamoyo Fish Market
The living harbour at landing time, with fish sales, net repair and dhows still built by hand nearby.
Bagamoyo Institute of Arts and Culture
Tanzania's national arts college, home of the Bagamoyo arts festival and a year round student performance scene.
Where to stay in Bagamoyo
Bagamoyo Old Town
history, arts and eating
Walk to the fort, Boma, museums, port and town restaurants from the in town lodges and guesthouses.
Bagamoyo Beach and Mlingotini
swimming and quiet
Beach lodges north and south of town give calmer water and space, with the old town reached by car or bajaji.
Think twice about
- Bagamoyo harbour beach for swimming
A working fishing harbour with boats, fish waste and harbour activity. Walk it and watch it, swim at lodge beaches or Lazy Lagoon instead.
Best restaurants in Bagamoyo
Poa Poa Restaurant
The most recommended restaurant in town, for Swahili dishes, seafood and pizza in a garden setting.
Nashe's Cafe'
A central cafe with a rooftop, serving African dishes, seafood, breakfasts, coffee and fresh juices.
The Funky Squids beach bar & grill
A beach bar and grill for sunset drinks and grilled seafood with your feet in the sand.
Pizza Fresh
A small pizza place at the lowest price band in town, popular for takeaway and family meals.
The Dz Restaurant
A simple local restaurant for everyday Tanzanian plates and grilled meats at local prices.
Outdoor things to do in Bagamoyo
Saadani National Park
Tanzania's only ocean side national park, with game drives, a Wami River boat safari and a turtle nesting beach.
Lazy Lagoon Island
A quiet lagoon island offshore with calmer water for kayaking and snorkelling than the town beach offers.
Bagamoyo Beach
A long working fishing beach, best at sunrise for the dhow scene rather than for swimming by the harbour.
Best hotels in Bagamoyo
Lazy Lagoon Island Lodge
The top stay near Bagamoyo, full board bandas on a private lagoon island and the best swimming base here.
Firefly Boutique Lodge
A garden lodge in an old Arab house in town, with a pool and restaurant and the sights in walking distance.
Travellers Lodge Bagamoyo
A family run garden lodge on the town beach curve, with spacious bungalows and fresh fish at the restaurant.
Moyo Mmoja Guesthouse
A small, calm in town guesthouse with simple rooms and a shared kitchen, close to the sights and local food.
Is Bagamoyo expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TZS 60,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TZS 160,000 a person |
| Splurge | TZS 450,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Saadani National Park: a few days ahead
- Lazy Lagoon Island: a few days ahead
- Lazy Lagoon Island Lodge: weeks ahead
- Firefly Boutique Lodge: a few days ahead
- Travellers Lodge Bagamoyo: a few days ahead
- Book Lazy Lagoon and Firefly well ahead for dry season weekends and festival week.
- Arrange Saadani overnights and Wami boat safaris through your lodge a few days ahead.
Is Bagamoyo safe?
- Violent crime is common across Tanzania and police resources are limited; the insurgency risk area by the Mozambique border is far south of Bagamoyo.
- Bagamoyo is a high risk malaria coast, so take prophylaxis, use repellent and nets, and test any fever promptly.
- Use only licensed or lodge arranged taxis and take care on the Dar es Salaam road, where accidents are a major risk.
Bagamoyo travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Agree one guide and one price for the old town and Kaole instead of paying unofficial fees at each gate.
- Do not swim off the harbour beach or photograph people and the fish auction closely without asking.
Getting around Bagamoyo: public transport and more
- Bagamoyo is about 65 to 75 km north of Dar es Salaam, roughly 1.5 to 2 hours by road.
- Walk the old town and use bajaji or lodge arranged cars for Kaole, the mission and beach lodges, agreeing fares first.
Who Bagamoyo suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Bagamoyo your trip
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