Things to do in Tanga
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Tanga
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Short dry season, hot and humid with good sea conditions for Pangani and Maziwe.
Long rains, heaviest in April and May, with slippery forest trails and slower excursion roads.
Long dry season and the best all round window, coolest from June to August.
Short rains, lighter than the long rains, with afternoon showers and migratory birds arriving.
Best things to do in Tanga
Urithi Tanga Museum
The old German Boma museum that gives Tanga its context, with architecture and sisal exhibits and a watch tower.
Tanga Yacht Club
A small beach and bar overlooking Tanga Bay, the town social waterfront and best on weekend afternoons.
Toten Island
A boat ride to an uninhabited island with ruined Swahili mosques, tombs and reef snorkelling offshore from Tanga.
Where to stay in Tanga
Ras Kazone and the waterfront
quiet stays, pools and sea views
Holds most visitor hotels and the Yacht Club, greener and quieter than the centre.
Town centre, Independence Avenue
museum, transport and daytime errands
Best for the museum and buses, and less appealing as a night time base.
Think twice about
- Tanzania border with Mozambique, within 20 km
Attacks by groups linked to Islamic extremism have occurred near the Mozambique border. It is far south of Tanga.
Best restaurants in Tanga
D'Amour Bar and Grill
A small Italian and pizza restaurant also serving seafood, rated the best restaurant for visitors in Tanga.
Sea View Hotel and Restaurant
A waterfront hotel restaurant for seafood and mixed grills, a reliable mid range dinner on the hotel strip.
The Kitchen Cafe
A cafe serving Italian, Chinese and Indian food, with coffee, pastries and dosa singled out by visitors.
Blue Room Cafe
A cheap cafe with a short menu of kebabs and bajiya done well, with vegetarian and vegan options.
Kitisa Restaurant
A cheap restaurant for Indian, African food and pizza, a budget alternative to the hotel restaurants.
Outdoor things to do in Tanga
Amboni Caves
A vast limestone cave system 8 km from town, with stalactites and a large fruit bat colony, visited with a guide.
Galanos Hot Springs
Sulphur springs near Amboni, modest and best treated as an add on to the caves rather than a standalone stop.
Tongoni Ruins
A ruined mosque and around 40 Shirazi tombs in a fishing village south of Tanga, set among baobabs by the coast.
Pangani
A faded historic trade port at the Pangani River mouth, walked for its Arab, Swahili and German era buildings.
Maziwe Island
A tide exposed sandbank marine reserve off Pangani, reached by boat for snorkelling over coral gardens.
Irente Viewpoint
A short Lushoto walk to a cliff looking almost 1000 metres down over Mazinde village and the Maasai plains.
Magamba Forest
A rainforest hike from Lushoto via Kwembago village, looking for black and white colobus monkeys and endemic birds.
Amani Nature Reserve
An East Usambara forest reserve with a 1902 botanical garden, trails, waterfalls and exceptional endemic wildlife.
Best hotels in Tanga
Villa Matalai
A small villa stay with a restaurant and terrace, the closest Tanga town gets to a boutique splurge.
Tanga Beach Resort & Spa
The large town resort with a pool and spa by a mangrove shore, a sea view hotel rather than a swimming beach.
Mkonge Hotel
A seafront mid range hotel with a pool, private beach area, gardens and a three cuisine restaurant.
Panori Hotel
A simple 20 room budget hotel on Ocean Drive with a pool and gardens in a quiet waterfront area.
Is Tanga expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TZS 70,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TZS 180,000 a person |
| Splurge | TZS 400,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Toten Island: a few days ahead
- Maziwe Island: a few days ahead
- Amani Nature Reserve: a few days ahead
- Villa Matalai: weeks ahead
- Book the Maziwe boat, a Lushoto overnight and a 4WD for Amani ahead, not on arrival.
- Book Villa Matalai ahead, as it is small.
Is Tanga safe?
- Do not walk alone on unlit waterfront or harbour roads at night, and use known or hotel arranged transport after dark.
- This is a malaria area, so use repellent from dusk and sleep in screened or air conditioned rooms.
- Avoid demonstrations and political gatherings, which can occur with little warning.
Tanga travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Tanga Beach Resort has a mangrove shore and a jetty, not a swimming beach, so do not book it for beach swimming.
- Galanos Hot Springs are modest and can feel underwhelming as a standalone stop.
- Hotel WiFi near Tanga and Pangani is often slow or patchy, so do not rely on it for work.
Getting around Tanga: public transport and more
- Walk the centre in daylight and use taxis, bajaji and boda boda for longer hops, agreeing the fare first.
- Pangani is about 45 km and 1 to 1.5 hours by road, Lushoto is 2.5 hours by car and 3 to 4 hours by bus, and Amani via Muheza needs a 4WD.
- A hired car with a driver is far simpler than chaining dala dala minibuses for Pangani, Lushoto and Amani.
Who Tanga suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | OK |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Tanga your trip
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