Kilwa Kisiwani Island is located in southern Tanzania, a short boat ride from the mainland and was once a thriving seaport. It was first occupied from the 9th to the 19th centuries by Oman Sultans and Persian merchants.
Then, from the eleventh century onwards, the sultans of Kilwa became rich by controlling the gold trade. Historically, it was the center of the Kilwa Sultanate. This was a medieval sultanate whose authority at its height in the 13th-15th centuries It stretched the entire length of the Swahili Coast.
Kivinje also bears witness to a grimmer aspect of German colonisation. The Mwembe Kinyonga memorial was built by the town’s inhabitants on the site where Tanzanian participants in the Maji-Maji rebellion were hanged. This uprising took place at the turn of the twentieth- century and sowed the seeds of Independence, a total of 300,000 people killed during the uprising against colonial powers.
How to get to Kilwa ?
Getting to Kilwa From Dar Es Salaam
Until 1995 the road from Kilwa was often closed and could be closed for up to 2 months, resulting in an 8 day drive detour around the border of the Selous Game Reserve!
Two of the main obstacles on the drive to Kilwa were bridged; in 1996 the Mkapa Bridge crossed the Rufiji River and in 1998 the Matandu Bridge was constructed. Since then construction of the road network has carried on through international and local government funding meaning the 350km road was completed 15 years ago.
The road is good all the way and once you leave Dar there is very little traffic. Please bear in mind there are many speed cameras in the villages on the drive down.
The road out of Dar Es Salaam is named Kilwa Road and passes the port and Mbagala and on to Mkuranga on the outskirts of Dar. From Mkuranga it will take you about 4 -5 hours to drive to Kilwa. On reaching Nagurukuru roundabout it is a left turn to the Masoko Peninsula.
On reaching Kilwa Masoko after a half hour drive you will see the airstrip on our left and we are signposted from there onwards.
Hire Car To Kilwa
We offer the following vehicle rental rates to Kilwa from Dar; please note these are one way prices, including driver and fuel:
Toyota Prado – large 4×4 – 255 US$
Toyota Corolla – taxi – 190 US$
Toyota Alphard– 6 seater minibus – 225 US$
Driving to Kilwa From Lindi
This is a short drive now with the drive to Kilwa taking around 2 hours. To travel into Mozambique we recommend travelling to Algoma, which is situated 38 km west of Masasi on the Mtwara-Mbamba Bay trunk road and taking the Unity Brige into Mozambique.
Bus To Kilwa
Buses to Kilwa leave from Mbagala bus terminal, about 20 minutes from Dar es Salaam centre along Kilwa Road. Most direct buses leave early (around 6am) but there are some throughout the day with the latest leaving at 1500. Buses that drive to Kilwa include: Mashalla and Swahili.
For those missing a bus it is possible to get any coach to Lindi, get off at Nangurukuru and take a small minibus from there to Kilwa Masoko.
How to visit Kilwa Kisiwani?
The only way to visit Kilwa Kisiwani is with a chartered boat and a guide from the Kilwa Islands Tour Guides Association. Non-motorised dhows take about 20 minutes for the crossing, and per person prices start at US$40, decreasing with group size. This price includes guide fees, transport and entry fees.
Authentic Kisiwani & Songo Mnara Ruins Tour
Kilwa Kisiwani & Songo Mnara Ruins Tour
Kilwa’s significance as a port town is very much evident when you tour the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites with AfricanMecca i.e. the Ruins of Kisiwani and the Ruins of Songo Mnara (must see tourism attractions). Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were two port cities located on two different islands off the coast of Kilwa. Kilwa Kisiwani is the bigger of the two and these islands prospered for ten centuries between the 9th and 19th century. It was in the 13th and 14th centuries that they reached the zenith of their influence on trade because they controlled all activity in the Indian Ocean with the countries of Africa, Arabia and Asia i.e. India and China.
Kilwa Kisiwani also established its own currency and the islands commodities such as gold and ivory coming from the interiors of Africa were exchanged for shining silver, incenses, carnelians which are a kind of reddish semi-precious stones, Persian earthenware decorated with colored, metallic glaze and Chinese ceramics, from beads to pottery.
These port towns were much esteemed by voyagers coming in from Europe, and Ibn Battuta, a famed explorer talks about the beauty of Kilwa in his writings especially on the generosity of the sultan at the time – Abu Al-Muzaffar Hasan. In the 16th century, the islands began to lose popularity, probably with the coming of the Portuguese.
Today, ruins of the many momentous and elaborate buildings, some decorated with Chinese porcelain and built using coral stone, wood and lime still remain on the islands. You can sightsee entire Kilwa metropolis sprawls including houses, mosques, public gathering places, baths, palace ruins and cemeteries. The architecture is Arabic with Swahili influence and illustrates the advent of Islam in Africa. It also tells you about the past bustling activity and splendor of these now silent cities.
Where to Stay in Kilwa?
You can use beachfront accommodations in Kilwa as your base for exploring the ruins and other areas around. Choose from hotels located on Jimbiza, Masoko Bay and other seaside areas.
Little known to most tourists coastal vacationing in Tanzania, they offer you distinct eco-friendly bandas with the comfort and amenities you might expect from unpretentious seashore lodge but advantageously on a private island. During the duration of your stay at the island, you can also go on diving and snorkeling trips to explore the underwater coral reefs with their many colorful inhabitants.
The island is a superlative destination for viewing butterflies, birdlife, unique coconut crabs and humpbacked whales on their seasonal migrations. The mangrove forests and their unique flora and fauna are also within your reach. The inland regions around Kilwa offer you the opportunity to view hippos, crocodiles and dugongs, and the Mwangaza Hideaway.
Facing the inland waterway, Mwangaza translates to brightness in the Kiswahili language. The accommodation has a choice of four bandas and a Dhow house appropriate for families. Each of the bandas has a queen-sized bed with mosquito nets, and you can request that two additional beds be set up for you. They have thatched roofs and are open to the sea breezes. The lodge also has a dining area, common seating area and a bar that faces the pool.
Guide on Kilwa Tanzania
A coastal region on the Indian Ocean, Kilwa is located about 186 miles (300 kilometers) from Dar es Salaam in the eastern coast of Tanzania. It is divided into various small settlements which include Kilwa Masoko, Kivinje, and Kisiwani with Sanje Ya Kiti and Songo Mnara. Kilwa was once a prominent trading hub on Africa’s east coast. It was first established as a port of the Swahili civilization at the start of the 9th century and later served as a busy and very wealthy commercial center.
Africa’s natural treasures were very much in demand in the outside world, and yesteryear trading caravans carrying these valued commodities such as tusker ivory, rhino horn, bee wax, gum resins, sperm whales ambergris, shells from terrestrial tortoises and sea turtles, skins and furs as well as human slave cargo used the storehouses in Kilwa to stock them before they were transported to distant countries in wooden dhows.
Kilwa was also the meeting ground for traders traveling in Africa and carting commodities from regions neighboring Tanganyika at that time. They brought precious gold reserves from Zimbabwe to Kilwa via Sofala that is now in Mozambique. Goods such as Indian linen and exquisite Chinese porcelain were also part of the commodities traded here and dispatched to other locations. Then there were the cowrie seashells, fiber cloth and vibrant beads that were highly appreciated by the people living in the inner regions of Africa.
Kilwa Masoko is a principal town in the Kilwa district of Lindi, and still has a lively market, though not at the same scale as its past. It is a peaceful town with stunning unadulterated beaches and is inhabited by many fishing communities in the region. Today, history devotees use it as a stopover when touring the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara, both of which have been declared by the UNESCO as World Heritage Sites.
Other than these, Kilwa also has underwater archaeological sites that are sometimes explored by scientists from the British Institute in Eastern Africa, University of St Andrews and University of Dar es Salaam. You will discover that there is a lot you can do on your Kilwa seashore tour with AfricanMecca. Aside from the historical sites, you could visit the different beaches and surrounding idyllic islands like Fanjove with their lush tropical flora.
You could also explore the marine world around Kilwa by taking diving and snorkeling trips to its coral reefs and also in the deep waters where you could spot dolphins and whales. If you are a seafood connoisseur, you cannot find a better locale than Kilwa.
Try the freshest bounty of the Indian Ocean in the form of lobster, prawns, octopus, crab and calamari. Or better still, you could catch them yourself. The local fisher folk will be happy to let you accompany them on one of their fishing forays and teach you their traditional techniques. There are also water routes that take you inland, and these are strategic sites for viewing hippos, crocodiles and rarely, dugongs.
To view a more varied wildlife world, you could take a photographic safari to the premier Tanzanian reserves and parks such as Selous, Ruaha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, to name a few. For a glimpse of Kilwa’s colonial history, do visit the Kilwa Kivinje on your antiquity trip. The Germans colonialists set up a governing base here during their time in Tanganyika – pre-Tanzania. And for an insight into the latest research being carried out, you could stop by at the KIYODEA Research Center.
Best time to visit Kilwa
Kilwa has excellent tropical weather for you if you prefer a sunlit holiday in eastern Tanzania during the months from June to October. It is warm and dry with a cool breeze; though humidity levels are high since as you located next to the ocean. But historically, there is hardly any rainfall, and you can be sure of lots of sunshine, perfect for sunbathing and swimming.
Indian Ocean currents are also calm, and the clear blue waters present great opportunities for snorkeling and exploring the aquatic life (read more on where to stay in Kilwa). Temperatures also remain more or less constant with highs of 82 F (28 C) to 90 F (32 C) and lows of 68 F (20 C) to 75 F (22 C) but varying seasonally between the dry and wet periods.
If you were to beach tour Kilwa in November and December, you would encounter the short rains that extend as long rains through most parts of January to April. Unusually compared to other coastal regions in Tanzania, the long rains alter to short rains in May. And through the heavy showers, the equatorial sun does come out making the weather pleasant for a few hours.
You can contact Safaris to guide and organize your Kilwa itinerary according to your beachfront accommodation preference, the time when you would like to take a well-rounded Tanzania dream trip, and the many exhilarating choices you have when it comes to visiting the wondrous aquatic and terrestrial locales of this fabulous country.
Tour Kilwa attractions
Kilwa’s significance as a port town is very much evident when you tour the two UNESCO World Heritage Sites with AfricanMecca i.e. the Ruins of Kisiwani and the Ruins of Songo Mnara (must see tourism attractions). Kisiwani and Songo Mnara were two port cities located on two different islands off the coast of Kilwa. Kilwa Kisiwani is the bigger of the two and these islands prospered for ten centuries between the 9th and 19th century. It was in the 13th and 14th centuries that they reached the zenith of their influence on trade because they controlled all activity in the Indian Ocean with the countries of Africa, Arabia and Asia i.e. India and China.
Kilwa Kisiwani also established its own currency and the islands commodities such as gold and ivory coming from the interiors of Africa were exchanged for shining silver, incenses, carnelians which are a kind of reddish semi-precious stones, Persian earthenware decorated with colored, metallic glaze and Chinese ceramics, from beads to pottery.
Today, ruins of the many momentous and elaborate buildings, some decorated with Chinese porcelain and built using coral stone, wood and lime still remain on the islands. You can sightsee entire Kilwa metropolis sprawls including houses, mosques, public gathering places, baths, palace ruins and cemeteries. The architecture is Arabic with Swahili influence and illustrates the advent of Islam in Africa. It also tells you about the past bustling activity and splendor of these now silent cities.
Tours & Fun In Kilwa
Kilwa tours offer an immersive historical experience at the Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara UNESCO World Heritage sites, focusing on ancient Swahili architecture, trade routes, and Islamic culture, with optional wildlife safaris and relaxation on beautiful Masoko Pwani beaches. Tours typically involve boat access to the ruins, guided exploration of historic sites like the Great Mosque and Greza Fort, and opportunities to engage with local fishing communities. To plan your tour, consider using a reputable tour operator to arrange transportation, accommodations, and an expert guide.
