Mtwara

Mtwara is a city in Pembwe and the Southeast region of Tanzania.

Get in
There are several buses daily from Dar es Salaam which you can take from Ubungo, Temeke or Mbagala bus stations. Average travel time is about 8 hours. During the rainy season parts of the road can get flooded; it's usually still passable but this can add significantly to the journey time. The companies operating the route change regularly. When picking a bus go for one with four seats in a row, the ones with five can be pretty cramped. Sitting in the back half of the bus can be somewhat traumatic during the non-paved part of the journey.

From Lindi there are buses throughout the morning; in the afternoon you can make the journey by first getting a bus to Mnazi Mmoja (Mingoyo) then catching an onward bus from there (~2 hours).

From Masasi there are buses throughout the day the last one leave around mid afternoon (about 4 or 5 hours).

From Newala there is a bus in the morning, after that there are pickups throughout the day (these can be packed and quite painful on the dirt road).

From Mozambique there are pickups that meet the public transport arriving the other side of the border.

Precision Air also fly from Dar es Salaam; their timetable is erratic.

Get around
Mtwara was designed to be a major town and exporter of ground nuts, however when the ground nut scheme collapsed before it was started, the town never really finished being built. As a result the town is spread out, which can leave you with a bit of a walk to get between places. Bicycles are a great way to get around town and can be hired from the market for Tsh 2000-3000 per day.

Taxis, Tuktuks (little three wheeled vehicles called bajaji in Swahili), and motorbike taxis (pikipiki in Swahili) are available around town. Expect to pay Tsh 2000-4000 for a taxi journey about town, Tsh 1000-2000 for a bajaji and Tsh 1000 for a motobike taxi.

See
If you do nothing else in this beautiful coastal town, you must go to the fish market. Simply ask, "Soko la samaki liko wapi?" and you will be on your way. It is beautiful and Swahili Tanzania at its finest.

Do
Mtwara offers great diving in the Indian ocean.



Sleep
There are plenty of guest houses in the Tsh 4,000-30,000 range around town, many clustered near the bus stand. Quality varies but you'll get what you pay for. Tell a taxi or tuktuk (bajaji) driver how much you want to spend and they'll take you to somewhere appropriate.



Stay safe
In general Mtwara is a safe town, however it is best to take caution after dark. A good rule of thumb is if there are other people around it's probably safe, if it's deserted it's probably best to take a vehicle. This is especially true in the residential areas around the town center.

Go next

 * Dar es Salaam. There are a number of buses each day, all of which leave at or around 6AM and take about 8 hours
 * Lindi
 * Newala