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Tucked away on the seldom-visited southern coast, the Kilwa district offers visitors a chance to ‘step back in time’ and take a peek into Tanzania's cultural history. From the 13th century, the island of Kilwa Kisiwani was famous as a large trading hub. It now boasts the ruins of sultan’s palaces, Portuguese forts complete with torture rooms, and vaulted mosques.
In this unspoilt destination take an underwater adventure diving the pristine waters or go snorkel the coral reefs and mangrove shores. Explore on dry land a myriad of fascinating caves, often used as hideouts during times of conflict as well as being ‘home’ to thousands of bats.
Discover the traditional village life in this little piece of paradise. Or simply relax on the white sandy beaches listening to the gentle waves. This truly is a beach destination yet to be discovered by the masses.
The Kilwa district is in the Lindi Region. The main towns are Kilwa Masoko and Kilwa Kivinje, with the islands of the Kilwa archipelago, Kilwa Kisiwani, Songa Mnara and Rukila.
The island of Kilwa Kisiwani has been occupied by many cultures from at least the 8th century and was once one of the most powerful cities along the East African Coast. Arabs, Persians and the Chinese sailed across the Indian Ocean and used the island as a trading centre. The height of commerce was between the 13th and 15th centuries, where exports of animal products, slaves, gold and spices were exchanged for ceramics and silks.
The island was seized by the Portuguese in the early 16th Century until 1512, when it fell into the hands of an Arab mercenary, and later to the Omanis who controlled Zanzibar. After a brief occupation by the French, Kilwa Kisiwani became part of German East Africa from 1886 until 1918.
Kilwa Kivinje was the regional capital during the German occupation. In a forerunning of independence, the Germans quashed a rebellion by Tanzanians, known as the Maji-Maji uprising. In the settlement lie the remains of the East German colonial buildings and the graveyard of the 300,000 people who were killed during the revolt.
Kilwa is an unspoilt destination, the main attractions are:
Visit the UNESCO World Heritage site ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songa Mnara, on the islands off the main coastal village of Kilwa Masoko, which are easily accessible by motorboat or traditional sailing dhow. Dating from the 13th Century, you get a unique glimpse into Swahili culture of yesteryear. Explore sultan’s palaces, graveyards, mosques and forts, where there once was a bustling trade in gold, ivory and slaves. Imagine yourself in the audience of a play in one of the theatre auditoriums and wonder at the sophisticated sanitary systems using fresh water, keeping the settlement clean and pleasant.
Organise a scuba diving or snorkelling trip to explore the beautiful array of sea life below the waves in and around Rukila Island. With unspoilt reefs teeming with various fish species, including Moorish idols, puffer and lionfish as well as giant clams and rays you will not be disappointed. If you are lucky you may spot one of five turtle species known to inhabit these waters.
The area is blessed with plenty of beautiful beaches, for example, Masoko Pwani which has white sands, azure blue waters and is fringed with coconut palm trees. Make sure you check for coconuts above your head before putting your towel down as falling coconuts can be incredibly dangerous.
In Matumbi hills, there are several large cave complexes just waiting to be explored. The entrance to the caves at Nangoma spans impressively across 68 meters and houses a sizeable colony of bats. They were used as hideaways during war times by local rebel troops and are now places of worship and spots to collect porcupine needles. Namaingo caves are also close by if you fancy ducking and diving through more fascinating rock cavities. They are both accessible from Kipatimu village using a local guide to show you the locations, as they are pretty hard to find.
If you are a keen ‘twitcher’ and have your binoculars at the ready you could catch sight of some of the magnificent birdlife in the Kilwa area. It is popular with sandpipers, tern, egrets, heron, cormorants, ibises, storks, fish eagles, plovers, little stints, gulls, kingfishers, frigates, gannets, oystercatchers, weavers and much more. See if you can spot them all or add to the list!
There are plenty of opportunities to witness the traditional harvesting of salt in and around Kilwa Masoko, as there are 36 producers farming nearby. Hire a bicycle or set off on foot for an interesting cultural tour through the surrounding fields and hamlets, which you can take by yourself and practice your Swahili with the farmers or take it easy with a local guide.
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The closest airport is in Kilwa Masoko, which has flight connections with Dar es Salaam, Mafia, Songo Songo (for Fanjove Island), Zanzibar, Selous, and Arusha.
Book your cheap flight to visit Kilwa with Tripindigo today!
It is possible to drive to Kilwa from Dar es Salaam in around 6-8 hours.
It is never crowded with tourists in Kilwa. The more popular times of the year are the dry months from June to October when it is warm and dry, as well as the hot and dry summer months from mid-December to February.
The short rains happen in Tanzania, including Kilwa, from November to December. But this is still a time when it is perfectly possible to visit Kilwa. You might have some showers on some days, but most of the day it is still dry and sunny.
The long rains in April and May tend to be the real low season when accommodation options might actually be closed.
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