Tanga

Tanga is Tanzania's second largest seaport. The city is spread over a large area, but when you walk around its quiet streets, it feels more like a small rural town. The Germans founded it at the end of the 19th century and many of the colonial buildings still survive. The port is a major export center of sisal. Unless you are traveling along the coast to Mombasa in Kenya, or you want to go to Pemba Island, you probably won't end up in Tanga.

Not far north of Tanga are the limestone Amboni Caves. The Tongoni Ruins are some 20 km to the south and include a mosque and over 40 tombs. This is the largest concentration of such tombs on the East African coast. According to 15th century Portuguese documents, Tongoni was founded in the 10th century by Ali bin Hasan, the son of the Persian Sultan Hasan of Shiraz. The method used in the construction of the mosque is different to these of later Arab buildings, which might be a clue to support the Portuguese documents.

There are many hotels and restaurants in Tanga. The best beaches are to the west of town. Tanga has rail and road connections with Dar es Salaam. The railway station is north of the center and the bus station even further north. Tanga has a small airport. The market is in the center of town. Tanga is 195 km north of Dar es Salaam.