Bagamoyo

An old port at the end of the slave and ivory routes, with a German colonial old town and the Kaole Ruins, and an easy extension to coastal Saadani National Park.

Bagamoyo is in Tanzania's Pwani Region, about 65 km north of Dar es Salaam, facing Zanzibar across the water. In the 19th century it was the terminus of the caravan route from the East African interior: ivory and enslaved people were marched all the way from Lake Tanganyika to the coast and then shipped to Zanzibar. In Swahili, "Bwaga-moyo" means "lay down your heart". From 1888 to 1891 it was also the capital of German East Africa; explorers such as Stanley, Burton and Speke set off from here into the African interior, and Livingstone's body passed through on its way back to Britain. Today the old town is a faded but atmospheric cluster of coral-stone buildings: carved Arab-style wooden doors, German colonial administrative buildings, the Old Fort, the caravanserai and the seafront fish market are all packed into a few streets by the sea and can be covered on foot in half a day. North of town, the Holy Ghost Catholic Mission was the first Catholic mission station in East Africa, and its museum tells the story of the slave trade and missionary work; about 5 km south of town, the Kaole Ruins preserve a 13th-century mosque and ancient tombs. The Bagamoyo College of Arts has made the town an important centre for the arts in Tanzania, and an arts festival is held every autumn. Jun–Oct is cool and dry and the best time to visit; the long rains of Mar–May leave roads muddy. From Dar es Salaam it takes about 1.5–2 hours by minibus or taxi, so a day trip is possible, but it's worth staying a night to watch the sunset from a beachfront hotel, then heading north the next day to Saadani National Park for a safari where you can see elephants by the beach. Most old-town sights charge admission and a licensed guide is recommended; ask permission before photographing local people, and avoid walking alone on the beach at night.

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