Beach Holidays Tanga Beach

The bustling port of Tanga is Tanzania’s second largest port after that of Dar es Salaam. Yet although the port is a centre of marine export, import, and trade, the town of Tanga still has a quiet, laid-back feel to it, as if not much has changed over the decades. Indeed, along the older sections of the town, examples of old colonial architecture and a few Arab houses still give testament to the area’s importance during the heyday of Indian Ocean trade.

The fish market and beaches make a pleasant stop during a day trip, and the city is a good place for buying supplies if you’re headed to one of the more remote areas of beaches on the northern coast .

Tanga was once another stopping point, in competition with Pangani and Bagamoyo, for caravans on their way to the hinterland of Central Africa searching for ivory and slaves. The Germans also made it a centre of colonial administration during their occupation of Tanganyika in early 20th century.

Evidence of German presence can be found in Tanga’s architecture today, but few landmarks and historical buildings remain in the area. Tanga’s port, however, provides a main link between northern Tanzania and the Indian Ocean.

Pangani.  At the point where the massive Pangani River empties itself into the Indian Ocean, a township has grown. The Pangani River passes through the north side of the town, separating the old buildings and the present-day market from the farms and small houses on the south side. The river itself requires a ferry to cross, its water is dark brown; heavy with alluvial silt. On either side of the little town, coconut palms and sisal plantations extend towards the horizon.

Once a centre of Swahili trade with the African mainland, the town of Pangani is now a sleepy backwater that little remembers its days of splendor. The old German administrative boma still stands behind a colonade of tall shade trees and the former prison, painted a fading ochre red, looks over the river’s lazy waters.

Old houses along the main road offer lived-in examples of colonial and traditional Swahili architecture, the buildings slowly crumbling against the monsoon winds. Visitors passing through the area would do well to explore what remains of the old town on foot. Even a short walk rewards visitors with a glimpse of quiet life in the old trading towns along the Swahili Coast.