Kilwa Masoko

By Dave BoswellNovember 12, 2017 ( 4 )

Situated approximately 340 Klm south of Dar es Salaam is the town of Kilwa Masoko which not only has superb swimming beaches and a wide variety of accommodation options but is also steeped in history. The area played a pivotal role in East Africa’s trading route with the islands of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara becoming major trading posts, which when at their peak in the 13^th and 14^th centuries were described by travellers as one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Arriving in Kilwa we headed for the well sign posted information centre and were greeted by Athman Limonga. Athman ran us through the various accommodation options in the area and we then followed him on his motor bike to have a look at several of them. Although the lodges are sign posted off the main road these signs tend to disappear almost immediately after leaving the tarmac so following someone on a boda boda is the way forward.

We settled on Kilwa Dreams Beach resort which is about 5 Klm out of town and right on the beach. We spent the first night in one of their very comfortable en suite chalets which included a really good breakfast and at $90 Usd was really good value. After a day in the sun the tents had dried out from the Dar rain so we camped the second night right on the beach.

I could wax lyrical for several paragraphs about the food there but the bottom line is that Gladys, her husband and rest of the team put on two evening meals that we all agreed was some of the best food we have ever had. With no set menu Gladys will have a chat with you in the morning and talk through what is available fresh from both the land and sea, then prepare how you want it for the evening meal. Although photo worthy there was no time as we were too busy eating.

You can contact Gladys at info@kilwadreams.com and check out their web site at http://www.kilwadreams.com

We also arranged a half day tour of the Kilwa Kisiwani ruins with Athman who collected us from Kilwa Dreams by Tuk Tuk and was our guide for the morning. Very knowledgably and he explained the history of the ruins and surrounds very well, he has also contributed to one of the local guide books for the area. Catching a small local boat across the entrance of the harbour we spent about 2 and a half hours wandering around the site and were amazed at not only the extent of the ruins there but also how well they were preserved.

Undoubtedly the two high lights were the old Portuguese fort and the Grand, or Friday mosque, which at one stage was the largest mosque in Sub Saharan Africa.