Tanzania’s south coast is an ideal Africa holiday destination, more so for travelers seeking to avoid the often crowded national parks and game reserves in the country’s north. The idyllic beaches around the Swahili town of Mtwara, plus the Mnazi Bay Marine Park are just some of the beach destinations that rival similar vacation spots in northern Tanzania.
The south is also well suited for adventure travel, giving you the traveler a chance to explore Tanzania on your own without feeling crowded by other tourists. Some of the sites to see include Swahili ruins, the vast Indian ocean coast, and many beautiful yet unexplored beaches. Adventure lovers get a satisfying exploration experience.
The main gateway to Southern Tanzania travel is Mtwara. The town is easily accessible by sea and flight from Dar es Salaam. The laid back Mtwara town occupies a large area near the Mnazi Bay Marine Park. Visitors get to enjoy diving in some of the most secluded diving spots on the Tanzania coast. If you are traveling to the Mnazi Bay Marine Park, Mtwara town is just a perfect stop-over.
Mnazi bay was once known as the place to pick up dhow transport to Mozambique. Nowadays, visitors are motivated more by the miles of white sand and the presence of coral reefs close to the shore, which provide excellent snorkeling - even at low tide is good for exploring the coral reefs.
There is a profuse bird life in the Mnazi Bay Marine park, with waders being the most abundant. Common bird species found here include the Zanzibar black-bellied glossy-starling, the brown-headed parrot, the mangrove kingfisher, the crab clover, and the greater sand-clover.
The area is recognized as being internationally important for its biodiversity, with a variety of mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs that provide livelihoods to the local communities. Mnazi bay is quite shallow and just to the north of the Ruvuma River.
Mnazi bay is protected on the seaward side by the Rawira peninsula to the south and by a series of small islands to the north. The government of Tanzania is looking to the future and plan to develop the area for tourism ” it is an ideal location to unwind after a game safari in the Southern Circuit of Tanzania. The local communities are extensively involved in the running of the park which will ensure that the local communities benefit from tourism.
International gateway to Southern Tanzania is the city of Dar es Salaam. Known as Haven of Peace by its aficionados, Dar es Salaam can be reached through regional hubs at Nairobi and Johannesburg and to a lesser extent Addis Ababa. Dar es Salaam airport is also accessed from other Tanzania airports that serve domestic as well as international flights. These include Kilimanjaro International Airport and Dodoma airport among many others. There is a ferry service between Mombasa in Kenya and Dar es Salaam.