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The Best Places to Experience Culture & History
Makumbusho Village Museum (Dar es Salaam; tel. 022/270-0437): This is an open-air museum of a dozen or so authentically built traditional rural dwellings from all over Tanzania, showing the country's different architectural designs. There are occasional singing and dancing displays, and you can buy locally made souvenirs.
National Museum (Dar es Salaam; tel. 022/212-2030): Set in attractive grounds next to Dar's Botanical Gardens, there are good ethnographic, archaeological, and natural history collections reflecting Tanzania's history from the slave trade to the colonial years, plus fossil discoveries from the Olduvai Gorge. A poignant sculpture tribute to the 12 Tanzanians who died in the 1998 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Dar is in the garden.
Bagamoyo (70km/44 miles N of Dar es Salaam): A recently designated World Heritage Site, historically the town of Bagamoyo was one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast. Ruined mosques and tombs date back to the 13th century, when Islam arrived on the coast by way of settlers and traders from Oman. It was also the springboard for exploration of the interior by famous 18th-century African explorers such as David Livingstone and Richard Burton. You can wander around the old section of town to look at the old Swahili-style and colonial buildings and watch dhow building on the shore.
Kilwa Kisiwani (240km/150 miles S of Dar es Salaam): Despite being difficult to reach thanks to some appalling roads, this ancient but isolated island settlement was once another trading post with roots going back to the 9th century. In 1784, it came under the rule of Omani rulers who built a fort at the northern tip of the island. Three kilometers (2 miles) off the mainland, the island can be reached by dhow, and you can see some medieval ruins including the Great Mosque and the Palace of Husuni Kubwa.
Stone Town (Zanzibar): The old capital and cultural heart of Zanzibar, Stone Town is a delightfully atmospheric place of winding alleys, bustling bazaars, mosques, and grand Arab houses with ornately carved and brass-studded doors. Most of the buildings were built by the Omani sultans when the coast was a center of trade. The best way to explore is to walk and get lost in the narrow lanes. Interesting buildings include the Old Fort, the House of Wonders (Beit-el-ajaib), the Palace Museum (formerly known as the Sultan's Palace), and the Ithnaasheri Dispensary. Most of Stone Town's hotels are in restored old houses decorated with Persian rugs and antiques.
Meserani Snake Park (25km/16 miles from Arusha towards the Ngorongoro Crater): A successful local venture that works in partnership with the local Masai people, there's not only a snake park here, but also a campsite, a bush pub and restaurant, and a Masai museum. It's an ideal stopover on the way to or from the national parks in Tanzania's northern circuit. The snake park has black mambas, black-and-red spitting cobras, and African pythons; visitors can get wrapped up in non-venomous snakes for a photograph. Masai warriors take you around the museum to explain their traditional way of life, and camel rides to the local Masai village are on offer.
Olduvai Gorge (Serengeti National Park): Often visited by safari groups en route between the Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti, the Olduvai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine where there have been ongoing archeological excavations since the 1950s. Fossil remains have been found from as long as 2.5 million years ago, including early humans and mammoths, some of which are on display in Dar's National Museum.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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