Visitor Information -- The Old Boma operates a very useful website, www.mikindani.com, with up-to-date information about getting there from Dar es Salaam, and other practicalities.
Getting There & Around -- Both Kilwa and Mikindani are most easily reached by air from Dar es Salaam, though, oddly, there are no scheduled connecting flights between the two. Coastal Aviation ($130 one-way; www.coastal.cc) operates a daily return flight between Dar es Salaam and Kilwa Masoko, stopping at Mafia or continuing to Zanzibar by request. Precision Air (tel. 022/286-0701; www.precisionairtz.com; about $140 one-way) flies a few times a week between Dar es Salaam and Mtwara, as does the less reliable Air Tanzania (022/211-8411; www.airtanzania.com), placing you less than 10 miles from Mikindani. Taxis usually meet incoming flights at Mtwara but not at Kilwa Masoko, though the safest bet in both cases is to prearrange a transfer with your hotel. If you fly down, there is no need to involve a safari operator unless you actively want to -- by prior arrangement, your lodge will be able to arrange all transport and activities on the ground.
Any safari operator can tag a visit to Kilwa onto a road safari to Selous Game Reserve or set up a standalone road trip there. Kilwa lies about 290km (180 miles) south of Dar es Salaam along a road that is newly surfaced for all but 48km (30 miles). The drive should take 4 to 5 hours in a private vehicle. You don't need a 4X4 unless you are coming from Selous, which is a perfectly feasible drive of at least 4 hours, depending on which camp you leave from. Self-drivers should note that Kilwa Masoko is not on the main coastal road, but is reached along a good 11km (6 3/4-mile) side road branching left at Nangurukuru. Mikindani is another 260km (161 miles) -- at least 3 hours -- south of Kilwa along a mostly good road passing through the more substantial port of Lindi.
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.
