North Coast

The coast north of Dar es Salaam is one of the least touristed areas of Tanzania, but for the traveller who does make it to this sleepy coastal region, the rewards are great. The East African coast, once collectively known as ‘the land of Zinj’ has been visted by seafaring traders for centuries, and it was to these shores that the unfortunate captives destined for the slave markets of Zanzibar were brought. The towns along this coast have histories going back centuries, and crumbling buildings and half-forgotten ruins attest to their glory days as the city-states of the Swahili civilisation and the seats of all-powerful sultans.