Tanga – What To do

Swahili Coast |

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Excursions Around Tanga

Amboni Caves

8 kilometres north of Tanga lies the entrance to Amboni Caves, the most extensive limestone cave network in East Africa and thought to extend hundreds of kilometres up the coast.  The caves have been part of local legend and folklore for thousands of years, long before their discovery by Europeans in 1940.  Local belief still holds that the main cave is inhabited by a god of fertility, and offerings are still regularly made here.  The forest around the cave entrance is excellent for bird-watching, and is also home to a troop of endemic black-and-white colobus monkeys.

Tongoni Ruins

Tongoni, about 20 kilometres south of Tanga itself,  was never a large town but was always well-off, and the ruins visible today stand testament to the wealth in the town.  The town, of the Shirazi people, peaked during the 14th and 1th centuries, and now boasts the largest concentration of historical tombs on the East African coast.  There is also a ruined mosque at the site.  The caretaker will charge a small fee to show you around the ruins.

Toten Island

Directly offshore from Tanga lies Toten Island, which can be reached by boat from the harbour.  On the island are ruins of two mosques and a number of tombs and graves – some locals refer to Toten as the Island of the Dead.

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