Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING THERE & AWAY
Air
There's an airstrip between Ushongo and Pangani for charter flights.
Boat
Dhows sail regularly between Pangani and Mkokotoni, on the northwestern coast of Zan-
zibar. Better and safer is the MV
Ali Choba,
which sails three times weekly between Us-
hongo (south of Pangani), Pangani and Zanzibar. The trip takes about 90 minutes, and costs
US$250 per boat for up to four passengers, and US$45 per person for five or more pas-
sengers between Ushongo and Zanzibar (US$270 per boat or US$50 per person between
Pangani and Zanzibar). Book through your hotel or Emayani Beach Lodge.
Road
The best connections between Pangani and Tanga are via the rehabilitated coastal road,
with about five buses daily (Tsh2000, 1½ hours). The first departure from Pangani is at
about 6.30am, so you can connect with a Tanga-Arusha bus. There's also at least one daily
direct bus between Pangani and Dar es Salaam (Tsh12,000). It's also possible to reach Pan-
gani from Muheza (Tsh1500), from where there are connections to Tanga or Korogwe, but
the road is worse and connections sporadic.
For Ushongo and the beaches south of Pangani, all the hotels there do pick-ups from both
Pangani and Tanga. There's also a daily bus between Tanga and Mkwaja (at the northern
edge of Saadani National Park) that passes Mwera village (6km from Ushongo) daily at
about 7am going north and 3.30pm going south. It's then easy to arrange a pick-up from
Mwera with the lodges.
The vehicle ferry over the Pangani River from Pangani to Bweni village runs regularly
between about 6.30am and 6.30pm daily (Tsh200/5000 per person/vehicle). From Bweni,
taxis are scarce, but motorcycles charge about Tsh10,000 to the Ushongo hotels.
KHALFAN, BOAT CAPTAIN
Khalfan, 32 years old, is a dhow captain on Ushongo beach, near Pangani. He
sails the seas daily - these days usually with tourists to nearby sandbanks, but
also occasionally fishing in the open ocean.
How many years have you been a captain?
I started out as a youngster, work-
ing on boats owned by other people. I worked for a long time on Zanzibar, also
near Tanga, Bagamoyo and also on Mafia. After some time, I had my own boat.
