Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
To/From Mtwara
Vehicles go daily from 6am from Mtwara (Tanzania) to Kilambo (Tsh4000, one hour) and
on to the Rovuma, which is crossed via a combination of walking and dugout canoe
(Tsh5000, 10 minutes to over an hour, depending on water levels, and dangerous during
heavy rains). The border is a rough one, and it's common for touts to demand up to 10
times the 'real' price for the boat crossing, and for boat captains to stop mid-river and de-
mand higher fees than those that have already been agreed upon. Watch your belongings,
especially when getting into and out of the boats, and keep up with the crowd.
Once in Mozambique, several pick-ups go daily to the Mozambique border crossing
(4km further) and on to Moçimboa da Praia (Mtc250, two hours).
Depending on water levels, it is sometimes possible to arrange to take your vehicle
across the Rovuma at Kilambo via dugout canoes strapped together by local entrepren-
eurs. This is obviously risky. And, it's potentially expensive (from US$100 to US$400 for
the crossing depending on your negotiating skills).
To/From Masasi
The main vehicle crossing over the Rovuma is via the Unity Bridge at Negomano
(7.30am-4pm in Mozambique, 8.30am-5pm in Tanzania), near the confluence of the Lu-
genda River. From Masasi, go 35km southwest along the Tunduru road to Nangomba vil-
lage, from where a good 68km track leads down to Masuguru village. The bridge is 10km
further at Mtambaswala. Once over, there is 160km on a bush track with fine, deep, red
dust (mud during the rains, and often blocked by trucks). This track continues through low
land bordering the Rovuma before climbing up to Ngapa (shown as Moçimboa do
Rovuma on some maps), where there is a customs and immigration checkpoint, as well as
stunning views down over the Rovuma River basin. From Ngapa to Mueda is 40km fur-
ther on a reasonable dirt road (four to six hours from the bridge to Mueda, longer during
the rains).
There's a daily
chapa
from Masasi to Mtambaswala (Tsh5000) each morning. On the
other side, a
chapa
leaves Negomano by about 1pm for Mueda (Mtc500). Going in the
other direction, if you arrive at Mtambaswala after the
chapa
for Masasi has left (it
doesn't always coordinate with the vehicle arriving from Mueda), there are some basic
guesthouses for sleeping.
To/From Songea
One or two vehicles daily depart from Majengo C area in Songea (Tsh10,000, three to
four hours) to Mtomoni village and the Unity 2 bridge. Once across, take Mozambique
