Dar es Salaam

January 8^th, 2025

As we slowly sailed into the harbor in the early morning, so were the fishermen arriving at the fish market after what looked like a successful night.

There were people everywhere busily unloading the little fishing boats as they arrived on the shore, and we could hear them yelling at each other in what seemed to be a very disorganized attempt to get the catch of the night off loaded and ready to sell. It was amazing to watch

But all too soon we had moved on, and we were now gliding past the skyline of modern-day Dar es Salaam It looked beautiful in the early morning light.

As we disembarked the ship we were greeted by local dancers who put on a great show.

We couldn’t stay to watch as our driver, Ignas, was waiting for us on the dock. Normally when we are in a cargo port (as we seemed to have been way too often on this cruise) your driver can only meet you at the port gate, and you rely on the shuttle to get you there. In Dar es Salaam as long as the driver has information about the passengers, they are able to come right up to the ship so there are no worries about trying to find him at the port gate.

That was the good news. The bad news was that the car we were going to be traveling in today was a compact Toyota, so it was going to be a bit of a squeeze for 5 adults. However, it did have air conditioning, I am not sure we would have coped without that.

As I child I lived for a short while in Dar es Salaam in the northern neighborhood of Oyster Bay. Luckily our driver was able to drive through there on our way to our destination, Bagamoyo.

As we drove up the coast road I saw the perfect place to stop for a drink, but we just sped past it.

My memories of Oyster Bay were of flowering trees and white houses, and although the small houses that I remember seem to have been replaced by larger houses and blocks of flats or town houses, the neighborhood still had the trees and the feel of being a very special place.

We left Oyster Bay and joined the main highway to Bagamoyo. There are 2 lanes each way, however  the busses, cars and motor bikes thought it had 3 or 4 lanes, so everything was quite a squeeze. Also, the traffic lights along the way seemed to be malfunctioning, and although there were traffic cops at some of the affected intersections, the others were a free for all. It was an interesting 2 hours.

Downtown Dar es Salaam had been very impressive with its tall modern buildings, but as soon as we were out of the city center, we were definitely driving through Africa again.

Eventually we saw the sign.

We had arrived in Bagamoyo.

Bagamoyo has a very interesting history. The settlement was first inhabited in the 8th century as a Zaramo village and then a Swahili stone settlement, satellite to Kaole. It was one of the most significant trading hubs on the coast of East Africa, serving as the last stop on the mainland for the slave traders and ivory caravans making their way on foot from Lake Tanganika to Zanzibar.

The settlement began as a fishing and farming community that traded small amounts of local goods until the early 1800s. In the early 1800s, the Sultan of Oman turned nearby Zanzibar into the main commerce center of the western Indian Ocean, and Bagamoyo’s fortunes improved at the same time. Bagamoyo was a thriving city, dominating trade along the East African coast, until the latter half of the nineteenth century. It was the first capital of the country until the capital was moved to Dar es Salaam.

Bagamoyo also became a popular site for European explorers at this time, who would start their journeys into the heart of Africa from Bagamoyo. Notable among them were Henry Stanley, Richard Burton, and David Livingstone. After David Livingstone’s death his body was carried back to Bagamoyo from where it was transported to England.

Our first stop was at the Old Fort. There we met our Bagamoyo guide, Prince. He told us that the fort was built by an Arab trader; Abdallah Sulleiman, during the 1860s. Originally it was a stand-alone two-storey building and was used as a residence until the 1880s. Between 1880 and 1919, the Old Fort served as a military base for the Germans. During the Coastal Uprising in 1888, the Germans increased its size, raised its walls, built four bastions, and added windows. From 1920 to 1974, both the British colonial government and the independent Tanganyika/Tanzania government used the building as a prison. It was later used as a police station and then used as a hostel for conservation students until 1997. Now it is used as offices for the Antiquities Department in Bagamoyo.

We walked with Prince towards the beach stopping at a memorial to the men who were hanged during the Coastal Uprising. Their graves have never been found.

We then strolled along the beautiful beach past the fishing boats to the German Cemetery.

The cemetery is where the Germans who died during the uprising are buried. In reality only 18 of the 21 graves are those of German soldiers, there is also the grave of a German nurse and a baby who died 6 days after her birth. At a distance from the German graves is that of a British High Commissioner. The cemetery is in a beautiful position, right next to the beach.

We walked back to the Old Fort and had a quick look around, admiring the beautiful door. I really want one for our house.

Our next stop was in nearby Kaole, reached by driving along a very bumpy dirt road. Once a thriving port it has now become overgrown by mangroves, and is famous for the ruins first exposed in 1958.

The mosque dates back to the 13th century, and people still come there to pray

There are several tombs.

There is a well there that is said to be a magic well, with amazing curative properties. Although the well is close to the coast, the water isn’t salty, and the water level never changes despite the amount of rainfall, floods and droughts make no difference. It is always the same.

There is a small museum there containing artifacts from the tomb, which includes pieces of Chinese porcelain and there is also a large baobab tree.

We drove back along the bumpy dirt road to Bagamoyo and stopped by the German Boma. The building was an administrative center for the Germans but is now in ruins. However the plan is to restore it to convert it into a museum or hotel. I thought both would work, but I was concerned about all the work that would be involved in installing the plumbing for a hotel. Every room with an ensuite bathroom. Hmmmm.

As I was pondering where they could put the pipes, we arrived at the Holy Ghost Church. The original Holy Ghost Church, built in 1872 was reportedly the oldest church on mainland East Africa, however little of this building remains and the new church was built 1910. One of the church’s claims to fame was that in 1874. David Livingstone’s body was placed in the original church for a night and the Livingstone Tower, a part of the original church, is named in his honor.

There is also a little museum there with information about the church’s involvement in trying to get slaves freed.

The church is certainly in need of some repairs but is still a very beautiful building.

We drove back into town

All of this intense sightseeing made us very hungry, so I was glad that our next stop was for lunch at a delightful local restaurant.

We had noticed a lovely painting on the wall and it turned out that Prince, our guide, was the artist.

He told us that he also did T shirts

So of course I had to buy one!

Brian was very happy with his ugali and Kilimanjaro beer.

Then it was time to make the long journey back to the ship. Bagamoyo is certainly worth visiting but do leave there in good time. It took well over 2 hours to reach the port.

The drive back was even more chaotic

And we couldn’t even stop for an ice cream on the way.

However, we were stopped at a roadblock. Our driver got out and was questioned by a police officer who seemed happy with him. Then an immigration officer came over to the car and questioned our immigration status and wanted to see our passports. Luckily our driver had copies of our friends’ passports as he had needed them to get into the port, but we had no documentation of our status, and I assumed that a Washington State drivers license would not do the job. After much discussion we were deemed fit to return to the ship. Phew!

The buildings are certainly amazing here,

but the roads are awful. To alleviate the congestion the government is building a road that will specifically be for public transport between the 2 carriageways of the so-called highway, but in the middle of town the construction has had to be stopped as there is a large baobab tree in the way, and no one wants to have it cut down. I do hope the tree wins this one. I am definitely for team baobab.

Finally we reached the port gates, and there was the Sojourn waiting for us. It had been a really excellent tour despite the long drive and cramped car. I am so glad we did it.

As many folks had been on safaris over the past few days, the sail away had a safari theme – wear your best safari outfit. I hadn’t got around to washing my safari clothes yet, so a sundress had to suffice. I did wear my straw hat for good measure.

The sail away party was great fun as usual. Great food, cold champagne, and Amber and the Band providing excellent dance music. Who could ask for anything more?  We even blew our whistle as we left. I love most things about Captain Hamish, but he is certainly deficient in the whistle blowing department. I do wish he would do it more.

When we sailed into the harbor 12 hours ago, the fishing boats were returning from a night’s fishing. Now the boats were getting ready to head out again and see what tonight’s catch would bring. We waved and wished them luck. Not that they could hear us.

Then we waved goodbye to the skyline

And to the Oyster Bay Bridge which certainly wasn’t there in my day.

Farewell Tanzania, until the next time :)..