Ruins close to the active port of Tanga attest to its importance as a trading post in the Swahili civilization. The ruins, once a large mosque, include more than 40 tombs. Tanga has pleasant beaches and is a convenient point from which to visit the spectacular Usambara Mountains. Just south of Tanga is Pangani, once the home of Arab slave traders, set on a lovely estuary of the Pangani River.
At the point where the massive Pangani River empties itself into the Indian Ocean, a village has grown. The Pangani River passes through the north side of the town, separating the old buildings and the present-day market from the farms and small houses on the south side. The river itself requires a ferry to cross, its dark brown waters heavy with alluvial silt as it meanders slowly into the ocean. On either side of the little town, coconut palms and sisal plantations undulate towards the horizon.
Once a centre of Swahili trade with the African mainland, the town of Pangani is now a sleepy backwater that little remembers its days of splendor. The old German administrative boma still stands behind a colonade of tall shade trees and the former prison, painted a fading ochre red, looks over the river’s lazy waters. Old houses along the main road offer lived-in examples of colonial and traditional Swahili architecture, the buildings slowly crumbling against the monsoon winds. Visitors passing through the area would do well to explore what remains of the old town on foot. Even a short walk rewards visitors with a glimpse of quiet life in the old trading towns along the Swahili Coast.
Water sports activities are available in Pangani to make enjoyable visit. These are sport fishing, swimming and snorkeling with the sea turtles. In Maziwe Island Dolphins and sea turtles are available and green turtles at Madete.