Kilwa

During my stay in Dar es Salaam, I had a good time with Cosmas, the waiter at the hotel where I stayed for three days, before going to Zanzibar. So it was thanks to this meeting that I decided to make a detour, after Zanzibar, to spend a week in Kilwa Masoko: a fishing village, where Cosmas lives and works in a wonderful hotel, belonging to the same owner as the hotel in Dar es Salaam.

The bus ride to get there lasted a little more than 6 hours. My first long ride all alone like a great backpacker!

When I arrived at the hotel, where I was almost the only guest, Cosmas and I went to the village for dinner. Coincidentally, it was the restaurant of the last mayor, that was proud to welcome me, and to tell me that he had traveled to France, three years before. We tasted tuna cooked in coconut milk, served with tomatoes and rice, perfect for a first night in a fishing village!

During my stay, I had the opportunity to enjoy the calm of the beach and the nature surrounding it. When Cosmas wasn't working, he would take me to visit the surroundings: riding a motorcycle under a forest of coconut trees, walking on a sand beach as far as the eye can see, during low tide, at sunset...

As in Zanzibar, I took a boat trip, this time alone with the guide, to visit two islands off Kilwa Masoko, classified as World Heritage by Unesco. We stopped at Songo Mnara, the farthest island, which contains the ruins of the 14th and 15th century.

It is on this island that we chose our smoked fish from the fishermen for lunch.

It was interesting to visit the ruins, although i preferred to see the fishermen and their small huts made of coral and lime.

On the way to the second and largest island, we took a break so I could do some snorkeling. There was no influence of mass tourism, and I was able to enjoy the magnificent corals and fish of thousands colors. After a good hour of swimming, we enjoyed the good smoked fish with chapatis and bananas, while arriving at Kilwa Kisiwani, the second island.

Today, Kilwa Kisiwani is a peaceful fishing village in the middle of the ocean, but this island was once the seat of a sultanate, and an important commercial crossroads that connected the shona kingdoms and gold mines from Zimbabwe to Persia, India and China. At the beginning of the 16th century, the island fell under Portuguese domination, and regained its independence only two centuries later. It then passed into the hands of the Sultanate of Oman, then into the Sultanate of Zanzibar, in the middle of the 19th century. The ruins are well preserved with many things to see.

After a day of intense sightseeing, I enjoyed a good swim in the Indian Ocean at sunset, before dining one last time in the village with Cosmas.