Mtwara

Mtwara Region occupies Tanzania's southernmost tip, bordering Mozambique across the Ruvuma River. A natural deep-water port — built by the British for the ill- fated East African Groundnut Scheme in the 1940s — now serves as the export hub for natural gas extracted from the Mnazi Bay and Rovuma offshore fields. Mtwara's coastline offers spectacular and crowd-free snorkelling over undamaged coral reefs at Msimbati and Ras Kiomoni. The Makonde Plateau extends into this region, and the Newala escarpment — a 600-m vertical cliff above the Ruvuma Valley — offers breathtaking views into Mozambique. Ancient cashew trees shade centuries-old Swahili settlements where fishing dhows still outnumber motorised boats.