Safari to Kilombero

a particularly appealing part of the middle of nowhere

Set to the west of Selous in southern Tanzania, the Kilombero Valley is a vast area centred on a large wetland called the Kibasira Swamp.

The area is accessed by driving south from the Udzungwa Mountains, on a road that runs for around 50 km to the town of Ifakara.

Ifakara is an historic German mission town, with some interesting rundown buildings and a busy and friendly central market.

Immediately south of Ifakara, a ferry crosses the Kilombero River and the dirt road continues southwest through increasingly remote areas, including some extensive mahogany plantations.

The journey ends at the fabulous Itete Mission, a major German outpost which is in a remarkable state of preservation, a real time warp.

Itete Mission is very much operational, with a full complement of priests and monks, as well as an adjoining convent with nuns.

In return for a small donation, you can rent a room here and share the meal table with the residents of the mission. Days are spent idling around the mission and exploring the attached school, the nearby village and the surrounding wetlands.

A stay at Itete Mission is one of the most wonderful and authentic experiences in Africa. We have stayed here ourselves, but are yet to find any guest keen enough to take the plunge. Maybe we never will.

a truly remarkable cultural experience