Bagamoyo is one of the six districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Tanga Region, to the west by the Morogoro Region, to the east by the Indian Ocean and to the south by the Kibaha District. The district capital is at Bagamoyo.

Bagamoyo, is a coastal town founded at the end of the 18th century, though it is an extension of a much older (8th century) Swahili settlement, Kaole. It was chosen as the capital of German East Africa by the German colonial administration and it became one of the most important trading ports for the Germans along the East African coast along the west of the Indian Ocean in the late 19th and early 20th century. Today, it is the capital of the Bagamoyo District in Pwani Region. In 2011, the town had 82,578 inhabitants.

Bagamoyo is located at 6°26′S 38°54′E. It lies 75 kilometres (47 miles) north of Dar-es-Salaam on the coast of the Indian Ocean, across from the island of Zanzibar.

The original settlement, Kaole, was founded c. 800 CE, and grew into an important trading town by the 13th century. The Kaole Ruins contain the remnants of two mosques and 30 tombs, dated back to the 13th century. Until the 18th century, Bagamoyo, the settlement 5 kilometres (3 mi) north of Kaole, was a small trading center where most of the population were fishermen and farmers. Their main trading goods were fish, salt and gum, among others. Around the 17th century this area began growing in prosperity and by the 18th century it was an important stop in the caravan trade, acquiring the name Bagamoyo. It became the most important trading entrepot of the east central coast of Africa in the late 19th century.

This  is a center for dhow sailboat building. The Department of Antiquities in Tanzania is working to maintain the ruins of the colonial era in and around Bagamoyo and to revitalize the town. In 2006, the department applied for World Heritage Site status, in the cultural category. The Bagamoyo College of Arts (“Chuo cha Sanaa”) has been an internationally famous arts college in Tanzania, teaching traditional Tanzanian painting, sculpture, drama, dancing, and drumming. In 2007 based on the college, the Bagamoyo Arts and Cultural Institute (TaSUBa) was established.

Its history and proximity to Dar es Salaam has led Bagamoyo to be more diverse than some other areas of the country. Bagamoyo is home to many ethnic groups, including the Wakwere, Wazaramo, Wazigua, Maasai, and Waswahili. Although Swahili culture dominates, many different cultures coexist in Bagamoyo, including people of Arab descent.

In 2018, the new port construction began that will transform the area

Nunge is the name of a beach strip 2 kilometres north of the East African town Bagamoyo in Tanzania. Nunge’s southernmost point is the village Mlingotini.

The Swahili word “nungu” means “globefish” in English, “nunge” means “leper colony”.

For centuries the Nunge coast has been a place where salt was extracted from the seawater and traded to African inland areas. It is characterized by coastal mangroves and forests of coconut palms.

In recent years, a couple of seaside resort hotels have been constructed along the Nunge beach.

ATTRACTIONS IN BAGAMOYO

BAGAMOYO TOWN

With its cobwebbed portals and crumbling German-era colonial buildings, central Bagamoyo, or Mji Mkongwe (Stone Town) as it’s known locally, is well worth exploration. The most interesting area is along Ocean Rd. Here you’ll find the old German boma, built in 1897, and Liku House, which served as the German administrative headquarters.

KAOLE RUINS

Just southeast of Bagamoyo are these atmospheric ruins. At their centre are the remains of a 13th-century mosque, which is one of the oldest in mainland Tanzania and also one of the oldest in East Africa

COLLEGE OF ARTS

Located about 500m southeast of Bagamoyo along the road to Dar es Salaam is this renowned theatre and arts college, home of the national dance company. When school is in session there are occasional performances, and it’s usually possible to arrange drumming or dancing lessons.

CATHOLIC MUSEUM

About 2km northwest of town and reached via a long, mango-tree-shaded avenue is the Catholic mission and museum, one of Bagamoyo’s highlights, with well-labelled displays from Bagamoyo’s heyday.

CARAVAN SERAI  MUSEUM

his undistinguished museum has a small display documenting the slave trade. It’s at the town entrance, just past and diagonally opposite CRDB bank. More interesting than the present museum is the site at which it is built,formely the starting point for slave .

Public transport

Bagamoyo is served by the Bagamoyo Daladala stand near Bagamoyo road south east of Bagamoyo.