Songea

Songea is a city in the TZ Southern Highlands.

Get in

Dar es Salaam – Sumry Tsh 32,000. You get a soda and a snack, plus there’s the Al Jazeera stop.

Moro – Scandinavia Tsh 28,000

Iringa – Super Feo

Arusha – Hood Tsh 35,000

Njombe – Fikiri Trans Tsh 8,000 Phone number for the Songea office: 0756-286-674

Masasi – Tsh 15,000

Get around

Taxi no more than Tsh 3,000 from anywhere to anywhere else in Songea town—it isn't that big a place.

See

Do

Buy

Eat

Sorry—no cheese, no ice cream

Supercafe – Lots of little foods that can add up to big hela. They’ve got tiny burgers in big buns and warm banana bread. Get a glass of passion juice! Songea Bakery – The sign calls them lizatot, but Jenna calls them “Entimenes” they’re that good. The have tables inside and outside under an umbrella. Mtini Pub – It’s a kibanda under an mti. (There are cheap guest houses around here too; they’re noisy though from the bar crowd.) Agape Cafe – It has Tanzanian fare plus some baked goods. You can sit in a booth, watch television.

Drink

Sleep

There are guest houses all around the standi for Tsh 5000 to 10,000. Don Bosco – Tsh 5000 self-contained single (but the beds are double-bed size), big room with a television, the running water isn’t hot but the matron will bring you some if you ask, less than five-minutes’ walk from the bus standi. On Sunday mornings, you wake up to the entire Catholic mass over speakerphone from the church next door

Connect

Internet

Heritage Annex Tsh 1200 hour, good speed, only four computers Computer training center beside the CCM building Tsh 1200 hour, okay speed, only four computers Valongo Internet across from the main soko entrance Tsh 1000 hour, slow

Go next

Towards Lindi and Mtwara, a large section of the A19 road is under construction. From Nantumbo to Nangomba the tarmac road turns into a very rough dirt road. In the rainy season this stretch of road poses a serious obstacle, with mud, sand, rocks and flooding to contend with, and a 4WD or off-road bike is definitely recommended. It wouldn't hurt in the dry season either!