bagamoyo

Once the last stop for Arab slave traders Bagamoyo is now little more than large village, set on a beautiful mangrove fringed bay 72kms from Dar es Salaam. It was once one of the most important trading ports on the East African coast for the ivory and slave trade. Missionaries active in abolishing the slave trade made Bagamoyo a centre for their activities. There are many picturesque reminders and old buildings remains of the German colonial era which makes for an attractive day-trip.
The town used to be a stopover for slave and ivory caravans traveling on foot from L. Tanganyika area to Zanzibar. It is where the slaves and ivory would be shipped on dhows to Zanzibar. Bagamoyo which means ‘bury my heart’ in Swahili language is now a center for dhow building in Tanzania.
The town is located in Pwani region and has a population of about 89,218 people as per the 2007 population census.