Mbezi Beach

Mbezi Beach is a suburban coastal neighbourhood about 20 km north of the Dar es Salaam city centre, reached along Bagamoyo Road. It is better known as a residential area with beach bars, restaurants and hotels than as a single defined public beach, and access to the sea is usually through a venue or a local path to the shore. The sand is a medium grey-gold, with scattered rock and seaweed in places, and the water is typical of the mainland coast: warm and green-brown rather than clear, particularly after rain. The beach faces open ocean, so there is a steady breeze, but the tide changes the waterline significantly, and swimming is best at high tide. The character is relaxed and social rather than sporty. Visitors come mainly for a long lunch of grilled fish, prawns or nyama choma, cold drinks and an afternoon on the sand. Weekends, especially Sundays, are busy with residents and expatriates from the nearby suburbs, while weekdays are very quiet. Some venues provide loungers or shaded seating, restrooms and parking for patrons, but there are no official lifeguards or municipal facilities. Getting there is the main consideration: a taxi or Bolt from the centre takes 45 to 60 minutes depending on traffic on Bagamoyo Road, and the journey can be much longer at rush hour. Visitors who stay in the northern suburbs, or who are combining the beach with the nearby beaches at Ununio and Kunduchi, will find it far more convenient. Because the shore is mostly accessed through private venues, it is worth choosing a restaurant first and treating its frontage as the beach for the day. Valuables should not be left unattended on the sand.