Mbeya Region · Tanzania
Mbeya travel guide
Mbeya is a city in Mbeya Region, Tanzania, home to about 542,000 people.
- Best months
- May to September
- Nearest airport
- MBI20 km · Songwe Airport
- Currency
- TZSTanzanian shilling
- Time zone
- Africa/Dar es Salaam
- Language
- English, Swahili
About
About Mbeya
Mbeya is a city located in south west Tanzania, Africa, with an urban population of 649,000 in 2023. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region (population, with Mbeya, totals approx. 2 million).
Wikipedia contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Mbeya
See
- Lake Ngozi
- Mbozi Meteorite
- Kitulo National Park
- Malamba waterfalls
Do
Mbeya is at the foot of Loleza Peak and near Mbeya Peak. At 2656 m and 2820 m respectively, both can be fine day hikes, although an experienced guide should be hired. Guides can be found through many of the travel agencies or better hotels in town.
- Matema Public Beach
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Mbeya to stay in
There are some guesthouses across from the bus station, convenient if you are heading to Malawi the next day. Avoid the travel agencies attached and ignore the many touts in the bus station, as many people have reported scams with transport, and do not trust the bus driver to give you the real destination, but ask other passengers instead.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Mbeya
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mbeya are May to September. October is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; January is the wettest, with about 214 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Mbeya: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Songwe Airport (MBI), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line.
Getting around
The city center is compact, but taxis are a better bet to reach the train and bus stations, or after dark. Dalla-dallas also ply the roads, though they will be difficult to negotiate with luggage.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
MBI · Songwe Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Mbeya
Eat
Sombrero Hotel has nice restaurant cross the street from the hotel. There are also some reasonable restaurants along south end of Lupa Way, New Appricourt restaurant being one, just opposite to Gazelle safaris.
Stay safe
For those who are travelling through Africa by vehicle, there is a very good garage just out of town on the Zambia road at Mbalizi behind the hospital at Mbalizi vocational training centre, best mechanics in Tanzania according to locals from many towns other than Mbeya, near Utengule Coffee lodge. There are several bus ticket scams running out of Mbeya. The well-established scam artists attempt to sell tickets into various cities in Malawi. They have various price sheets and other documentation. They will even make phone calls to verify there is availability on the bus. One group even has an office in the Malawi transportation/bus center.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Mbeya: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Mbeya?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Mbeya are May to September. October is the warmest month, with average highs of 30 °C; January is the wettest, with about 214 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Mbeya?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Songwe Airport (MBI), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line.
What currency is used in Mbeya?
Tanzanian shilling (TZS).
Nearby
Destinations near Mbeya
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.