Why visit Ifakara
Townapedia lists 8 places to eat, 4 places to stay and 1 attraction in and around town.
Weather in Ifakara
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Ifakara
Ifakara is a town in the Kilombero District, Morogoro Region, south central Tanzania. It is the headquarters of the Kilombero District administration and the main trading centre for Kilombero and Ulanga districts. The town is located near the Tanzania-Zambia Railway (TAZARA) line, at the edge of the Kilombero Valley, a vast swampland flooded by the mighty Kilombero River.
From the Wikipedia article Ifakara (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do1
Restaurants and cafes8
Where to stay4
Churches and places of worship3
History
Historically, Ifakara has passed through different administrative districts. While from 1899 to 1917 it was part of Mahenge militarbezirk, between 1917 and 1936 it was under Mahenge District (Larson 1976). From 1936 to independence (1961), Ifakara became part of Ulanga District. Today (2008), Ifakara is part of Kilombero District, Morogoro Region. It is both the division and district headquarters. The population is heterogeneous. The indigenous people are largely the Ndamba, Mbunga and Pogoro tribes and the population today constitutes also the descendants of Lipangalala, Ndwangira and Mfalikuivahaa, who as leaders from Zululand and Southern Africa arriving in Ifakara and the region as of the late 1860s (Larson 1976:14). Other ethnic groups include Hehe, Sukuma, Bena, Gogo, Ruguru, Kyurya, Pare, and Chagga. In terms of religion, Christians outnumber Moslems and pagans because of early settlements of missionaries in the area.
Read more of the history
A year after the British mandate was pronounced by the League of Nations in 1920s, the Capuchin Mission started work in Ifakara. The Swiss missionary work emerged in a context of acute social and political change. The missionary range of services offered was not only spiritual and pedagogical, but also medical. Christian missions had a reputation as conveyors of European medical science. Sr. Arnolda Kury, from the Franciscan Baldegg congregation of the “Schwestern von der Göttlichen Vorsehung" Baldegger_Schwestern built a small dispensary in 1927. This facility developed over the years and grew considerably when the St. Annaheim maternity hospital was added in 1944. In 1953, Dr. Karl Schöpf designed and built a modern and new hospital, now called St. Francis Hospital, with support from Sr. Arnolda, the powerful parish priest and not least the Capuchin Bishop of the Archdiocese of Dar es Salaam. Today the mission hospitals have become 'health projects' executing 'health programmes' which are sold on the secular and spiritual, as well as private and public, market created by donors in Switzerland and elsewhere.
From the History section of Ifakara on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Ifakara
Economy
Fishing has always been the main economic activity of the people living along the Kilombero River. The river provides different fish species including prawns, sardines, ndipi, mbewe, kitoga, tilapia, mjongwa, catfish, sulusulu, bulu, juju, ngunga, ngufu, ngundu, nguyu, ningu and mbala. The Ndamba are distinguished from the Pogoro of Mahenge highlands and its lowland peripheries by their riverine economy and technology. The technological superiority of the Ndamba lies in their control of canoe transport and grasp of riverine lore, which enables them to slip into vast and complicated waterways and survive there for lengthy periods. For a long time, Larson (1976) notes, the Ndamba gained access to the fertile alluvial fans only during the dry season. Other subsistence activities include hunting and cultivation. Today, people also farm. While rice is the main food stuff, sugarcane, maize, millet and wheat are essentially grown for food and trade.
From the Wikipedia article Ifakara, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Ifakara
Benno NduluTanzanian economist and academicPhoto: UNU-WIDER, CC BY 2.0
Born in Ifakara, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging2
Schools, colleges and libraries27
Healthcare7
Map of Ifakara
55 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Iringa Airport (IRI) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 115 km away.
- Lupiro 28 km south, about 28 min by car
- Kidatu 57 km northeast, about 57 min by car
- Mahenge 61 km south, about 1 h by car
- Ruaha 62 km northeast, about 1 h by car
- Kidodi 69 km northeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Mtimbira 81 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Ilula 87 km northwest, about 1 h 30 min by car
- Mikumi 88 km north, about 1 h 30 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
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Headlines from INDB.
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Ifakara.TAZARA.station, Manuel Hetzel, CC BY 2.5
- Ifakara Health Institute tower, Paul2520, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Amnirana galamensis, John Lyakurwa, CC BY 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, roadroid, CC BY-SA 4.0
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