Matema
Matema Beach, a beachside town in Mbeya Region, Located on the beautiful shores of Lake Nyasa, Matema Beach is among the most scenic tourist attractive site in Tanzania.
The lakeshore beach lies on the foothills and the end point of Livingstone Mountains at the place where these scenic ranges ends majestically into Lake Nyasa.
Travelling to Matema Beach is made up of beautiful views of real African life of the local communities. A winding road passes through high, Livingstone Mountains and tea estates before it descends to the tropical shores of Lake Nyasa.
From Matema Beach, you can make canoe trips with fishermen over the lake to the nearby village where women specialize in pottery. There is a superb snookering rocky shoreline, also a waterfall from Livingstone Mountains.
Matema lakeshore village is a fishing settlement where local fishermen are easily seen selling their catches. The village was the regional headquarters of German Governor during German rule in Tanzania before the mosquitoes forced him and his team out of place.
The beach is an expanse lakeside giving a beautiful view of its horizon and clear, shining water of Lake Nyasa; giving a chance for waters ports, ornamental fish viewing, water surfing, diving and beachside recreations on the soft sands.
From the beachside, a visitor can take a breathtaking of Livingstone Mountains as they drop majestically into Lake Nyasa. Apart from the beach, Matema is a historical site where Germans built a Lutheran Mission House found there today and with Bavarian architectural style.
Mount Livingstone hiking and visits to potteries are the other tourist activities in Matema. A number of tourist class accommodation facilities have been established there; among them are the Lutheran Center, Matema Beach View, Matema Shore Lake Resort and a number of Guest Houses.
To reach Matema Beach, it is 130 kilometre drive from Mbeya City, passing through the tarmac road to Malawian border. The drive is an exciting as the car roll through green scenery, made up of tea, banana and tree farms on hillside areas.
A tour of rice and cocoa farms in Kyela, a waterfall on Mount Livingstone and special cultural performances add more tourist attractiveness to the area.
Kyela is a small African and agrarian township where agricultural produce are sold and transported to other parts of Tanzania, mostly the commercial city of Dar es Salaam.
There are several guest houses, lodges and hotels in Kyela, ideal for local and foreign tourists. Among them are Sativa Midland Hotel, Mwambipile Guest House, Sunway Lodge, Gold Plaza Lodge, Hamili Park, Unamwa Inn and Matema Beach Hotel.
From Kyela and Matema, a visitor can cross the Tanzanian border to Malawi through Kasumulu border post or taking a boat at Itungi port to other side of Lake Nyasa in Malawi.
