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Mbeya · Tanzania

Car hire and driving in Mbeya

Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.

OverviewFlightsHotelsTrainsBusesCar rentalTours

In Tanzania traffic drives on the left. Picking up at MBI means 19 km (12 mi) into the centre before the trip starts. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q25648805 / http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q2945964.

Drives from Mbeya

Car rental from Mbeya: distances and estimated journey times
RouteCountryDistanceEstimated time
Mbeya to KatumbaTanzania41 km (26 mi)about 38 min
Mbeya to TundumaTanzania87 km (54 mi)about 1 h 20 min
Mbeya to MakumbakoTanzania152 km (94 mi)about 2 h 19 min
Mbeya to SumbawangaTanzania227 km (141 mi)about 3 h 28 min
Mbeya to IringaTanzania278 km (173 mi)about 4 h 14 min
Mbeya to SongeaTanzania312 km (194 mi)about 4 h 46 min
Mbeya to IfakaraTanzania366 km (227 mi)about 5 h 35 min
Mbeya to MpandaTanzania387 km (240 mi)about 5 h 54 min
Mbeya to DodomaTanzania395 km (245 mi)about 6 h 1 min
Mbeya to TaboraTanzania437 km (272 mi)about 6 h 40 min
Mbeya to SingidaTanzania476 km (296 mi)about 7 h 16 min
Mbeya to MorogoroTanzania518 km (322 mi)about 7 h 54 min
Mbeya to Dar es SalaamTanzania681 km (423 mi)about 10 h 23 min
Mbeya to MwanzaTanzania712 km (443 mi)about 10 h 52 min
Mbeya to ZanzibarTanzania703 km (437 mi)about 10 h 43 min
Mbeya to ArushaTanzania712 km (442 mi)about 10 h 51 min
Mbeya to KahamaTanzania571 km (355 mi)about 8 h 43 min
Mbeya to TangaTanzania755 km (469 mi)about 11 h 31 min
Mbeya to GeitaTanzania684 km (425 mi)about 10 h 26 min

Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.

Where to compare car hire

ExpediaCar hire from the major suppliers, and the one to look at if the flight or hotel is already booked there. Part of Expedia Group.Check car hire on Expedia (opens www.expedia.com in a new tab)
DiscoverCarsCompares local and international suppliers. Read the counter reviews before you pick.Check rental cars on DiscoverCars (opens www.discovercars.com in a new tab)
Rentalcars.comBooking.com's car arm, with wide airport coverage worldwide.Compare suppliers on Rentalcars.com (opens www.rentalcars.com in a new tab)
Every link above leaves this site.

We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.

Common questions

Which side of the road do they drive on in Mbeya?

The left, as everywhere in Tanzania.

How are the journey times on this page worked out?

From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.

Where these facts come from

  • GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
  • Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
  • OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
  • Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines

Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.