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Tanzania

Mtwara: how to get there and around

Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.

Mtwara is a city of 140,793 people in Tanzania, 21 m (69 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Mtwara Airport (MYW), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre.

Key facts

Population140,793
Elevation21 m (69 ft)
Time zoneAfrica/Dar_es_Salaam (UTC+3 now)
CurrencyShilling (TZS)
Dialling code+255
Driving sideLeft
Plug typesAC power s and sockets: British and related types, BS 1363
UN/LOCODETZMYW
Coordinates-10.267, 40.183
Mtwara

Open Mtwara in Google Maps

Daylight in Mtwara runs from about 11 h 34 min a day in late June to 12 h 46 min in late December (computed for -10.27° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.

Getting there

Mtwara is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Mtwara Airport (MYW), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 7,410 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.

Flights to Mtwara: every airport, routes and times

Buses to Mtwara · Driving and car hire

Nearby cities, and how to get between them

Twin towns and sister cities: Redditch.

Common questions

Which airport serves Mtwara?

Mtwara Airport (MYW), 8 km (5 mi) from the centre.

How big is Mtwara?

About 140,793 people live in Mtwara (GeoNames).

What time zone is Mtwara in?

Africa/Dar_es_Salaam, currently UTC+3.

What currency is used in Mtwara?

The Shilling (TZS). Traffic drives on the left.

Which cities are near Mtwara?

Dar es Salaam (396 km), Pemba (303 km), Moroni (371 km).

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.