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Tanzania · Rukwa

Sumbawanga: 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.

Sumbawanga is a city of 303,986 people in Tanzania (Rukwa), 1,833 m (6,014 ft) above sea level.

Key facts

Population303,986
Elevation1,833 m (6,014 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/LOCODETZSUT
Coordinates-7.967, 31.617
Sumbawanga

Open Sumbawanga in Google Maps

Daylight in Sumbawanga runs from about 11 h 42 min a day in late June to 12 h 38 min in late December (computed for -7.97° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.

Getting there

No airport with scheduled passenger service sits within 100 km of Sumbawanga in the OurAirports register, so flying in means a longer transfer from the nearest served city.

Buses to Sumbawanga · Driving and car hire

Nearby cities, and how to get between them

Common questions

How big is Sumbawanga?

About 303,986 people live in Sumbawanga (GeoNames).

What time zone is Sumbawanga in?

Africa/Dar_es_Salaam, currently UTC+3.

What currency is used in Sumbawanga?

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

Which cities are near Sumbawanga?

Mbeya (227 km), Tabora (354 km), Tunduma (195 km), Mpanda (190 km), Kasama (254 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 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel 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.