Old road to Mpanda | Warning

July 26th, 2023 by marc.saperavi

As said before, the road is easy in the dry season. We did it from Mpanda to the lake with a heavy and high Hilux Camper and we found it very easy, no challenge at all. Maybe the road has been regraded recently... A bit steep and rocky at some parts but nothing scary. A few small rivers to cross ... In the wet season , there is a stretch of 10 km how would be quite challenging because of mud but shouldn't be impossible.
If you are a bit wider than a regular 4x4 (2m wide is the very maximum i guess), you shouldnt attempt this piste. Some "bridges" are very very narrow, you will not feet.
Very beautiful scenery. To not be missed in the area !

July 26th, 2023 by Des routes & nous

We came from the south, so from Mpanda to Mgombazi.

The road is in good condition. Some part narrow but most of the time it's a good gravel road. Some rocky parts but really nothing to be afraid of.

Maybe not easy in the reany season but in the middle of the dry season it's easy and good. Few river crossing. Some very steep section so a 4x4 it's much easier.

Landscapes are just amazing. Definitely a track to take. People very nice and no one asked for money or sweeties...
All where very welcoming, lot of smiles and "Karibu" 🙏🏼

You can find some tomatoes, ognons, eggs, oils, dry fish in the little villages. Very remote. Some places to wild camp but not a lot. It's quite a busy road.
The bamboo valley it's quite impressive.

June 13th, 2023 by berndsass

as to all post previous,this road is very much doable. we did it on motorbikes and drove from mpanda to magale HQ. about 6 hours. from mpanda side the first part awesome road, easy driving. the last 20 or 30km before the marked spot here has some steep decline (coming from mpan3) some narrow se tions,some water crossing. we spotted nornal sedans doing this road,which at the one crossing really impressed me. any high vehicle and 4x4 can do this. lovely road and would do it again..

December 29th, 2022 by thurmability

To give a cyclist's perspective on this route:
I did it in and after heavy rainfall, on a fully loaded touring bike, so consider this a worst case scenario! Distances are all from the turnoff from the lake road.
Pretty quickly you come to a river. For me this was knee high and flowing quickly, I had to take off all my panniers and make three trips. Immediately after this there is a long steep section where I had to push for a while.
At the top, 10km in, there is a village with places to ask to camp (school, church...). It took me 1.5hrs to here.
Straight after this is a second river, again knee high for me. I got across but needed the help of a local guy to get my bike over.
Then there was a very muddy section for 30km. Numerous streams and puddles to squelch through but nothing notable. But the mud was awful and made even pushing the bike a slog at times. There's another village after 20km of this section, it took me 4hrs total to here but I wild camped in the forest 5km before the village as I ran out of daylight.
40km in there is another very steep section. Lots of pushing for me, some of it very difficult in the mud. About 50km in is a third village. In total it took me 7.5hrs to here and as is evident by the average speed it was a very tough 7.5hrs.
From here the road is in much better condition, it's all rideable although lots of it is bumpy and some can get muddy.
There are villages with guesthouses at 100 and 115km - running water here is useful for cleaning all the mud off everything!
In total it took me about 48hrs from the turnoff to Mpanda, riding quite long days.
Aside from the conditions it's a nice road, quiet with pleasant scenery and friendly (though shy) people, but I was often too drained to appreciate this. The first 50km was some of the most challenging cycling I've ever done, so bear this in mind if it's been raining. In the dry I'd guess it's only the steep sections and the bumpy sections that will trouble you, plus maybe the two bigger rivers.

August 22nd, 2022 by eriknjenga

Not as bad as it was previously. A large portion as you approach Mpanda has been recently graded. The first maybe 2 hours is a bit degraded and single lane in most places. 3 small streams to cross but I think even during the wet season it should be ok unless it’s raining heavily. Quite hilly for the first 2 hours or so. Plan for 5-6 hours to Mpanda.

August 2nd, 2022 by eric.a.burger

We traveled this road in early August and found it easy going in dry conditions. Just one small river to cross which should not give any problems. The road is mostly very good, not much other traffic and it's nice to see rural Tanzania at a relaxed pace.

June 2nd, 2022 by mleckmelcher

Did east to west and pretty dry except for the creeks. It’s and adventure and a chance to meet people. No problems

April 30th, 2022 by stuckinlowgear.com

We just drove this road in the rainy season. Pretty much as budgetbirders described. The first 10km (coming from the west) are narrow, rough, muddy and basically a glorified boda track. We got stuck crossing a stream at ~km 11. We got ourselves unstuck, with some help from locals, in about an hour. Km 10-20 there were some pretty gnarly muddy sections but we made it through, just. Recovery would be possible if you got stuck, just mare work.

We are in a heavily loaded 1hz land cruiser 79 with diff locks but no winch. I think it would’ve been possible make the section we got stuck in, I just messed it up!

Locals were super friendly, the scenery was amazing. A super great part of Tanzania, so different from other parts of the country. (nobody asked us for money the whole time)

After that it is relatively smooth sailing, and gets getter and better as you go. I think it took us roughly 6 hrs from the turnoff to the tar, including our stuck time.

Before attempting this we asked the status of the road at the Kigoma Gombe/Mahale office. They called a ranger at Mahale who gave us up to date conditions. Apparently TANAPA uses this road sometimes.

October 20th, 2021 by africansoutthere.com

If you're on a light motorbike in dry conditions, this road is a must do!

As mentioned, the first 10km have some gnarly sections but there are boda lines you can follow, just drink that cup of commitment and go! It's totally worth it and will certainly be a highlight, the views, villages and people you encounter along the way are absolutely breathtaking.

July 2nd, 2021 by budgetbirders.com

Coming from the lake, first 10km are ROUGH. Definitely not for the faint of heart. If you can get through this section, the rest is a piece of cake.

The next 10km are narrow, rocky, and terrible to drive but doable in 4x4 and dry conditions.

KM 25-50 are narrow but significantly better driving conditions. More like the average small TZ dirt road.

KM 50 to main road (roughly 100km) is a wide dirt road that has been recently graded and in very good condition.

Took 4.5 hours to do the whole thing.

September 24th, 2019 by ronelle.duck

Do not take this road. It is apparently the old road to Mpanda. It is a track, rocky, steep and have small bridges. We only got 15km before we had to turn around.