Toten Island (Tanga Island)

Toten Island — now officially called Tanga Island — lies just inside the mouth of Tanga Bay, a low forested island home to the ruins of a medieval Shirazi mosque and tombs, a small population of vervet monkeys, and a wide range of birdlife. The reef around the island is mostly intact and good for snorkelling, particularly along the southern shore.

Visit by hiring a boat from the harbour or the yacht club; agree a price for the round trip and pickup time before leaving. The crossing takes around twenty minutes. The island is a protected reserve, so bring nothing in and leave nothing behind.

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The German colonial name "Toteninsel" — "Island of the Dead" — referred to the long-abandoned cemetery on the island, the remains of a Shirazi settlement contemporary with Tongoni further down the coast. The site holds the ruins of a small mosque and a scatter of pillar tombs slowly being claimed by the mangroves. The German administration left the island alone; the British made it a leper colony briefly in the 1920s.

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