Makonde Plateau

The Makonde plateau, also called the Newala plateau after its main town, rises inland from the southeastern coast to about 900 metres at its western end, a dry raised block with the Ruvuma running along its southern edge, and it is the home of the Makonde, whose carving in African blackwood is the best-known art tradition in the country. The forms range from the older ujamaa pieces, columns of interlocked figures representing the family, to the shetani spirit figures with distorted limbs and faces. Carving is done at workshops on the plateau and sold across East Africa.

What's there

• The blackwood carving - work in dense African blackwood, the region's signature craft.
• The ujamaa columns - interlocked family figures carved from a single piece.
• The shetani figures - distorted spirit forms, the more modern strand of the tradition.
• The plateau edge - views down to the Ruvuma valley from the southern rim.

When to go

June to October is the dry season and the only reliable time for the roads. The rains from December to April make the plateau tracks difficult. Workshops work through the year.

Before you go

Much of the carving sold to visitors elsewhere is now made in Dar es Salaam or Kenya rather than here. There is no tourism infrastructure on the plateau and arrangements are informal. Roads are rough and journeys are long.

Nearby

Mikindani is northeast, and Mtwara is beyond it.

Key facts