At the border

To get to the border of Tanzania, the Ruvuma River must be crossed. It is possible to do so by using the Unity Bridge, which entails a detour of 700 km on bad roads, or else to use the ferry near the coast.

The ferry has a reputation for being unreliable and sometimes out of service. Moreover, the crossing is dependent on tides and might not occur for one or two consecutive days.

I chose the ferry instead of driving hundreds of kilometres on the road. It was a nice little adventure that ended well. I had to wait only one day at a South African mission before going to the ferry.

I am the first of the small cars (in 3rd position). The two trucks in front of me are in the heavy vehicles category.

For $1, I had the car washed.

The river flows into the ocean. Thus, tides have an important effect on the water level of the river...

At high tide, the boat in the middle will have completely disappeared.

To be certain of having a place, I arrived four hours before the crossing time.

I was wondering how the cars get onto the ferry since the riverbank is quite steep.

The riverbank is quite rough.

Finally, here is the ferry.

I managed to drive on board. The heavy truck in the middle waited for 7 days before getting on the ferry.