Kiwira River

Kiwira River
Daraja la Mungu, a natural bridge spanning Kiwira River west of Tukuyu
Kiwira river (top left center)
Native name	Mto Kiwira (Swahili)
Location
Country	Tanzania
Region	Mbeya
District	Kyela District
District	Rungwe District
Physical characteristics
Source	Mount Rungwe, Poroto Mountains
2nd source	Marogala Stream
3rd source	Sinini Stream
4th source	Kipoke Stream
5th source	Kilasi Stream
Mouth	Lake Malawi

Kiwira River is a river located in Rungwe District and Kyela District of Mbeya Region, Tanzania.

Course

It rises in the Poroto Mountains southeast of Mbeya and receives several streams originating on the slopes of Mount Rungwe, including the Marogala, Sinini, Kipoke, Kilasi and Mulagala.[1] Kijungu Falls is on the upper course of the river. It then flows southeast and empties into the northern end of Lake Malawi near the town of Kyela.[2] The lower course flows through the Kyela Plain, which sits northwest of Lake Malawi in the valley of the East African Rift. The Kyela Plain is cultivated intensively with rice and other crops.[3]

Daraja la Mungu

Daraja la Mungu (Swahili: "Bridge of God") is a natural bridge that spans the Kiwira River at 9.27703°S 33.55185°E / -9.27703; 33.55185, reputedly formed less than a thousand years ago by a lava flow from Mount Rungwe. It can be viewed from a man-made bridge crossing the river 500 m upstream.[4]

References

1. "Rungwe Mountain Catchment Reserve". Utalii Travel & Safaris. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
2. Sheet SC 36-2: Mbeya (Map). 1:500,000. Series Y401. US Army Map Service. 1958. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
3. Racaud, Sylvain, and Francois Bart (2017). "Rural-Urban Dynamics in the East African Mountains" Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, 2017
4. Briggs, Philip; Wildman, Kim (2009). Tanzania: With Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 529. ISBN 9781841622880. Retrieved 4 June 2017.

9.621°S 33.966°E / -9.621; 33.966