Tourist Information

Here you will find information to help you get ready for your memorable visit to Tanzania! It is a rather large section, as we wanted to group as much information as possible. Click on the topic of your interest or just scroll down the page:

• Planning a Trip
• Activities
• Visas & Documents
• International Airports , Taxes, Customs
• Insurance
• Public Holidays & Events
• Local Time
• Money & Costs & ATMs
• Tipping & Bargaining
• Business Hours
• Shopping & Souvenirs
• Communication
• Electricity
• Weights & Measures
• People
• Health Issues
• Eating & Drinking
• Accommodation
• Safety
• Begging

More information about Tanzania is available in our Facts & Figures or FAQ sections; if the information you need cannot be found, please do not hesitate to contact us! We will do our best to assist you.

• Planning a Trip

Tropical Tanzania can be visited during the whole year. The hottest months are from October to February, with a short rainy season (vuli) during November. The longer rains (masika) start in the middle of March and last until May. Contrary to people’s belief, it is not pouring all day long; rain showers are usually in the evenings, during the night and in the early mornings. It can get cooler though, especially at night and at higher altitudes (Ngorongoro, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Meru). The coolest and driest months to visit are between June and October.

Generally the »high season« with more expensive accommodation and air-fare rates lasts from June till March. The »low season« is during the masika, from March/April until May/June, and at that time you will often be able to save considerably on accommodation expenses. But note that some lodges and hotels close during that time for their yearly repairs.

If you are wondering what to bring for trekking or safari, take a look at our recommended list (Trekking FAQ, Safari FAQ). You do not need to bring too much clothing; laundry services are available in most hotels and guest houses and note that some air charters limit their baggage to 10-15 kg maximum (metric converter). Do not forget your camera and enough films (and replacement batteries) to ensure to make your trip memorable! Otherwise you can buy almost anything in bigger cities as Dar es Salaam or Arusha except for specialist trekking and sporting equipment and special contact lenses. And remember to protect your equipment against the dust!

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• Activities

What can you do and see in Tanzania? Almost anything you desire! It is a home of »safari«, since the word in Swahili means journey. It is a place to see the endless herds of Wildebeests and Zebras rambling across the plains on their annual migrations, chased by Lions, Leopards, Cheetahs and Hyenas! It is an Elephant country, with some of the largest populations in the world, and home to Chimpanzees, so rarely seen in the wild nowadays! Enthusiastic bird-lovers will discover a paradise; more than 500 different species can be observed in some parks!

The Great Rift Valley, stretching in the middle of the country, has created many fascinating topographical features, former volcanoes, which you can trek (Ngorongoro); one of them still active with daily eruptions (Ol Doinyo Lengai). And do not forget about its majesty Mt. Kilimanjaro reaching 5895 m (highest peak of Africa) and representing a challenge to every adventurer!

Tanzania possesses stunning beaches – hundreds of miles of palm-fringed sands and exotic islands of Zanzibar (Unguja Island), Pemba and Mafia! White sandy beaches are a synonym for relaxation. Come for diving or snorkeling or just swimming in the warm Indian Ocean; observe the amazing »underwater world« and incredible Coral reefs, as Zanzibar is one of the rarest places in the world where corals are still alive! Or maybe catch an exotic fish or two; choice is huge and you can end up with a yellowfin tuna, kingfish, marlin, barracuda, horse-mackerel, sailfish, rock cod or wahoo!

Enthusiastic golfers, even here you can play the game!

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• Visas & Documents

• A valid passport is considered to be the one with at least one empty page for visas and expiry date at least 6 months after your arrival.
  
• Most visitors require a visum when traveling to Tanzania except citizens of certain Commonwealth countries. If you did not obtain your visa in advance from Embassies or High Commissions, you can get it at all points of entry (three International Airports (see next section) and bigger land borders: Sirari, Namanga, Taveta, Horohoro with Kenya; Mutukula with Uganda; Rusumo with Rwanda; Kabanga with Burundi; Kasesya and Tunduma with Zambia; Mwandenga with Malawi and Kalambo with Mozambique). It has to be paid in US$ dollars; from 15 September 2004 the price for everybody is 50 US$. Do note that NOT everybody can obtain a visa on Tanzania entry point - it is allowed for the citizens of EU and European countries, the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and a few others.
  
• Proof of yellow fever vaccination is officially required for entry into all countries except Tanzania and Kenya. However a proof of vaccination is still required if you are coming to East Africa from an area where yellow fever is endemic (most of the sub-Saharan Africa). The same applies for cholera.
  
• If you consider driving in Tanzania, the best option is to acquire an International Driving Permit before leaving home. And note that driving is on the left side!
  
• Students will benefit with an International Student Identity Card on train fairs, airline tickets, entries to museums and archeological sites.
  
• It is recommendable to arrange Travel Insurance covering theft, loss and medical problems.
  
• Before departing remember to make copies of your documents (in case originals get lost or stolen) – passport, airline tickets, health card, insurance, Traveller’s Cheque serial numbers and other documents. Leave one set of copies at home with your family or friends (or scan them and email to your email account you can check worldwide); the other one bring with you but do not keep together with the originals.
  
• Citizen of the countries of the European Union, who do not have an Embassy or High Commission of their own country in Tanzania, can turn for help to an Embassy or High Commission of any EU country.

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• International Airports , Taxes, Customs

In Tanzania there are three International Airports: Kilimanjaro International Airport (also known as KIA), Dar es Salaam International Airport and Zanzibar International Airport.

An airport departure tax of 30 US$ is levied and has to be paid in convertible foreign currency; many times it is already included in the price of an air ticket. When traveling between mainland and Zanzibar (either by plane or ferry), a 5 US$ departure tax will be charged and needs to be paid direct.

Visitors can bring any amount of foreign currency into Tanzania, no currency declaration is required; however import and export of the local currency (Tanzanian Shillings) is illegal. The following items are tax free when entering Tanzania: one liter of spirits, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco, and 250ml of perfume.

It is illegal to export ivory, rhino products, seashells and turtle shells in any form (even simple jewelry)! When buying valuable gemstones, remember to obtain receipt; you can be asked to present it to the custom officials on your departure.

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• Insurance

It is advisable to obtain insurance covering theft, loss, illness and injury. Make sure that your medical insurance covers also an emergency flight home.

If you need to make a claim, remember to keep all the receipts and documentation; in case of theft, you must obtain an official police statement.

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• Public Holidays & Events

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• Local Time

Time in Tanzania is GMT plus three hours throughout the year.

Local people generally use their »Swahili time«, which is set six hours ahead the normal western time; therefore 12 o’clock in Swahili time (saa kumi na mbili) is in fact 6 o’clock western time. It is not as confusing as it sounds, the easiest way is to add six hours or just to turn your watch upside down and pay attention when asking people for time. Usually if they answer you in English, they will be telling you the western time (in Swahili time they always use saa meaning an hour).

If you are a punctual type of a person you may get frustrated quite often when in Africa. Things take time in Africa; people are not in a rush and to fully enjoy your vacations, you just have to accept that!

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• Money & Costs & ATMs

The local currency is Tanzanian Shilling, Tsh, which is divided into 100 cents. Paper notes: 10.000, 5.000, 2.000, 1.000 and 500; coins: 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1.

Most prices are quoted in Tsh except for tourist services including safari, accommodation, park entry fees, car rental, flights.

Visitors can bring any amount of foreign currency into Tanzania, no currency declaration is required; however import and export of the local currency is illegal. Most of the »major« currencies, especially US$ dollars, are accepted and can be exchanged in banks and exchange offices as well as some hotels. Note that US$ cash notes older than 1996 (and 100 US$ notes older than 2001) are not accepted in Tanzania and that exchange rate is higher for 50 and 100 US$ notes compared to 20, 10, 5, and even lower for 1 US$ notes. Traveller’s Cheques are widely accepted (both American Express and Tomas Cook).

Major credit cards are acceptable in larger hotels; however the exchange rate is less favorable as for cash and Traveller’s Cheques. Cash advances on Visa and MasterCard are given at branches of Barclays Bank (Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar Stone Town), Standard Chartered (Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza) and some of the exchange offices at an extra charge (usually 15%!).

24-hour ATMs accepting Visa, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Plus or Cirrus are located at Barclays Bank branches in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Zanzibar Stone Town, Mwanza and Mbeya. ATMs accepting Visa Card are located in branches of Standard Chartered Banks in Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Moshi; Visa Card is also accepted in ATMs of NBC bank with branches in Dar es Salaam (also at the airport), Arusha, Bukoba, Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Karatu, Kigoma, Lindi, Mbeya, Moshi, Morogoro, Mtwara, Musoma, Mwanza, Njombe, Shinyanga, Singida, Songea, Sumbawanga, Tabora, Tanga, Tukuyu and Zanzibar. Do note that daily limit of the ATM machines is approximately 300 USD per day per card even if you posess a card with no limit!

For receiving money to Tanzania you can rely on the service of Western Union (the funds can be collected at any branch of Tanzania Postal Bank) or MoneyGram (at Exim Bank branches).

In general, Tanzania can be quite inexpensive country if you do not choose to go on safari, trekking, scuba-diving or renting a car. It also depends on what type of accommodation you select; exclusive lodges and luxury hotel resorts are pricey.

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• Tipping & Bargaining

If you intend to stay in major tourist establishments, tips will be expected as well as for the crew on safaris and trekking, since a tip is not included in the total price of the tour. An amount of the tip depends on your appreciation of the received services. An e stimation of 5-10% of the total you have paid for your tour can be considered as a tip to the crew. In general, one can say that 10-20 US$ per day is a good tip for a guide and a cook; a porter can get 5-10 US$ per day. Given amounts are for the group, not per person.

Bargaining is expected especially if you are buying souvenirs in tourist areas. Sometimes you can buy the item for a half or even less of the originally quoted price, if you have good bargaining skills and if enough profit remains to the seller. In local places the quoted price is usually the real one.

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• Business Hours

Note that stated business hours are general and can differ from town to town.

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• Shopping & Souvenirs

Expect to bargain, as the initially offered price is usually significantly higher than the real one.

Look for different woodcarvings like animal sculptures, masks, spears, combs etc.; batik and tingatinga paintings (tingatinga is a special style of painting named after Tanzanian Eduardo Saidi Tingatinga; paintings are incredibly colorful with cartoon-like animals), traditional crafts like drums and other musical instruments, stools and metal jewelry, Maasai jewelry, Makonde helmet masks, kangas (kanga is a traditional women dress, actually a wrap, with different Swahili proverbs written on the textile). Remember that it is illegal to buy and export ivory, rhino products, seashells and turtle shells in any form (even simple jewelry)!

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• Communication

When you want to call anyone in Tanzania, you will have to dial 255 after your country’s exit code. Tanzania’s International Exit Code is 000, so for calling from Tanzania, you dial first 000. Using a land phone line can be expensive (although it's getting cheaper and you can now use prepaid facilities using TTCL - Tanzania Telecommunication Company Limited - prepaid vouchers) however it is not always reliable (the line can be unexpectadly disconnected during the conversation), so you may consider another way of communication.

Internet would be a much cheaper option; Internet Café’s can be found almost on every corner in larger cities and one hour of surfing would cost you as little as 1 US$.

Postal services are rather slow if you don’t use airmail, which takes approximately a week to reach Europe and twice as much overseas. Postal stamps can be purchased at post offices and some larger hotels (they cost approximately a half of US$ dollar).

DHL, TNT and UPS services are available in Tanzania.

Telefax facilities are available in many Government as well as private Business Offices.

You can also bring your mobile phone with you, as in the past couple of years the mobile network expanded tremendously; but do verify in advance with your mobile operator, that they have a contract with one of Tanzanian mobile operators (Vodacom, Celtel, Tigo on mainland and Zantel on Zanzibar). If not, you may consider buying a Tanzanian sim-card which is fairly cheap and top up your account with prepaid vouchers.

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• Electricity

Tanzania uses 230 V, 50 cycles, AC. Power cuts do occur although; they are not common and usually brief. In general the plugs are British three-square-pin or two-round-pin (not so common). Adaptors are available.

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• Weights & Measures

In Tanzania a metric system is used (kilometres, meters, litres, degrees Celsius). For conversion between metric and imperial units have a look at our metric converter.

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• People

Tanzanians are very friendly people. Hands are shaken on every occasion; when meeting, parting, passing or receiving anything. The right hand is used. If your right hand is occupied, offer your right wrist or elbow; never offer your left hand, as it is used for »wiping«. The same applies for eating.

Public displays of affection between the sexes do not happen! Sometimes you will see people of the same gender holding hands while walking around town; this has nothing to do with their sexual affection, it is just a display of a great friendship. You can feel honored if someone of your gender makes such a display of friendship!

There is no open gay scene and gay/lesbian travelers should avoid showing mutual affection. Officially homosexuality is still illegal with punishment up to 14 years in jail.

Show respect with your dress, especially in Muslim areas (see also Zanzibar FAQ). Covered up (your knees and shoulders) you will attract much less harassment from touts and flycatchers and most importantly, you will not be treated as a dumb tourist!

Always ask permission before taking anyone's photograph and do not feel offended if they refuse or ask money in return.

Do not litter. Take only photographs and memories not bones, skins, horns, teeth, feathers and coral, shells or starfish on the coast.

When in the national parks always follow the park regulations and the instructions of your ranger or guide. On safari, keep your distance from animals and remain quiet. Ask your guides about the local customs in the area you are visiting.

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• Health Issues

Common diseases in Tanzania include diarrhea, typhoid (caused by contaminated water and food), malaria (transmitted by mosquito bytes; note that not all mosquitoes carry malaria, only female Anopheles type which tend to byte in the evenings and during the night), hepatitis A (transmitted by contaminated food and drinking water), cholera (caused by bacteria in contaminated food and water), bilharzia or schistosomiasis (transmitted by a miniature worm in lakes), sexually transmitted diseases including the HIV virus. They are all preventable and for some you can get vaccinated before traveling; but do note that some vaccination needs to be done even six months before arrival. It is recommended to consult your doctor before traveling. And do not forget to visit your dentist!

If you are coming from an area where yellow fever and cholera are endemic, you will need to show a proof of vaccination at the point of entering Tanzania. Mosquito control efforts and a higher altitude of the Northern Tanzania greatly reduce the risks of contracting malaria, however malaria is still not extinct. Visitors are advised to take anti-malaria pills but if you choose not to, then take other precautions like wear long trousers and long sleeves in the evenings (light-colored; apparently mosquitoes prefer darker colors), sleep under the mosquito net and regularly use insect repellent.

If you plan to go on trekking, especially reaching the peaks over 4000 m, be aware of altitude illness and hypothermia (more in Trekking Tips), and in beach areas and even safari, protect yourself to avoid sunburn.

It is not advisable to drink water from the tap or use it for brushing your teeth, though locals consider the water to be safe. It is much safer to use bottled or purified water (1,5 liter of bottled water costs around a half of US$) .

Remember the saying: »If you can’t cook it, boil it or peel it, then forget it!«? It can be useful when questioning whether or not eating particular vegetables, fruits or meat. Naturally it depends greatly where you are buying/eating your food.

Modern medical services are available in all major cities and national parks. It is recommended to bring your own medical kit with you, as some of the medicines are not available at chemists. A flying doctor can be requested for emergencies in all areas (but do note that this service needs to be covered by your health insurance).

If you feel feverish, immediately look for a doctor!

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• Eating & Drinking

Tanzanian cuisine is simple and tasty; portions are big and typical dishes include:

• Ugali , stiff maize or cassava porridge;
• Wali , cooked rice;
• Chipsi , deep-fried potatoes (chips or French fries);
• Chapati, a round bread cooked like a pancake;
• Chipsi mayai, an omelette made with chips;
• Kuku, chicken;
• Samaki, fish;
• Nyama choma, roast meat;
• Mchuzi, meat or vegetable sauce;
• Ndizi choma, fried vegetable bananas (plantain);
• Mishkaki, grilled meat on a skewer;
• Samosa or Sambusa, fried triangular-shaped pastry filled with a mixture of meat, onions, vegetables and spices;
• Pilau, mixture of rice and spices;
• Matoke, cooked banana with meat or fish and different vegetables.

On the mainland coast and Zanzibar you can enjoy fresh tropical fish, lobster and shrimps.

Larger towns have a good selection of international cuisine including Indian, Chinese and Italian restaurants. Some restaurants even serve meat from wild animals like giraffes, crocodile, zebra and antelopes; do not worry, endangered species do not appear on the menus, so bon appetite!

Vegetarians will enjoy a wide selection of exotic fruits; most restaurants cater well for vegetarians.

Price of a meal in a local restaurant vary from a half of US$ to 3-4 US$. Middle-range restaurants with international cuisine offer meals from 5-30 US$; upper class will charge from 20 US$ to several hundred US$ for a meal.

Non-alcoholic drinks beside water include chai (tea), kahawa (coffee), sodas and different types of juices.

Tanzanian lager (Safari 5,5%, Serengeti 4,8%, Kilimanjaro 4,5% Tusker 4,2%) is generally good and costs from 65 cents to 2 US$. The most popular bottled spirit is Konyagi (35% of alcohol), costing around 3 US$ for a half of liter. You may want to try very tasteful papaya or banana wine!

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• Accommodation

Whether you decide for safari or Zanzibar, you will have a chance to choose from different types of accommodation - from campsites and budget guest houses to top-end lodges and exclusive luxury hotel resorts. It actually depends on your budget.

Check our Accommodation Section.

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• Safety

Tanzania is fairly safe and peaceful country. Remember that bigger cities and tourist areas do not attract only tourists; so do take common-sense precautions to avoid troubles as you would in any unfamiliar area. Never show off your valuables. Carry as little cash as possible and keep the rest in your money belt or even better, in your hotels’ safe deposit. Passport and other documents are also safer in the safe. Ask the locals which areas are unsafe, and stay away from them. And always take a reliable taxi (recommended by the reception of your accommodation) after dark!

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• Begging

Except in tourist areas like Arusha, beggars are quite rare. Mostly they are crippled, lepers, homeless young mothers with small children and street-children. Giving money only encourages begging. If you want to help give them food or donate money to the local charities.

When on safari, you may encounter children by the roadside begging for pens and money; be aware that if you give them anything, they will only be encouraged to spend their days on the roadside just waiting for tourists, instead of going to school or helping their families in the village. Your donation will be more wisely used if given to the schools, hospitals etc.

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