Tanzania

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Tanzania is in the eastern part of Africa and one of the most visited African destinations. It shares its land borders with
8 countries and covers a wide African expanse with an area larger than two.

Other Info Highlights Unique Experience Type of Travel Least Favorite Planning  Getting here Safety Getting around

Other
Information

CURRENCY

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LANGUAGE AND POPULATION

Swahili and English. The country population as of 2019 is 57.3 million

Capital City

Dodoma is the capital city but Dar es Salaam is the main hub for international flights.

Plugs and Sockets

Tanzania uses Type G plugs and sockets.

SIZE

945,087 sqm. or almost twice as big as Spain.

Highlights

01 WILDLIFE CONCENTRATION
02 GREAT MIGRATION
03 PRESTINE BEACHES
04 TREKKING AFRICA’S HIGHEST MOUNT

Top 5 Destinations

01 MOUNT KILIMANJARO
02 SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
03 ZANZIBAR ISLAND
04 SELOUS GAME RESERVE

Unique Experience

• Hadzabe and Datoga Tribes are ones of the last remaining hunter-gatherer societies in the world.

• Olduvai Gorge holds the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors.

• The Great Wildebeest Migration, a top wildlife event that happens yearly

• Bush Dinners and sundowners at the Serengeti.

Type of Travel

• Although DIY is possible, use of tour operator is recommended when doing a safari because the parks are so huge, you need a skilled wildlife spotter to see animals and find your way around

• Tanzania has plenty of tented camps and lodges in midrange and luxury levels in the safari parks

• Budget accommodation when doing a safari is more expensive than options in Kenya although public camping sites are available

• You can easily plan your Zanzibar trip via DIY. It is very accessible with plenty of accommodations you can book via online booking sites

• It is required by law to use a guide when trekking Mt. Kilimanjaro

Least Favorite

• Police officers in the city, particularly in Arusha, are notorious (they try to find fault in petty things for a bribe).

• Traffic in Dar Es Salaam

• Compared to the vibrant city of Nairobi, there’s nothing much to do in Arusha, the safari take-off point for the Northern Circuit (most popular)

• We didn’t find the local food options to be as diverse and unique tasting (mostly beans and meat)

Planning Your Trip

Planning Your Trip

BUDGET

Around 1,500-2,000 USD per person for 7 days all-inclusive tour, lodge, meals for mid-range rooms for a safari. Price is the same for Kilimanjaro Trekking.

ITINERARY SUGGESTION

Allot at least 6 full days and include at least 3 parks to get a better variety in your safari. You need at least 4 full days in Zanzibar alone. Kilimanjaro is a minimum of 7 days to reach the top.

BEST TIME TO TRAVEL

The best time to go for a safari and in general including Zanzibar and Kilimanjaro is off-season around September or October unless seeing the Great Migration.

Getting Here

International flights to Kenya fly into

Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam

Abeid Amani Karumi International Airport (ZNZ) in Zanzibar Island

Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) in Kilimanjaro

Direct and one-stop flights are available in all three. However, the most common gateways are JRO and DAR. For information on particular flights when planning your safari, see our Tanzania Safari page.

FROM UK
Flights to Tanzania from London takes about 11 hours, from Manchester about 12 hours and from Glasgow around 13. Airlines that fly to and fro Dar es Salaam (DAR) include British Airways, KLM, Emirates, Gulf Air, Ethiopian Airways, Air India, South African Airways and Swissair. Unfortunately, no direct flight is available from UK to Kilimanjaro. However, you can travel to Amsterdam or to Qatar (warning: this may entail long layovers) and take a flight to Kiliminjaro from there. Otherwise, you will have to catch a connecting flight from Dar es Salaam or Nairobi.
FROM US

There are no direct flights to Tanzania from the US. The only options are:

  1. Connecting flights with 2 stops en route
  2. Fly to Johannesburg from New York or from Washington-Dulles via South African Airways(approximately 14.5 hours) OR from Atlanta via Delta Air Lines (approximately 15.5 hours)
  3. Fly to either Istanbul or Amsterdam OR take a one-stop connecting flight through these cities. Turkish Airlines fly directly to Istanbul from more or less 10 cities in the US (New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami). KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, holding more available flights throughout the country, flies straight to Amsterdam from about 16 cities (Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Newark, New York, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Washington DC).
FROM EUROPE
There are only 2 airlines that fly directly from Europe to Tanzania:

  1. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines – flies from Amsterdam Airport (AMS) to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro
  2. Turkish Airlines – flies from Istanbul Ataturk Airport (IST) to Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro

If you wish to take an alternate route via Nairobi, Kenya Airways has been a favorite of most travelers. Other airlines that offer flights to Nairobi are Lufthansa, Air France, Swissair and Brussels Airlines.

For vacationers to southern Tanzanian parks, you can also reach Dar es Salaam (DAR) by catching a flight:
  1. via Dubai on Emirates Airlines
  2. via Muscat on Oman Air
  3. through Cairo on Egypt Air
  4. via Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways
  5. via Doha on Qatar Airways
  6. via Addis Ababa on Ethiopian Airlines
FROM ASIA
There are 3 routes from Asia to all gateway airports in Tanzania via Kenya Airways:

  1. Hanoi, Vietnam – about 15 hours to Dar es Salaam and an hour or two more to Kilimanjaro
  2. Bangkok, Thailand – about 9 hours and 30 minutes to Dar es Salaam and an hour or two more to Kilimanjaro
  3. Mumbai, India – about 6 hours and 30 minutes to Dar es Salaam and an hour or two more to Kilimanjaro

Alternately, travelers can go to Middle East and catch a connecting flight from there.

Safety & Security

• Tanzania is a generally safe destination especially the tourist destinations but as it is in other developing countries, some areas are unsafe. Just travel with common sense, don’t wear valuables in public places, don’t walk alone at night in the middle of nowhere and make sure to research your destination

• Don’t deal with anyone claiming to sell tours. Only book with legally-registered companies with good reviews. If in doubt, check here for information about travel scams in Tanzania.

• When using public transportation, exercise caution and take care of your belongings as if your life depends on it

• When a local street vendor is trying to sell you something, politely decline, Best not to engage if you have no plans of buyingat all as they can get too pushy

Getting Around

• Arusha is the take-off point for the Northern circuit(top safari parks) as well as Mt. Kilimanjaro. Dar Es Salaam is the best starting point for the southern safari circuit and Zanzibar where you can take a ferry of fly. Flying from Arusha to Zanzibar is also possible via s small plane. Land travel between cities is convenient by bus is good condition as well as through local flights. Crossing borders by land to neighboring countries is also easy and common especially from Arush to Nairobi, Kenya.

• In Bigger cities like Dar Es Salaam, you’ll find Uber. In smaller cities like Arusha, you can find local taxis(ask the rate before using theme as they usablly don’t have metered rates) or motorbike taxis. There are small PUVS but oftern way too overlooked with passengers and no timetable

If there’s anything we’ve learned in Tanzania, it’s Hakuna Matata

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