Tanzania - Info & Facts

Suggested Length of Stay

If you want a good overview of Tanzania, experiencing the cultural and natural wonders of the country a good length of stay is between 7-14 days.

Recommended length of stays in the more popular destinations are Ngorongoro Crater 2-3 Days, Serengeti National Park 3-4 Days, Mt Kilimanjaro National Park 2-3 Days, Zanzibar 1-5 Days.

Modes of transport

Road

Less than 15% of roads in Tanzania are paved and less than that outside of the main cities or highways. Majority of roads are all-weather however during the wet seasons some roads become almost impassable.

Air

Getting around in Tanzania by air is safe and straightforward. There are several air carriers that connect major Tanzanian cities as well as safari airstrips and islands like Pemba, Mafia and Zanzibar. Regional aircraft operate from terminal 1 Dar es Salaam Airport.

If you plan to visit Northern Circuit safari parks, the best airport to arrive is Kilimanjaro airport. While visiting southern Tanzania and Zanzibar only, best airport to arrive in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar Airport.

Within Tanzania is possible to fly to other cities and towns as well as airstrips in National Parks, usually with small aircraft.

Health Precautions

Tanzania has a tropical climate and different bacteria, flora and fauna than most visitors are accustomed to, so it is advisable to take a few health precautions to ensure your trip goes as comfortably and smoothly as possible. Malaria is usually top on the list of visitors’ worries, and prevention goes a long way towards protecting you. Make sure to visit your doctor to get a prescription for the anti-malarial drug that best suit you. The yellow-fever vaccination is no longer officially required when entering Tanzania; however, this is still a requirement if you wish to visit Zanzibar. Other vaccination should be considered.

Food

Tanzanian cuisine is both unique and widely varied. Along the coastal regions (Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Bagamoyo, Zanzibar, and Pemba), spicy foods are common, and there is also much use of coconut milk. Regions in Tanzania’s mainland also have their own unique foods. Some typical mainland Tanzanian foods include wali (rice), ugali (maize porridge), chapati (a kind of bread), nyama choma (grilled meat), mshikaki (marinated beef), samaki (fish), pilau, biriyani, and ndizi-nyama (plantains with meat). Vegetables commonly used in Tanzania include bamia (okra), mchicha (a kind of spinach), njegere (green peas), maharage (beans), and kisamvu (cassava leaves). Tanzania grows at least 17 different types of bananas which is used for soup, stew, and chips.

Famous Tanzanian snack foods include maandazi (fried dough), isheti, kashata (coconut bars), kabaab (kebab), sambusa (samosa), mkate wa kumimina (Zanzibari rice bread), vileja, vitumbua (rice patties), bagia, and many others.

Money

Tanzania Shillings is the local currency; however, you are advised to carry American Dollars. Money changers do accept major convertible currencies including the EURO and the Australian Dollar. Major Credit Cards may also be acceptable in some large Hotels; however, it is advisable to carry Cash US Dollars.

Time Zone

Tanzania operates on GMT +3, 3 hours ahead of GMT and 7.5 hours behind AEST.

Visas

You need a visa to enter Tanzania.

Australian Embassy & Consulate contacts in Tanzania (located in Kenya)

Australian High Commission, Nairobi

Riverside Drive (400 metres off Chiromo Road)

Nairobi, KENYA

Telephone: +254 20 4277 100

Fax: +254 20 4277 139

Website: www.kenya.highcommission.gov.au

Tanzania Embassy contacts in Australia (located in Japan)

High Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania

21-9 Kamiyoga 4-Chome

Setagaya-ku Tokyo

158-0098 JAPAN

Email Address: tzrepjp@tanzaniaembassy.or.jp

Web Site: www.tanzaniaembassy.or.jp/english/e_index.html

Phone Number +81 3 3425 4531

Fax Number +61 +81 3 3425 7844

Hours of Business

Monday – Friday: 9.00 am – 12.00 pm / 1.00 pm – 5.00 pm

Electricity

In Tanzania, the power sockets are of type D and G. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Getting there (stopovers)

There are no direct flights between Australian cities and Dar es Salaam. However, the best way would be either via Dubai or South Africa.

Tipping Guideline

You should tip porters/bellboys $1 – $2 USD for each bag they carry. Housekeeping should also receive a small tip for each day; about $2 – $4 USD is reasonable. Many hotels will exchange money for the local currency.

At restaurants in Tanzania, especially in major cities, it is customary to tip 5%, if a service charge is not included. Alternatively, if you are satisfied with the service you can round the bill up to an even amount. Don’t worry about tipping too much thought: locals tend to not tip at restaurants.

Tipping is an important part of the safari and trekking experiences in Tanzania. As such you should tip the drivers, guides, porters and cooks on your tour. Many tour operators have tipping guidelines, so it is best to find out the tipping policy before your trip. In general, you should expect to tip about $10 USD to $15 USD per group per day for the driver and/or guide. For the cook, it is suggested you tip about $8 USD to $10 USD.