Tanzania travel guide July 16, 2008

Transport:

getting there

by plain:
Flying into one of Tanzania’s three international airports – Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro (situated between Arusha and Moshi), and Zanzibar, near Stone Town is the fastest and most expedient way to enter the country. All three offer world class service and a warm welcome to the country. Recent security upgrades now also make travelling even safer than before.

At the time of writing, international airlines that fly to Dar es Salaam include Air India, British Airways, Egypt Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, Kenya Airways, South African Airways and KLM.
There is a departure tax of US$30 (US$25 from Zanzibar) on all international flights leaving Tanzanian airports but is usually included in the price of the ticket.

Tanzania is served Internationally from Europa by

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) , +255 22 213 9790 (Dar) & +255 27 223 8355 (Arusha), daily flights with stopover in Kilimanjaro.
• British Airways (London-Heathrow) , +255 22 211 3820, flights on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday.
• Swiss International Air Lines (Zuerich) , +255 22 211 8870, 5 flights a week (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday) with a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya

Picture: Coastal Activities

getting around

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by plain:

• Air Tanzania , +255 22 211 8411, email:bookings@airtanzania.com.
• Precision Air , +255 22 212 1718, Along Nyerere/Pugu Road, P.O Box 70770, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, email:info@precisionairtz.com or pwreservations@precisionairtz.com also flights to/from Kenya
• Coastal Aviation , +255 22 211 7959, P. O. Box 3052, 107 Upanga Road, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, email: safari@coastal.cc
• ZanAir , +255 24 223 3670, P.O.Box 2113, Zanzibar, Tanzania, email:reservations@zanair.com.
• Regional Tanzania , which provide almost daily service to all major cities, including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya, Zanzibar, and most national parks.

Warning: Domestic flights are often late but generally reliable.

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by train:

Travelling by rail through Tanzania, in the style of the last century, is a romantic and unforgettable way to experience the country. In the last few years, rail travel through Tanzania has improved both in quality and service. The chance to relax and enjoy the scenery at a leisurely pace and see local villages up-close on the way. If you like to sit back and enjoy the journey, travelling by train through Tanzania can be a fantastic experience.

The journey takes days, but is more comfortable and only slightly longer than travelling by road. 1st and 2nd class cabins are quite comfortable and bedding is provided by stewards on the train.

You may want to self-cater at least part of the way, so be sure to stop off at a supermarket before you leave. Don’t leave luggage unattended and close your windows at night.

I don’t think the Tanzanian Trainline has any websites, no information to be found about it on web or in travel books…sorry!
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tip: As the train goes through the “Selous game reserve”, you can see animals, giraffes and the like.
Be aware that the “express” train that goes from Tanzania through to Zambia leaves Dar at 3pm on Tuesday and you will be going through Selous at night!
If you would like to see Selous during the day, take the ordinary train to mbeya, which leaves Dar at 9am monday morning, so you should be going through Selous for much of the afternoon.
You’ll arrive in Mbeya on Tuesday morning, and can stay there the night
and get the express train that comes though Mbeya on Wednesday on its way to Zambia.
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by car:
The biggest safety risks while traveling in Tanzania are properly road accidents! The conditions are poor and buses are very speedy. It’s not advised to drive in Tanzania, or throughout most of Africa, unless you have already experienced the driving conditions in developing countries. Nonetheless, here is some useful information for those thinking to undertake the challenge.

Tanzanians drive on the left!

Choice of vehicle

• If you’re hiring a car when you get here, your best option is a 4×4 sport utility vehicle with good road clearance, especially if you plan on going to a safari trip. Look for the Land Cruiser, Hilux Surf (4Runner), and Range Rover vehicles. Avoid mini-SUVs, such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV, because they can’t always negotiate the poor road conditions in most of Tanzania’s national parks.

Navigation

• Nelles Maps of Tanzania, Rwanda & Burundi is the best map. They’ve taken the time to locate the smallest of villages along the routes, which is great for navigating places where landmarks are scarce.

• There are markers and white concrete pillions along the main roads. They identify the next major city or town along the route and how many kilometers remain.

Driving in the city

• This only applies to Dar es Salaam, since all other cities and towns are relatively small and easy to get around in. The city center is extremely congested from 09:00 to 18:00, Monday to Friday. There are few traffic lights, and the streets are very narrow. It’s a dog-eat-dog kind of place, so offensive driving skills are a must, as no one will let you pass if you just sit and wait at stops signs. Streets are crowded with parked and moving cars, SUVs, lorries, scooters, and very muscular men pulling insanely overloaded carts. People can spend hours stuck in traffic jams, especially around Kariakoo Market.

• There are a few roundabouts in downtown, which the locals call “keeplefties” because they thought that the sign advising drivers to “Keep Left” when entering the roundabouts named this fascinating Mzungu invention. Mzungu is the Swahili word for “white” foreigners. It is not derogatory, and it’s more along the lines of calling a white person a Caucasian.

• When parking on the street in Dar, find a spot to park, then lock your doors and leave. When you return, a parking attendant wearing a yellow fluorescent vest will approach you for payment. The fee is 300 Tsh for two hours. The attendant should either hand you a ticket, or the ticked will already be on your windshield. DO NOT leave without paying if there is a ticket on your windshield. The attendant will most likely be forced to make up for the missing money, as he probably earns, at best, a mere 3000 Tsh a day

Dangers and annoyances

• Tanzanians drive very fast and won’t hesitate to overtake in a blind curve. Also, most commercial vehicles are poorly maintained and overloaded, and you’ll see many of them broken-down along the main highways. NEVER assume their brakes are working or that the drivers have fully thought through the dangerous maneuver they are undertaking.

• Most roads in Tanzania are poorly maintained and littered with potholes and dangerous grooves formed by overloaded transport vehicles. All main roads cut through towns and villages, and often traffic calming tools (a.k.a. speed or road humps) ensure vehicles reduce their speed when passing through. Unfortunately, few are clearly marked while most are hard to see until you are right upon them, and if you are coming too fast, you could be thrown off the road. SLOW DOWN when entering any town, or you might not be able to avoid these and other hazards. This defensive driving attitude is also prudent because animals and children often bolt out into the street.

Note: If you are involved in an accident with a pedestrian, drive to the nearest police station to advise them. DO NOT exit your vehicle and attempt to resolve the situation, even if you are sure it was not your fault. Tanzanians are some of the nicest people you will ever meet in Africa, but they have been known to take matters into their own hands. This is largely due to their mistrust of the police and the belief that anyone with money, e.g. rich foreigners, can buy their way out of a problem.

• If you encounter a convoy of government vehicles, move out of the way. They have priority, although this is debatable, and will not hesitate to run you off the road if you don’t give way. You could also be fined by the police for your failure to give way.

Note: Carjacking is uncommon but opening doors or jumping through open windows to steal valuables is not. Keep your windows closed and the doors locked. When stopped at traffic lights or parked on unattended locations, thieves have been known to steal mirrors, paneling, spare tires, and anything that is not either engraved with the license plate number of bolted into the vehicle’s body. Choose your parking spots carefully and don’t leave valuables in plain sight. You can either offer the parking attendant a small tip to watch your vehicle, 500 to 1000 Tsh, or find a secured parking lot, especially if you are leaving your vehicle overnight.

Passing Etiquette

• Drivers following you will activate their right turn signal light to indicate they wish to pass you. If the road is clear, activate your left turn signal; if not, activate your right turn signal. Look for this when attempting to pass.

What to bring

• • A large jerry can (20 liters) with emergency fuel. (FYI – Don’t enter a national park without a full tank of gas.)
  • A shovel, a machete (“panga” in Swahili), and tow rope
  • Good road maps
  • First-aid kit
  • Drinking water, at least 5 liters, and non-perishable emergency food supplies.

by bus: Recommended bus company:

Scandinavian Express

Dar-es-Salaam

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What to see:

Tanzania is a country with great national parks, where you can see some of the finest African flora and fauna. Tanzania is home to several national parks and game reserves. Safaris in Tanzania can be put into two categories, the Northern Circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara and Tarangire) and the Southern Circuit (Selous, Mikumi and Ruaha). This is certainly an oversimplification and does not include other interesting but harder to reach parks such as Katavi and Gombe, just to name two. For tourist, the two first groupings are more accessible as several tour companies offer a variety a packages for these.

Price

The cost of a safari can range from the basics (fly-tents, self-catering and guides with vehicles) to smaller parks like Manyara and Tarangire, to luxury lodges and tented camps in the Serengeti which can cost anywhere from US$250 to US$1,500 per person per night. You can use your own vehicle, provided it’s a 4×4 with adequate clearance. There is a benefit to hiring a guide and a vehicle as safari vehicles are equipped with open rooftops which provide a much better vantage point for anumal viewing. Also, many park will require that you hire a certified guide before you enter the park, even if you’re using your own vehicle. Guides can cost around US$35 a day plus tip. Guides are good to have since they know the park and can help you locate some of the more sought after animals such as lions, leopards, rhinos, cheetahs and hyenas.

Park fees for Manyara and Tarangire are as of July 2008 US$80 per vehicle. For Ngorongoro there is a US$200 vehicle fee as well as a $50 per person park fee. For the Serengeti it’s US$50 per person with no vehicle fee. These fees are valid for 24 hours. If you arrive in the afternoon, you can return in the morning the next day and not pay again.

Some of the more popular safari companies are Ranger tours and Leopards tours. Serena and Sopa are popular lodging spots and have facilities throughout the Northern Circuit. However, don’t discount using smaller tours and lesser known lodging facilities which are just as good if not better than the larger tours and lodges.

Wildlife Viewing:

• Serengeti National Park, made famous by numerous Discovery Channel specials, hosts a wide range of wildlife, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, hippopotamuses, elephants, zebra, buffalo, water buck, crocodiles, gazelle, warthogs, and wildebeest. One major attraction is the wildebeest migration, which occurs continuously between the Serengeti and Masai Mara (Kenya). Park fees are $50/person/day as of July 2008, and a guide with a 4-wheel drive vehicle is required. If the migration is your main purpose for visiting the Serengeti, you should advise your tour company as this may require travel much further afield and could be more costly.

• Ngorongoro Conservation Area also hosts an abundance of wildlife, particularly in the Ngorongoro crater. Formed by the same volcanic activity that generated Kilimanjaro and the Great Rift Valley, Ngorongoro consists of the highlands around the crater (rich in elephants) and the crater itself (similar animals to Serengeti, but at higher densities and with a small population of black rhino). Park fees are $50/day/person as of July 2007, plus $200 per vehicle for a six-hour game drive in the crater.

• Ruaha National Park and Selous Game Reserve are far less popular but very enjoyable. You won’t find quite the volume of wildlife that you would in the Serengeti but, if you’re looking for a destination with fewer tourists and a greater range of wildlife, these parks are for you. Additionally, Selous is the only other place besides Ngorongoro where you may see a rhino. You can also visit the Uduzungwa Mountains Park for a truly wilderness hike through unspoiled and spectacular scenery. There are few places left in the world like this one.

• Tarangire National Park is in the northern circuit of Tanzania and was named after the Tarangire river flowing within the park. The park area is approximately 2,600sq km. Similar to Serengeti, the park has a high concentrations of wildlife during the dry seasons as well as the only safari destinations in Tanzania with the highest number of elephants. Also, over 570 bird species have been identified, and the place is surely a birdwatchers’ paradise. Safari accommodation is available in quality safari lodges and campsites.

*When visiting wildlife parks be sure to stay as close to the viewing areas (center of the parks) as possible and leave as soon as you can in the morning as animals are typically most active soon after sunrise.

• Islands

• Zanzibar is an island off the coast of Tanzania; it includes both Zanzibar and Pemba. Zanzibar has beautiful beaches and a historical Stone Town. Zanzibar is great for scuba diving, snorkeling, and swimming with dolphins. Other attractions include spice tours and the Jozani Forest, which shelters a small population of red Colobus monkeys

• Mafia Island Marine Park is south of Zanzibar and boasts some fantastic scuba diving and snorkeling. You may also get to swim with whale sharks, as this is one of the few areas in the world where they congregate annually.

• Mountains:

• Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa and one of the highest freestanding mountains in the world. Many people travel to Tanzania just to climb this mountain. You can either organize your trek up the mountain from your home country through a travel agency, but you’ll pay a lot more for this convenience, or, if you’ve got a bit of time, hop on plane and save some money by organizing it in Arusha or in Dar. Be advised that there are as many incompetent and dishonest trek organizers as there are good ones. Ask around to make sure your guide will deliver on his promises.

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Respect:

In general, tourists should wear modest or conservative attire, especially in Zanzibar, which is a conservative Muslim society. Western women should not wear clothing that reveals too much skin. ‘Kangas’, brightly-colored wrap-around cloth, are affordable, available throughout the country, and can serve as a discreet covering.

The Masai people, with their colorful clothing, are tempting targets for any tourist with a camera. However, they expect to be paid for it, and you should always ask before taking pictures.

It is common practice among Swahili-speakers to use ’shikamoo’ (prounounced ’she ka moe’ and literally meaning, ‘I hold your feet’) when greeting elders or superiors. The usual response from an elder will be ‘marahaba’. In Zanzibar, the equivalent of ’shikamoo’ is ‘chei chei’. The traveler will get along very well when using these verbal expressions of respect. In addition, a title after the ’shikamoo’ is also a useful indicator that you are not just a dumb tourist — ’shikamoo bwana’ for the gents, and, when addressing a female elder, ’shikamoo mama’.

Tanzanians will also comment if you are doing any work while they are not, with the phrase “pole na kazi”. It literally means “I’m sorry you have to work”. A simple “asante”, or “thanks”, will suffice in reply.

Many Tanzanian sellers are persistent and, ordinarily, a simple head shake, accompanied by “asante sana”, should settle it. However, as a last resort, a firm “hapana”, meaning “no”, will do the trick. Tanzanians find the word “hapana” quite rude, so please don’t use it casually — only as a last resort. Whatever you plan to do, do not tell someone you will come back to buy from them later when you have no such intention; better to be honest and say ‘no’ than having to avoid someone for days. They somehow have a funny way of finding you when you promised to visit their stall or shop!

The most polite way to refuse something is to say “sihitaji” (pronounced see-hih-tah-jee)- “I don’t need it”.

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What to bring:

Packing for a trip to East Africa can be an anxiety-filled experience for first-time travellers, especially with the range of gear on offer at outdoor outfitters. When it comes down to it, packing for a trip to Tanzania is much like preparing for any adventure destination – bring sturdy shoes, bathing suits, and comfortable clothes. Don’t worry if you happen to forget necessities like sunscreen and insect repellent – they’re easily purchased in the supermarkets and pharmacies of most towns.

That said, what do you bring? Here are just a few suggestions – above and beyond the obvious – to make sure you’ll be prepared:

• A camera and telephoto lens if you’ve got one – it’s better for wildlife shots
• Insect repellent
• A good sun hat and waterproof sunscreen
• Sunglasses with a cord
• A photocopy of your passport, important phone numbers, credit cards, driver’s license, medical insurance, and tickets
• Good walking shoes and a pair of sandals for relaxing at the end of the day
• A bathing suit and beach or pool wear
• Any prescription medication you are taking, and anti-malarial prophylactics
• An extra bag to bring shopping home in

Try to travel light – weight restrictions on charter aircraft can be quite low, and bags can become quite heavy under the African sun…

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Tanzania map
for a much more accurate map try Safarilands Tanzania-info

Helpful websites:

Tanzania Tourist board

Tanzania/Zambia Train lines

Serengeti

Wikitravel Tanzania

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