Tanzania Travel Tips

Social Conventions
When meeting and parting, hands are always shaken; this applies throughout the country in both rural and urban areas. It is the convention to use the right hand, not the left, to shake hands or pass or receive anything. The standard greeting of ‘hello’ when addressing an individual is Jambo, to which the reply is also Jambo. The greeting for a group is Hamjambo, to which the reply is Hatujambo. People are delighted if visitors can greet them in Kiswahili.

There is no fixed protocol to do with hospitality. Dress is smart and a good appearance is highly regarded. For business, suits and ties or safari suits are worn by men and suits or dresses by women. Ashtrays are usually an indication of permission for a visitor to smoke. Smoking is prohibited in cinemas and on public transport.

Photography: It is customary to always ask permission for taking photographs of people, especially the Masai, who in some places, charge visitors wishing to take photographs.

International Travel:

Getting There by Air
The national airline is Air Tanzania (TC) (website: www.airtanzania.com).

Departure Tax
The international departure tax is US$20 but this is usually included in the price of an airline ticket.

Main Airports
Dar es Salaam International (DAR) (website: www.tanzaniairports.com) is 13km (8 miles) southwest of the city (journey time - 30 minutes). To/from the airport: Taxi services are available to the city and the larger hotels can organize shuttle services. Facilities: Outgoing duty-free shop, car hire, post office, banking and currency exchange facilities, a bar and restaurants.

Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) (website: www.tanzaniairports.com) is 50km (31 miles) from Arusha (journey time - 1 hour). To/from the airport: Shuttle bus services are provided by Air Tanzania to their offices in Arusha and Moshi or taxis are available. Facilities: Shops, post office, bar and restaurant.

Zanzibar Airport (ZNZ) (website: www.tanzaniairports.com) is 4km (2.5 miles) from Stone Town (journey time 15 minutes). To/from the airport: Public minibuses and taxis are available for the short distance to Stone Town. Facilities: Bank.

Getting There by Water
Main ports: Dar es Salaam port is served by ocean freighters and passenger liners. Other ports include Zanzibar, Mtwara, Tanga, Kilwa, Lindi and Mafia (website: www.tanzaniaports.com).

Passenger ferry services run on Lake Tanganyika to Mpulunga (Zambia). They also used to run to Bujumbura (Burundi), and this service is likely to start up again in the future. There is sporadic and unreliable ferry service on Lake Nyasa linking Tanzania with Malawi.

Getting There by Rail
The route between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Moshi in Zambia is run by the Tanzania and Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) (website: www.tazara.co.tz). Trains get very crowded and travelers should take special care of their baggage.

Getting There by Road
The tarmac road connecting Tanzania with Zambia is in good condition, as is the road north to Kenya. From Lusaka in Zambia, the Great North Road is paved all the way to Dar es Salaam. Road links from Rwanda and Mozambique are very poor.

Coach: Scandinavia Express (website: www.scandinaviagroup.com) runs coaches from Dar es Salaam to Nairobi and Mombassa (Kenya), Kampala (Uganda) and to Lusaka (Zambia).

Overview
The following items may be imported into Tanzania without incurring customs duty:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g of tobacco.
• 1l of spirits and two bottles of wine.
• 570ml of perfume.

Internal Travel:

Getting Around By Air
Air Tanzania (website: www.airtanzania.com) and Precision Air (website: www.precisionairtz.com) run regular services to all main towns and other destinations in East Africa and beyond. Check with the airline office to confirm departures before leaving for the airport. All national parks and some of the top-end luxury lodges have airstrips and Coastal Aviation (website: www.coastal.cc) operate single- and twin-engine aircraft between these and the main airports on the mainland and the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia.

Getting Around by Water
Azam Marine (tel: (24) 223 1655) and Sea Express (tel: (24) 223 4690), among many other companies at the port in Dar es Salaam, run comfortable, air-conditioned ferry services several times a day between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar by hydrofoil or catamaran (journey time - 1 hour 30 minutes). There is also a crossing from Zanzibar to Pemba Island. Timetables and tickets can be obtained at the booking offices at the main passenger port.

Both Lake Tanganyika and Lake Victoria have steamer services. The overnight service on Lake Victoria runs between the ports of Bukoba and Mwanza and takes 10 hours. The service on Lake Tanganyika runs between Kigoma in the extreme west of Tanzania and Mpulunga in Zambia at the south of the lake. On both, first class is in a two-berth cabin, second class in a four- or six- berth cabin, while third class is seating on deck.

Getting Around by Rail
Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) (tel: (22) 211 7833; website: www.trctz.com) provides the principal service, which runs between Dar es Salaam and eastern Tanzania. The line splits at Tabora in the middle of the country and one branch continues to Kigoma on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, while the second branch goes north to Mwanza on Lake Victoria. The route between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Moshi in Zambia is run by the Tanzania and Zambia Railway Authority (Tazara) (tel: (22) 226 2191; website: www.tazara.co.tz). First class in two- to four-berth cabins, while second class is in six-berth cabins and third class is sitting. Trains can get overcrowded and theft can be a problem - keep compartment doors locked.

Getting Around by Road
Traffic drives on the left. Tanzania has a good network of tarmac and all-weather roads connecting all major towns. Most minor roads are not all-weather, becoming impassable to all except 4-wheel drive vehicles during the long rains in April and May. It is not advisable to drive at night because of wild animals, cattle and goats on the road. There are often petrol shortages and spare parts for vehicles can be hard to find. There are a large number of road accidents.

Bus: Inexpensive buses connect most places; for example, there are regular daily services from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, Morogoro and Moshi. Scandinavia Express (tel: (22) 218 4833; website: www.scandinaviagroup.com) is one of the more reliable and comfortable intercity operators. The buses are modern with air conditioning and onboard toilets, refreshments and movies.

Car hire: Self-drive car hire is available in major cities, although it can be expensive. Vehicles with drivers are also available. International car hire companies are represented in Dar es Salaam.

Regulations: In non-residential areas, speed limits are 120kph (75mph) and 60kph (35mph) in built up areas. It is compulsory to wear a seat belt and obligatory that all vehicles carry two red triangles to be placed 20m (66ft) in front and behind the vehicle in the event of a breakdown.

Documentation: An International Driving Permit is recommended although it is not legally required, and a valid national driving license is accepted as long as it is in English.

Getting Around Towns and Cities
Buses and minibuses operate in Dar es Salaam on a flat-fare basis. Services are often crowded and pickpockets are common. Taxi services are available. It is advisable to use authorized taxis and any hotel can organize a taxi. They don’t have meters so agree the fare before setting off.

Journey Times
The following chart gives approximate journey times (in hours and minutes) from Dar es Salaam to other major cities/towns in Tanzania.

	Air	Road	Rail
Arusha	2.00	8.30	-
Moshi	1.25	8.00	-
Morgoro	-	2.00	6.30
Mbeya		11.00	21.00

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