The city and town centers usually have
markets that sell
curios such as African drums, old brass and copper, batiks, soapstone knick-knacks, handmade chess sets and large wooden carvings of animals or salad bowls fashioned from a single piece of teak,
mninga or ebony.
Masai items such as beaded jewelry, decorated gourds and the distinctive red-checked blankets worn by all Masai men make good souvenirs.
Kangas and
kikois are sarongs worn by women and men respectively and are often in bright colors and patterns. You can pick up packets of Zanzibar’s
famous spices in Stone Town.
Haggling is accepted, indeed often expected. A specialty of Tanzania is the semi-precious stone tanzanite, which ranges from deep blue to light purple. Tanzanite jewelry can be found in the up-market curio shops in Arusha and Dar es Salaam.
Shopping hours Mon-Fri 0830-1200 and 1400-1800; Sat 0830-1230. Some shops open on Sunday. In the larger cities markets are open daily 0800-1800.
Currency Information:CurrencyTanzanian Shilling (TZS; symbol TSh). Notes are in denominations of TSh10,000, 5000, 2,000, 1,000 and 500. Coins are in denominations of TSh200, 100 and 50. In Kiswahili, it is
shilingi and written prices are often denoted with the symbol /=; i.e. 100/= is the same as TSh100.
Currency ExchangeMoney may be changed at banks, authorized dealers and bureaux de change. A receipt should be obtained and kept until departure.
Credit/Debit Cards and ATMsMajor credit cards are accepted in larger hotels and by airlines. Cash can be withdrawn from ATMs using Visa or MasterCard and any sizeable town now has at least one bank with an ATM.
Traveller's ChequesMay be cashed with authorized dealers or bureaux de change. They are now accepted by Tanzania National Parks for park entry fees. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveller's cheques in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling. Some places may ask to see the traveller's cheques purchasing agreement - in theory the document you are supposed keep separate from your traveller's cheques.
Currency RestrictionsRestrictions apply.
Banking HoursMon-Fri 0830-1230 (some places are open until 1600); Sat 0830-1300. Bureaux de change have longer hours and in the cities open on Sundays.
Exchange Rate Indicators| Date | Jan 09 |
| £1.00= | TZS2,018.00 |
| $1.00= | TZS1,335.00 |
| €1.00= | TZS1,823.83 |
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