Tanzania Travel Guide

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Shopping

Most popular tourist centers host markets and stalls packed with curios and trinkets like African drums, batiks, basket-ware, soapstone knick-knacks, handmade chess sets, paintings of Masai tribes and Serengeti landscapes in the popular Tingatinga style, 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 common, and often necessary, as optimistically inflated prices are the norm. A specialty of Tanzania is the semi-precious stone called tanzanite, which ranges from deep blue to light purple and is only found around Arusha. Tanzanite jewelry can be seen in up-market curio and jewellers shops in Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar's Stone Town.

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

Tanzanian 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, 50, 20 and 10. In Kiswahili, it is shilingi and written prices are often denoted with the symbol /=; i.e. 100/= is the same as TSh100.

Currency Exchange

US dollars, Euros, and sometimes British and other currencies, may be changed at banks, authorized dealers and bureau de change. A receipt should be obtained and kept until departure.

Credit Cards, Debit Cards, and ATMs

In Tanzania, surprisingly few places can process credit card payments. Most top-end hotels and some travel agents accept Visa and MasterCard, though a commission is usually charged. Cash easily can be withdrawn from ATMs using Visa or MasterCard and any sizeable town now has at least one bank with an ATM.

Travelers Checks

May be cashed with authorized dealers or bureau de change in Tanzania's major cities and Zanzibar. They are now accepted by Tanzania National Parks for park entry fees. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveler's checks in US Dollars or Pounds Sterling. Some places may ask to see original purchase receipts for traveler's checks.

Currency Restrictions

The import and export of local currency is prohibited. The import of foreign currency is unlimited, subject to declaration. The export of foreign currency is limited to the amount declared on arrival.

Banking Hours

Mon-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