When you are planning your adventure to a country as exotic and unique as Tanzania you want absolutely everything to go well. That’s why it’s common to have a thousand questions about what to bring along, where to go, and you don’t really know where to find the best travel tips to Tanzania. And no wonder, we assure you that the nerves and excitement beforehand is totally reasonable, as it will undoubtedly be one of the most special trips of your life. You will fall in love with Tanzania!
To help you, in this post we will provide you with all the Tanzania travel tips you need. So, we recommend you to read all the information carefully. This way you will be able to plan in advance this long-awaited visit to the African continent. Thanks to Passporter, while in Tanzania you will only have to worry about taking beautiful pictures and, most importantly, enjoying your trip.
What are the best travel tips to Tanzania?
1. What documents do I need to travel to Tanzania?
To enter Tanzania you will need two essential documents: a visa and a passport. Regarding the visa, you can get it upon arrival at Zanzibar airport, Dar Es Salaam airport, or Kilimanjaro airport. The Tanzanian visa costs about 50 dollars and lasts for one month. However, if you wish, you could extend it up to three months at one of the immigration offices.
Please also note that your passport must be valid for at least 6 months when you enter Tanzania. It is also common that when you arrive at the airport checkpoint you will be asked to show your return ticket. Have all the documentation ready, it is one of the best travel tips to Tanzania!
2. Money tips for a trip to Tanzania
The official currency of Tanzania is the Tanzanian shilling. Although on many occasions on your trip you will find that dollars and euros are also accepted in most restaurants and hotels. At the moment the exchange rate is 1 euro = 2500 Tanzanian shillings. But we recommend to check it som days before the trip because it usually varies a little. You can exchange euros and dollars to Tanzanian shillings at airports and in major cities such as Dar Es Salaam, Arusha, or Stone Town.
An important travel tip for Tanzania is that, although they accept euros and dollars, always carry Tanzanian shillings in cash. Keep in mind that in some less touristy places they won’t allow you to pay with credit cards, and it’s often cheaper to pay in local currency.
3. Cover yourself against unforeseen events: get health insurance
When planning your trip to Tanzania, it is frankly essential that you take out good medical insurance. Although we expect everything to go smoothly during our trip, it is inevitable that unforeseen events can occur, so it is best to be prepared for everything.
Medical insurance will provide you with peace of mind and protection in case of illness, accident or any medical emergency that may happen during your stay in Tanzania. Be sure to find an insurance that covers medical, hospital and repatriation expenses, as well as coverage for trip cancellation or loss of luggage.
Before getting insurance, carefully review all terms and conditions, making sure you understand each clause. Take your time to compare the different insurance options and choose the one that best suits your needs and planned activities on your trip. We assure you that it will be well worth the effort.
4. Travel during the dry season
Tanzania’s climate is tropical, so temperatures are pleasant all year-round. However, you should be prepared for some climatic variations depending on the location of the region you visit, the altitude, and the time of year you visit. In addition, you should keep in mind that the best time to travel to Tanzania is during the so-called dry season, that is, from May to October approximately.
This is especially because on safaris or other outdoor excursion, rain can ruin your getaway. Roads get muddy and you may find that the activity you had so carefully planned has been canceled. So one of the best Tanzania travel tips is to travel from June to October. During these months the days are not excessively hot, but they get above 20 degrees and, most importantly, it almost never rains.
5. Adapter and plugs
The plugs in this African country are completely different from those used in Spain and Latin America. So, another Tanzania travel tip is to prepare electrical plugs to use there. If you don’t want to suddenly find yourself without any of your electronic devices, you will need to pay special attention to this, and even buy several adapters.
The voltage in Tanzania is 230V and the plugs are type D and G. We recommend that you buy it before traveling to avoid troubles.
6. Try the local cuisine of Tanzania
The diversity that Tanzania offers in all its aspects (scenic and cultural, among others) is also reflected in its cuisine. However, the typical food of Tanzania is famous for having a clear oriental influence within the classic African food, in addition to having a delicious variety of raw materials, fresh fish and seafood. Thus in the Tanzanian cuisine you will find the imprint of the African continent along with all the traders who have been visiting: Chinese, Indians, and even Arabs. It is a simply delicious cuisine.
Therefore, a very important Tanzania travel tip is to take the opportunity to get to know the local cuisine in depth. This will allow you to fully get to know the country and get in touch with the true cultural essence of Tanzania. In this post, we recommend some of the dishes you should try on your trip, take a look at them.
7. Take precautions regarding safety
During safaris and guided tours in general you will not have to worry about anything because you will be accompanied at all times by the driver and the guide. However, in big cities like Arusha or Zanzibar, as in most countries, you should pay attention to your belongings because of pickpockets and thieves. It is also very useful to avoid showing off and displaying luxury items in certain places.
Also, in cities you should avoid areas that are not very busy, especially at night. When you are in markets pay attention to the figure of the papasi, which means “parasites” in the local language. These are people who will stick to you all the time while you are shopping, telling you that they are friends with all the merchants. They do this to scam you later and take a commission. Be very careful and avoid them at all costs!
8. Get an eSIM
During your trip to Tanzania, it’s essential to stay connected at all times to make the most of your experience. Make sure you stay in touch with loved ones and be able to share your photos. One excellent option is to get an eSIM, a virtual SIM card that allows you to access the Internet and make local and international calls. This will give you the freedom to browse maps, search for information and share your experiences in real time, without worrying about roaming charges or searching for local SIM cards.
In addition, having an eSIM will allow you to use translation applications, get information about nearby places of interest, and stay up to date on weather conditions and current events. You can get an eSIM before your trip so you won’t have to worry about it when you arrive.
The installation of some eSIM, such as Holafly, is very simple. Once you have chosen and purchased the eSIM card for Tanzania, you will receive an email with a QR code and instructions to activate the card. The instructions are perfectly detailed for all operating systems and devices. Scan the code from your cell phone settings, turn on mobile data and you’re ready to use the internet in Tanzania. Without a doubt, this is one of the best tips for a trip to Tanzania we can give you.
9. Use Passporter to organize your itinerary and keep documents up to date
Register or download the Passporter App and discover all its possibilities.
- Get inspired by other travelers’ experiences, photos and itineraries.
- Organize your trip by the categories that suit you best: dates, number of days or type of trip (beach, mountain, restaurants…).
- Add your friends so they can see and modify all the plans and information of the trip.
- Create your own itinerary of your destination with everything you feel like visiting each day.
- Add the stops that most interest you, including your accommodation, restaurants, museums…
- Book your flights, accommodations, transfers and activities through a single app.
- Save all your documents in the app to always have everything at hand: reservations, boarding passes, important documentation…
- Make any modifications you need and you’ll be all set for your trip
- Share your experience with other users. Upload photos of the places you have visited on your trip to the app and inspire other travelers with your experience. In addition, you can share your own travel tips to Tanzania.
- Enjoy your trip to Tanzania!
If you have doubts about how to do it, you can check our post: How to create your travel itinerary with Passporter.
Travel Tip: To organize your trip we recommend using Passporter totally free. You can be inspired by the experiences of other travelers, choose the places that interest you most, create the travel route with a geolocated map, upload all important documents such as reservations and invite your friends so that everyone can participate in the organization of the trip.
Frequently asked questions about a trip to Tanzania
The climate in Tanzania is tropical, so temperatures are quite pleasant throughout the year. However, you should be prepared for some climatic variations depending on the location of the region you visit, the altitude, and the time of year.
The best time to travel to Tanzania is during the so-called dry season, that is, from May to October. This way your tours and safaris will not be cancelled due to rain.
The typical Tanzanian dishes you should try during your trip are ndizi na nyama, ugali, nyama choma, pilau ya nyama ya ng ombe, kachumbari, and wali na maharage. In Dar es Salaam we recommend you try typical Tanzanian food at Samaki samaki, Mamboz Restaurant, or The Waterfront Sunset Restaurant & Beach Bar. If you visit the Lake Tanganyika area, you should go to Metro Pub, Kigoma Hilltop Hotel, or Unique Kitchen.
To get to Tanzania you’ll have to use one of the two international airports that receive the most flights: Kilimanjaro International Airport and Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.
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