Tanzania travel tips

It has always been a dream of ours to travel to Tanzania and it should definitely go into the vastness of the Serengeti. After having finished a 8-day-safari in Uganda , we opted for a 5-day-safari in Tanzania We were absolutely thrilled by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, but detailed information about the national parks and other Tanzania travel tips can be found in the text below ...

Short Facts

Currency

Tanzania Schilling (TSh)

Language

English, Swahili

Inhabitants

57,31 Millions

Price level

$-$$

Airport Kilimanjaro - Tanzania travel tips

Kilimanjaro Airport is probably the airport, where you will arrive for your Tanzania Safari Tours.

Entry and visa for Tanzania

You can apply online for your Tanzania visa, but for this purpose your passport must be sent to the embassy of Tanzania. The procedure is said to take about four weeks to complete. Alternatively, you apply for a visa upon arrival at the airport.

For the visa upon arrival, bring the following documents with you:

- Passport and copy of it

- Biometric passport photo

- Copy of airline tickets

- Vaccination pass with confirmation of yellow fever vaccination (if you enter from a yellow fever country)

The visa for Tanzania costs 50 USD and must be paid cash immediately in US dollars. From 01.12.2018, the amount is payable by credit card.

If you get off the plane and walk towards the airport entrance, you must first fill out a visa application. Tip: If a large plane has just landed and many people are heading to the tables of visa applications, fill out the application while queuing.

You first have to queue to pay for the visa and then again for immigration & issuing of the visa. We were asked none of the above-mentioned documents. The photo is taken on site by the immigration officer.

After immigration you enter the baggage claim area, where a currency exchange is located. Once you have left the airport building, you will find an ATM on the right (you can only withdraw Tanzania Schilling). Now your Tanzania safari tours can finally start.

Exit Tanzania

We still had about $90 left in Tanzania Schilling and didn't want to take them to Germany. Unfortunately, there are no money exchange offices at the departure area of the airport. But if you ask the souvenir dealers politely, they exchange Shillings for US dollars. Even the souvenir shops have normal still negotiable prices. The restaurant at the departure area is quite nice low priced.
Tansania reisetipps

Health precautions for your Tanzania safari tours

Those entering from a yellow fever country need yellow fever vaccination.

We already had the following vaccinations from previous trips, but are not obligatory:

– Hepatitis A/B

– Meningococcal diseases

– Cholera

- Rabies

- Typhoid fever

Since Tanzania is at high risk of malaria all year round, we have taken malaria prophylaxis (Malarone).

Best SIM card for your Tanzania safari tours

We asked our taxi driver, who pick us up from the airport, to stop at a SIM card dealer. We chose Africell due to the best network coverage in Tanzania. We had very good 3G network almost everywhere. We opted for 12GB of data and paid 36,000 TSh (equivalent to about 15.70 $). You can pay for the SIM cards with cash only. To purchase the SIM cards you need a passport.

Our Tanzania travel tip for SIM cards: Get advice from a driver or guide and, best of all, take it straight to a cheap provider. They will be happy to help you for a small tip.

National Parks in Tanzania

See the following link for information about the National Parks in Tanzania.

Tansania reisetipps

Road conditions and road traffic in northern Tanzania

Most roads during our Tanzania safari tour were paved and in very good condition.

Only the road from Karatu towards Serengeti is relatively bad and bumpy. But the way is definitely worth it, though, if you think of what to expect: The highlight of your Tanzania safari tours.

Police is caring about road and car safety and therefore stopping cars regularly.

Tansania reisetipps

People in Tanzania

We lacked the warmth of the locals, but this is probably due to the high level of tourism in Tanzania. We had the direct comparison to Uganda and felt more welcome there. However, we would like to explicitly exclude our tour operator from this fact. We were very pleased with them.

Souvenir prices are relatively high compared to other countries. Tip: Don't let yourself be sammed, especially in the Maasai villages. The Maasai's "homemade" souvenirs are available in any other souvenir shops or at the airport and at least 3 times cheaper. We wanted to do a good deed and picked some souvenirs from the Maasai´s souvenir shops. The items were not priced and when it came to negotiation, they wanted $ 100 for it. A few kilometers further in a small shop on the Serengeti main gate, the same items were about $ 10.

Tansania reisetipps

Climate during your Tanzania safari tours

Although Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater are not far apart, the difference in altitude causes strong temperature differences during your Tanzania safari tours.

While it can get hot in the Serengeti, in Tarangire or at Lake Manyara, it is more chilly at Ngorongoro Crater, particularly at night.

Tips during your Tanzania safari tours

Währung Tanzania

When calculating your trip to Tanzania, you have to take into account a key factor. Besides flight, the safari itself, drinks and accommodation, also consider the tips during your Tanzania safari tours.

Per group, about $ 10 to $ 20 per day for the Safari Guide are common. These are the values found on the Internet, which we also perceive as appropriate for the service of a good guide.

There are always some guys in the lodges carrying your luggage. Here it is advisable to always have some small money in your pocket.

Daytrip from Arusha

After our Tanzania safari tour, we had one more day before our flight back home and wanted to take a day trip to Kilimanjaro.

From Arusha we went to Moshi area. The journey took us about 2 1/2 hours. Unfortunately, the Kilimanjaro hid in the clouds this day and so we had no chance to see it.

The day trip includes a hike on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and through the local villages. Unfortunately, we could not enter the national park because of the high entrance fees ($ 300 is not worth a day trip). We had a local guide, who told us about the local way of life, the plantations (bananas, avocado, coffee etc.) and much more. Some well-known and large coffee companies have coffee plantations on Kilimanjaro.

80% of the income generated from the hikes goes directly to the communities. After hiking about 15 kms, we had typical local dishes for lunch (rice, chapati, meat, avocado, beans and banana soup). The food was really good.

Tansania reisetipps
Tansania reisetipps
TANSANIA REISETIPPS

After our Kilimanjaro adventure we went to the hot springs of Kikuletwa. The water has an incredibly beautiful emerald green color. The water is not really hot, but really comfortable for the hot air temperatures.
It’s definitely worth spending a few hours here. There is a bar with cool drinks, fresh fruit salads and coconuts at a small price.

Shemeji Safari put together the combination Kilimanjaro and Hot Springs and were very happy with it. We recommend this combination without limitations.

Other posts you may be interested in:

Big City Life, Meer, Natur

Löwen, Leoparden, Geparden

Abenteuer, Wildlife, Natur

Gorillas, Safari, Regenwald