Getting in and visas for Tanzania

Visa

A Tourist Visa will set you back US$50, US$100 for U.S. passport holders, for a six month single entry and six month double entry, and can be obtained upon landing in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro. Be advised that the wait can be especially long if your flight arrives at the same time as the numerous other international flights. Visas are valid for the duration from the date of issuance. For U.S. citizens it is advised to obtain visas before commencing travel even though it may be possible to obtain a visa at any point of entry. Other countries have not issued any such directives, but you may still wish to follow that advice. For travelers departing from the U.S. it is also possible to a pay a US$20 fee for rush service which takes three working days. The website for the Tanzania Embassy in United States of America should be checked for current and complete requirements. Visas may also be obtained from any Tanzanian Diplomatic Mission abroad.

By plane

There are two major airports; one in Dar es Salaam, Julius Nyerere International Airport - (IATA:DAR) (formerly known as Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere International Airport and Dar es Salaam International Airport), and one in Kilimanjaro, Kilimanjaro International Airport - (IATA:JRO) [2], which is halfway between Arusha and Moshi. Tanzania is served Internationally from: Europe by:

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam), +255 22 213 9790 (Dar) & +255 27 223 8355 (Arusha), [3], Daily flights with stopover in Kilimanjaro.
• British Airways (London-Heathrow), +255 22 211 3820, [4], Daily flights.
• Swiss International Airlines (Zurich), +255 22 211 8870, [5], 5 flights a week with a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Middle East and Asia by:

• Emirates (Dubai), +255 22 211 6100, [6], Daily flights.
• Qatar Airways (Doha), +255 22 284 2675, [7], 1019, Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Daily flights.
• Air India (Mumbai), +255 22 215 2642, [8], Daily flights.

Africa by

• South African Airways (Johannesburg), +255 22 211 7044, [9], Daily flights.
• Ethiopian Airlines (Addis Ababa), +255 22 211 7063, [10], Daily flights with a stopover in Kilimanjaro.
• Kenya Airways (Nairobi), +255 22 211 9376 (Dar) & +255 24 223 8355 (Zanzibar), [11], several daily flights with some stopping in Kilimanjaro.
• AirKenya
• Carriers originating from Egypt, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe also have regular flights to Dar es Salaam.

And Domestically by:

• Air Tanzania, +255 22 211 8411, [12], email:bookings@airtanzania.com.
• Precision Air, +255 22 212 1718, [13], Along Nyerere/Pugu Road, P.O Box 70770, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, email:info@precisionairtz.com or pwreservations@precisionairtz.com also flights to/from Kenya
• Coastal Aviation, +255 22 211 7959, [14], P. O. Box 3052, 107 Upanga Road, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, email: safari@coastal.cc
• ZanAir, +255 24 223 3670, [15], P.O.Box 2113, Zanzibar, Tanzania, email:reservations@zanair.com.
• Regional Air
• Air Excel

which provide almost daily service to all major cities including Dar es Salaam, Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya, Zanzibar, and most national parks. Warning: Domestic flights are often late but generally reliable.

By train

The Tanzania - Zambia train service known as TAZARA [16] operates trains between New Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia and Dar es Salaam twice a week. A domestic train network links the country's major cities, including Kigoma, Mwanza, Dodoma, Tabora and Dar es Salaam. The domestic train service is usually reliable and ticket prices affordable. Ticket prices differ, however, according to 'class', typically first, second and third. First and second classes offer cabins with two and four beds, respectively. Third class is open seating. Hot meals and beverages are usually available from the dining car. It is not uncommon for the train kitchen to purchase fresh produce at many of the stopping points along the way. It is also possible to purchase fruit and snacks directly from local vendors who frequent the many train stations on each of Tanzania's many train routes.

By car

Warning: It's not advised to drive in Tanzania, or throughout most of Africa, unless you are experienced with driving conditions in developing countries. Nonetheless, here is some useful information for those thinking of undertaking the challenge. Drive on the left side of the road

• Tanzanians drive on the left (like in the UK, India, Australia, Japan etc) as opposed to the right like in North America and most European countries. Experienced drivers will require about half a day of driving around to adjust to the change. Although the gear shift, windshield wipers and turn signal activators are reversed, luckily, the pedals aren't. Just follow the traffic. However, even with some practice you should always be vigilant because you could easily find yourself disoriented which could put you at risk of a head-on collision or hitting a pedestrian.

Choice of vehicle

• If you're hiring a car when you get here, your best option is a 4x4 sport utility vehicle with good road clearance, especially if you plan on going on safari. Look for Land Cruiser, Hilux Surf (4Runner), and Range Rover types of vehicles. Avoid mini-SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV, because they can't always negotiate the poor road conditions in most national parks.

Navigation

• Nelles Maps of Tanzania, Rwanda & Burundi [17] is the best. They've taken the time to identify even the smallest of villages along the routes which is great for navigating when landmarks are scarce.

• There are markers, white concrete pillions, along the main roads which identify the next major city or town along the route and how many kilometers remain.

Driving in the city

• This only applies to Dar es Salaam since all other cities and towns are relatively small and easy to get around in. The city center is extremely congested from 09:00 to 18:00 from Monday to Friday. There are few traffic lights and the streets are very narrow. It's dog-eat-dog, so offensive driving skills are a must as no one will let you pass if you just sit and wait at stops signs. Streets are crowded with parked and moving cars, SUVs, lorries, scooters, and very muscular men pulling insanely overload carts. People can spend hours stuck in traffic jams, especially around Kariakoo Market.

• There are a few roundabouts in the downtown, which the locals call "keeplefties" because they thought that the sign advising drivers to "Keep Left" when entering the roundabouts was the name of this fascinating Mzungu invention. Mzungu is the Swahili word for "white" foreigners. It is not derogatory more along the lines of calling a white person a Caucasian.

• When parking on the street in Dar, find a spot to park, then lock your doors and leave. When you return, a parking attendant wearing a yellow florescent vest will approach you for payment. The fee is 300 Tsh for two hours. The attendant should either hand you a ticket or it will already be on your windshield. DO NOT leave without paying if there is a ticket on your windshield, because the attendant will been forced to make up for the missing money, and probably only earns 3000 Tsh a day at best.

Note: Carjackings are uncommon but opening doors or jumping through open windows to steal valuables is not. Keep your windows closed and doors locked. When stopped at traffic lights or parked in unattended locations, thieves have been known to steal mirrors, paneling, spare tires and anything that is not either engraved with the license plate number of bolted to the vehicle's body. Choose your parking spots carefully and don't leave valuables in plain sight. You can either offer the parking attendant a small tip to watch your vehicle, 500 to 1000 Tsh, or find a secured parking lot, especially if your leaving the vehicle overnight. Routes

• The two main roads are the "Dar es Salaam to Mbeya" road (A7/A17) which takes you to the Southern Highlands through the towns of Morogoro, Iringa and Mikumi National Park, and near Selous and Ruhaha NPs. The other is the "Dar to Arusha and the Serengeti" road (B1) which takes you to the Northern Circuit by the towns of Tanga and Moshi, and Mount Kilimanjaro, Saadani, Tanrangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti NPs.

Dangers and annoyances

• Tanzanians drive very fast and won't hesitate to overtake in a blind curve. Also, most commercial vehicles are poorly maintained and overloaded, and by consequence you'll see many broken-down along the main highways. NEVER assume their brakes are working or that the drivers have fully thought through the dangerous maneuver they are undertaking.

• Most roads in Tanzania are poorly maintained, and littered with potholes and dangerous grooves formed by overloaded transport vehicles. All main roads cut through towns and villages and in many cases traffic calming tools (a.k.a. speed or road humps) are used to ensure vehicles reduce their speed when passing through. Unfortunately, few are clearly marked and most are hard to see until you are right upon them, and if you are coming too fast, you could be thrown from the road. SLOW DOWN when entering any town or you might not be able to avoid these and other hazards. This is also prudent because animals and children often bolt out into the street.

Note: If you are involved in an accident with a pedestrian, drive to the nearest police station and advise them. DO NOT exit your vehicle and attempt to resolve the situation even if you are sure it was not your fault. Tanzanians are some of the nicest people you will meet in Africa, but they have been known to take matters into their own hands. This is largely due to their mistrust of the police and the belief that anyone with money, e.g. rich foreigners, can buy their way out of a problem.

• If you encounter a convoy of government vehicles, move out of the way. They have priority, although this is debatable, and will not hesitate to run you off the road if you don't give way. You could also be fined by the police for your failure to give way.

FYI: In Tanzania, you can determine vehicle registration by the license plate colours: YELLOW plates which start with "T" and followed by three numbers are privately owned vehicles. Official Tanzanian government plates are also yellow but only have letters and usually start with "S" (the fewer the letters, the higher up in the food chain the owner is), GREEN plates are diplomatic, RED are international development agencies, BLUE are UN and similar organizations, WHITE are taxis and buses, and BLACK are military and police. This coding does not apply to Zanzibar and Pemba. Passing Etiquette

• Drivers following you will activate their right turn signal light to indicate they wish to pass you. If the road is clear, activate your left turn signal, if not, activate your right turn signal. Look for this when attempting to pass.

What to bring

• • A large jerry can (20 liters) with emergency fuel. (FYI - Don’t enter a national park without a full tank of gas)
  • A shovel, machete ("panga" in Swahili) and tow rope
  • Good road maps
  • First-aid kit
  • Drinking water, at least 5 liters, and non-perishable emergency food supply

By bus

Bus is a great way to get into Tanzania. Fly to somewhere like Nairobi then you can catch the bus down to Arusha (a great base for Mount Meru and Ngorongoro Crater) Although don't forget the south central part of tanzania away from all those tourist hawkers. Scandanavian is the most reliable bus company. Roads in Tanzania aren't in good condition and there are no highways and very few multiple lane segments along the main roads. Bus must slowdown or stop in most villages because of traffic, police and speed calming tools. As a reference point the trip from Dar to Iringa takes at least 6 hours in a private vehicle. It's two lanes most of the way with the road recently rebuilt by the chinese so in good nick most of the way. Buses leaving from Dar to the west or north of the country, ply the same road (A7) until you get to Chalinze, which is about halfway, less than two hours, between Dar and Morogoro. If your going to Arusha, the bus will veer north on the A17. Other notable destinations along this toute are: Saandani National Park, Pangani, Tanga, Lushoto, Kilimanjaro and Moshi. From Arusha you can also take a bus to Mwanza and Kigoma, but once you've past the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the roads are in extremely poor condition are your in for a bumpy ride. If you continue on past Chalinze you'll pass by Morogoro (also the turn off for Dodoma), the entry point into the Selous Game Reserve, Mikumi National Park, the old main gate to Udzungwa Mountains Parks, and Iringa which is the turn off for Ruaha National Park. Iringa is the place to explore the southern circuit from with a new campsite at the Msosa gate to the Uduzungwas (the Iringa side of the park) and the gateway to Ruaha (possibly Tanzanias best park), It is a great plce to stay for a few days. After Iringa, you'll either go west to Mbeya or south to Songea. Head to Mbeya if you want to visit Lake Tanganyika, enter into Malawi or head north to Kigoma. North of Mbeya, the roads aren't sealed so it will be a long and very unpleasant trip. If you want see Lake Nyasa (a.k.a. Lake Malawi), then take the bus to Songea. Although you are within a stones throw of Mozambique, there are no official entry points. Finally, if you're headed south of Dar then you'll take the B2. This is the main route to the Selous and the Rufiji River. ALong the way you can also stop in Kilwa, Lindi and finally Mtwara. The road isn't sealed the whole way so again, bring a cushion. Outside of Dar, roads between other cities and villages are in very poor condition. For instance, traveling from Arusha to Dodoma is slow. It's actually faster to return to Chalinze and then board a bus to Dodoma. This is pretty much the case for any travel between cities that are not along the road to Dar. The border town of Namanga is a hectic outpost that epitomizes much of Africa. The bus even waits here for you to cross the border. you can even get off on the Kenyan side walk across the border and get on again on the Tanzanian side. Tawfiq Buses also connect Mombasa with Tanga and Dar in Tanzania. Scandanavian also has service to Lusaka, Zambia. It is also possible to travel to Malawi, Uganda, Rwanda from Dar by bus. Trips to Arusha are best served by Dar Express, however, I don't know how many places they service in the rest of the country.

By boat