Stuff you need backpacking around Tanzania

Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), plus many local languages. Tanzanians speak Kiswahili and, to some extent, English. (As elsewhere, English is more commonly spoken in larger cities and tourist destinations, where it is common.) Most Tanzanians learn their local tribal language first. Then in primary school, they learn Kiswahili. When they go to secondary school, they are taught English. [add listing]

• Produce is often of very high quality. Meat and milk can be difficult for Western systems, so be sure that all meat is cooked through. At hotels, you will not have any trouble, but if you venture into small villages, make sure that all water is filtered or boiled before drinking, and all fruits and vegetables are peeled before eating.
• Local dishes include Mtori, cooked beef and bananas, and Mchicha, a vegetable stew which can also contain meat or fish.
• If anything can be called Tanzania's national dish Ugali would most likely win out. A polenta-style dish made with corn flour, it accompanies a variety of stews, cooked meat and is eaten with your hands. Recipes vary from village to village and everyone has their own way of making it. Many foreigners find it bland and unappealing but it's worth a try, and some upscale establishments serve it.
• Chai Maziwa (chai with milk) is a local favorite and well worth trying if you can handle the large amounts of sugar they add to this drink.
• Street food is also cheap and plentiful: barbecued maize on the cob is very nice, as are the chipped potatoes (fries) that that are cooked over a roaring fire.
• Mandazi is a sweet doughnut styled food that is mostly made fresh each morning. Great with coffee in the morning and makes an ideal snack.
• Tanzania's large South Asian community ensures a great variety of restaurants offering cuisine from all parts of that region. All the eateries near Hindu temples (particularly in Dar) are a good bet. Just watch where the local Indians go to eat, and you won't be disappointed. Most of the food is cooked in large amounts of Ghee, clarified butter, and can be hard for some people to digest.
• Chips Mayai (chips cooked in an omelet) are served at nearly every African food stand in Tanzania and are considered a Tanzanian specialty. They're quite good with pili pili (hot sauce).
• Northern Tanzania boast a number of great coffee plantations. Although coffee does not have the popularity in Tanzania as it has in Ethiopia, with a bit of searching you can find a decent cup of java, not just the instant "Africa" coffee served in most restaurants. Large hotels in Dar all make good coffee. If you want to brew your own cup, Msumbi Coffee Shop, +255 22 260 0380, Sea Cliff Village, sells Tanzanian coffee beans ground or whole, which they roast on the premises.

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• Bottled water is cheap and widely available throughout the country. You shouldn't drink the tap water unless you have no other option and it must either be filtered with a high quality filter and purifier or kept at a rolling boiled for at east 10 minutes before consumption. Recent tests on tap water have found it contaminated with many bacteria such as e-coli.
• Konyagi is a wonderful gin-like beverage, sold only in Tanzania.
• Domestic beers are Kilimanjaro, Serengeti and Safari, which are western-style and very good. Imports include Tuscker, Ndovu, Stella Artoi, and Castle.
• Locally produced banana-beer is also sometimes found, but questionably safe to drink. Traditionally, you will drink this out of a hollowed gourd. Guests drink first, and then pass to the elders. In some parts of of Tanzania fermented bamboo juice (Pombe) is the common tipple.
• Passion fruit, Mango and Orange juices are available at many restaurants and excellent when the fruits are in season.
• Soft drinks are widely available; Stoney Tangawizi (ginger ale - tangawizi means 'ginger' in Swahili is one of the more popular.
• Other popular beverages include: Orange Fanta, Bitter Lemon, Soda Water, Tonic Water, and Lassi (a sweet or salty yogurt drink).

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Currency

Money The currency of Tanzania is known as the Tanzanian Shilling (TSH, /=). There are 5 notes and 6 coins:

• Notes - 10000 (Red), 5000 (Violet), 2000 (Brown), 1000 (Blue) and 500 (Green) denominations.
• Coins - 200, 100, 50, 20, 10 and 5 denominations.

Notes and coins vary in size and colour. 10000 is the largest note and 500 the smallest. The other notes vary in size in descending order. Coins don't follow this standard. As of February 2008, one US dollar is worth about 1100 Tsh. [18] Note that Tanzanian currency exchangers usually have a different exchange rate for different US$ denominations, larger and newer bills having a better exchange rate than older and smaller bills. The difference in exchange rate between $1/$5 bills and $50/$100 bills can be more than ten percent. Older US $100 notes are no longer accepted in Tanzania. Anything older than 2003, will most likely be refused everywhere. Also avoid notes with pen marks or writing on them. Finally, be advised that if you withdraw a large amount of money, anything of $400 US, you'll have to carry over 40 notes around. 10000 and 5000 notes can be difficult to break when shopping in small shops a.k.a. Dukas. In Tanzania, it's usually the responsibility of the customer to provide exact change. If they do agree to provide change, you could be left with several 1000 and 500 notes of very poor quality. You won't have these problems in large hotels and restaurants that cater to foreigners. In general, stores, restaurants, and hotels in Tanzania expect payment in Tsh. Exceptions include payment for travel visas, entry fees to national parks (which must be paid in US dollars by non-residents), and payments for safaris and Kilimanjaro treks, which are generally priced in US dollars (though payment will be accepted in other currencies). On Zanzibar prices are generally in US dollars (including the ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar), and non-residents are required to pay for hotels with foreign currency (although the hotel will change Tsh for you). Most hotels will exchange US dollars, Euros and British Pounds for Tanzanian Shillings. Other currencies, such as Canadian or Australian dollars, may be accepted but at rates far below the going rate. ATMs are mostly located in the city center and on the Msasani Peninsula. For those wishing to withdraw money from bank accounts back home, in general, Barclay's, Standard Charter, CRDB and NBC ATMs work with PLUS and Cirrus compatible cards. Additionally, if you have a PIN code for your credit card, almost all Tanzanian banks with ATMs will allow cash advances on credit cards like Visa, Mastercard and American Express. Traveler's Checks have become virtually impossible to cash in almost all banks in Tanzania. For some odd reason banks will only accept TCs they've issued. Hotels will only accept checks from their guests, but at a far lesser rate than hard currency. Usually the same rate they give for US$1/$5 notes. Since ATMs are much more prevalent, making advances on credit cards or withdrawals from your personal accounts is much easier and much less time consuming. Credit Cards can only be used in large hotels, resorts and with certain travel agents. Tanzania is basically still a cash society. FYI: In North America, many banks and financial institutions permit PINs as long as 6 digits for ATM cards. However, in the rest of the world ATMs are programmed to only accept 4-digit PINs. If you have a 5- or 6-digit PIN, you should change it to a 4-digit PIN before you travel.

Shopping

There are many markets in tourist cities that sell standard "African" goods. Beaded jewelry, carved soapstone and Masai blankets make interesting gifts. Be aware that most "ebony" wood is fake (shoe polish) - the exception being in the far south-east where the Makonde tribe of Tanzania and Northern Mozambique create masks and other carvings from ebony and mpingo wood. Be prepared to bargain hard for everything. Masks are not typical of most East African groups, and the ones you will find in the markets are either imported from West Africa, or are strange things made just for tourists (exception again being the Makonde masks). Tinga Tinga paintings, named after the painter who originated that style, are for sale everywhere. Their distinctive style and colors make for attractive souvenirs. A standard size painting can be had for TS 5,000 - 10,000. There is a Tinga Tinga school in Dar es Salaam where you can purchase paintings from the artists themselves. [add listing]