ALL ABOUT TANZANIA

Tanzania is a safe country to travel in. Tanzanian people are warm-hearted, generous people and are eager to help and assist visitors. As in all countries, a little common sense goes a long way and reasonable precautions should still be taken, such as:

• – locking valuables in the hotel safe
• – do not carry a lot of camera equipment especially in the major cities
• – do not wear too much jewellery
• – do not carry large amounts of cash on your person
• – etc.

Guides will monitor your safety in cities and in the game areas. From time to time generalized travel statements are issued concerning travel conditions in the area. For current Department of State announcements and Consular information see https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html.

t is best to drink bottled water when travelling through Tanzania – numerous brands are widely available and served in all restaurants and lodges. Steer clear of ice, raw vegetables, and salads when eating at street restaurants. High-end lodges and restaurants will clean their produce in antiseptic solution, but to be on the safe side, fruit and vegetables should always be washed and peeled. Try to avoid eating in empty restaurants – the food may have been sitting out for some time – and order your meat well done. On the coast, seafood and fish are usually fresh, but make sure everything is well-cooked.

The food served in the safari camps/lodges varies, but is tasty and delicious. Gourmet cooks bake fresh breads, and produce soups, salads, and entrees that could easily grace tables at the top restaurants around the world. Meals are international in flavour with soups, salads, cold meats, pasta dishes, meat and fish dishes, and breads. Your day normally starts with tea and biscuits before your morning activity.
Returning to your lodge or camp late morning, brunch is enjoyed – cereals, fruit, bacon, eggs, sausage, and toast. Buffet lunches are typical with a warm dish such as stew served with salads, quiches and cold meats. Dinner consists of an appetizer followed by meat, fish and pasta dishes served with assorted vegetables and sauces. Dinner is followed by coffee/ tea, cheeses, and stunning desserts.
In Tanzania’s towns and villages, the food is usually simpler. Plain grilled meat, nyama choma, is very popular, and often served with sauce, rice, chips, or ugali (cornmeal). Indian cuisine is also wide spread. The locally brewed beer is good, including Serengeti, Safari, Kilimanjaro, mbege (homebrew from the Chagga people) and banana beer; imported beers (e.g. Tusker from Kenya) and wine are also excellent.

Tanzania is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3). Tanzania does not operate daylight saving time, hence there’s no time difference between their summer and winter months.

The climate in Tanzania is generally considered tropical. The months from December to March form the summer and therefore the hottest season. As everywhere in the tropics, there are two rain seasons in Tanzania. The main rain season generally runs from March to the end of May. The minor season, during which travel is only slightly affected, runs from October to November. Tropical rain is not comparable to Central European rain. It is mostly short but heavy showers.

The International Dialling Code for Tanzania is +255, followed by the applicable area codes (e.g. 22 for Dar es Salaam, or 27 for Arusha). Calling out from Tanzania, you dial 00 plus the relevant country code (44 for the UK, 1 for the USA).

The official unit of currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS), divided into 100 cents. Notes are issued as TSh10,000; 5000; 1000; 500; 200 and 100. Coins are issued as TSh100; 50; 20; 10, 5 and 1.
The tourism industry prices everything in US Dollars and they are the preferred unit of currency. Major currencies can be exchanged in the larger towns. Foreign exchange bureaux in the main towns usually offer a better rate on traveller’s cheques than do the banks. ATMs are available in major cities only. Major lodges, some hotels and travel agents in urban areas accept credit cards, but these should not be relied on and can incur a 10{072d2ba0c4aaf0817ff6e3372a366012a88ebd8a5d53f03cc977c113396f3003} surcharge.
See https://www.oanda.com/currency-converter/ for the latest exchange rates.

You will need very little spending money on most safaris as the majority of meals and activities are included in your package cost. Most people carry between $50 and $100 per person per day for all expenses. Bills may be settled by US cash, by travellers check, or by credit card (accepted at most lodges, camps, hotels).
Credit cards may be used in large towns at restaurants and shops with MasterCard and Visa being most accepted. However, use may be restricted in small towns and country areas and non-existent in small retail shops. We recommend bringing USD cash. Change USD at the airport or bank on your arrival into Tanzania. USD is acceptable in most tourist areas and can be used for tips.

You will require a passport valid for at least six months after your date of entry. If you are arriving from a country in which Yellow Fever is endemic (such as Kenya), you will require an immunization certificate or health card.
Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, and most countries in the EU, need a tourist visa to enter Tanzania. Application details and forms can be found on Tanzanian Embassy web sites. It is also a possibility to buy your Visa directly at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
As with all visa matters — contact your local Tanzanian Embassy for the latest information.

Unfortunately, there is a lot of misinformation on the Internet about mandatory vaccinations or even “compulsory vaccinations”, which do not correspond to the truth at all and (are intended to) cause unnecessary uncertainty.

When traveling directly from the European Union or Switzerland to the mainland of Tanzania and to Zanzibar, no compulsory vaccinations are required, in particular no yellow fever vaccinations, are required. This also applies if you are traveling in transit via a yellow fever endemic area, as long as the stopover does not involve leaving the airport and the stay is less than 12 hours. In the case of a longer transit stay or a stay outside the transit area in a yellow fever endemic area, a yellow fever vaccination is required. When traveling via the mainland it will be checked at the airport or port of entry to determine whether a stay in a yellow fever endemic area happened. When entering the country from yellow fever-endemic areas, a yellow fever vaccination is required for persons over 1 year of age.

Please note that malaria is prevalent in some areas. Prophylactic treatment with malaria medication is recommended.

Malaria is transmitted by crepuscular and nocturnal Anopheles mosquitoes. If left untreated, the dangerous malaria tropica in particular is often fatal in non-immune Europeans. The disease can still break out weeks or months after a stay in the risk area.

If you develop a fever during or even months after a trip, consult a doctor as soon as possible and inform your doctor that you have been in a malaria area. There is a high risk throughout the country, including the cities (as well as Dar es Salaam) and national parks. There is a lower risk on the island of Zanzibar.

MALARIA PROTECTION

The best protection against malaria is to avoid being bitten. You should pay attention to the following points:

• – Wear body-covering, light-colored clothing (long pants, long shirts).
• – Repeatedly apply insect repellent to all exposed areas of the body during the day (dengue) and in the evening and at night (malaria). We recommend insect repellents with a high proportion of the active ingredient DEET. Please test compatibility beforehand.
• If necessary, sleep under an impregnated mosquito net.

MALARIA PROPHYLAXIS

Depending on the travel profile, in addition to the necessary exposure prophylaxis, chemoprophylaxis (taking tablets) makes sense. Various prescription drugs are available for this purpose.

Discuss the choice of medication and its personal adjustment as well as side effects or incompatibilities with other medications before taking them with a tropical medicine specialist or travel medicine specialist. It is recommended that you take a sufficient supply with you.

All tropical countries are home to a number of venomous snakes, some of which are dangerous or can be fatal. Many snakes are nocturnal, so avoid walking around outdoors at night. Do not go into holes in the ground or crevices in the ground, under stones or brushwood, branches and similar unclear material. There are also some quite poisonous species of spiders and scorpions, as well as other animals with a potentially strong poisonous effect (e.g. certain strikingly colored butterflies, caterpillars, centipedes).

As the concept of memories is largely foreign to the people of Africa, the topic of photography as an end in itself is just as foreign to them. But even in our western world, you don’t simply “snap” strangers without asking. Anyone who respectfully asks for a photo (“Naombe nikupige picha?”) is rarely turned down, but sometimes you have to reckon with a demand for a fee for the “model”. Here too it is worthwhile, without which you can’t do business in Tanzania anyway!

It is better to use the animal photo objects. If you have a little patience, you will certainly be able to take one or two “photos of a lifetime”. Anyone who has always thought about buying an SLR or system camera should do so now at the latest and not skimp on a good zoom lens!

We recommend “light luggage”! In the safari jeeps, as well as in small Cessna airplanes, there is often no room for bulky hard-shell suitcases. In addition, domestic flights often only allow 15-18 kg of luggage per person. The best option is flexible travel bags and the luggage should be sealable, because the sand and dust of the steppes and savannahs also gets into the car.

If you have any concerns about light luggage and think you won’t be able to cope with it for a longer stay, we can reassure you. Almost all lodges have a laundry service. And if things get tight, ask your driver guide if he can take care of cleaning the clothes you need – the guys always know where to wash!

If you are staying in accommodation powered by solar energy, which we prefer in our selection for ecological reasons, you should NOT take a hairdryer with you. Their use is prohibited, as almost all hair dryers overload the systems or at least blow the fuses.

The British three-pin adapters fit into the Tanzanian sockets. There 220/240-volt alternating current prevails. In some tented lodges there are no sockets. Here you will find collection points in the restaurant area in the form of large multiple sockets where devices can be charged (don’t forget your adapter).