Practical Information for visiting Tanzania

The currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS). US dollars are widely used for park fees, lodges and tours, and are often the quoted currency — bring recent, unmarked notes, since bills dated before 2009 are frequently refused.

Cards are accepted at lodges, hotels and larger businesses in the cities, usually with a surcharge. Elsewhere it is cash, and mobile money — M-Pesa, Tigo Pesa, Airtel Money — is what Tanzanians actually use.

ATMs are available in Arusha, Moshi, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and the larger towns, and absent in the parks. Draw before you go.

Tipping is expected and is a significant part of incomes: budget around US$20-25 a day for a safari driver-guide, a communal tip for camp staff, and for a Kilimanjaro climb a substantial sum distributed across guides, cooks and porters — operators publish recommended amounts, and they should be treated as a real cost of the trip.

Coverage for mobile networks is good in the cities, the towns and along the main roads, with 4G from Vodacom, Airtel, Tigo and Halotel. It thins in the parks — parts of the Serengeti and the southern reserves have little or none — though most camps now have some signal or satellite.

A local SIM is cheap and worth getting at the airport with a passport; registration is required and data is inexpensive.

Wi-Fi is standard in hotels and in most safari camps, often satellite-based and slow, and some camps deliberately offer none in the guest areas.

Power cuts are common on the mainland; camps run on generators or solar and often switch off overnight. Bring a power bank, and on Kilimanjaro expect no charging at all above the first hut.

Tanzania is generally safe for visitors and the safari circuit is very well managed. The risks are traffic, wildlife and opportunistic crime.

• Road travel is the most likely thing to hurt you. Long-distance bus crashes are common, night driving on rural roads is dangerous, and the road between Arusha and the parks carries heavy traffic.
• Wildlife. Stay in the vehicle unless your guide says otherwise, do not walk between tents at night without an escort, and treat hippo and buffalo as more dangerous than the cats, because they are.
• Altitude on Kilimanjaro causes deaths every year. See the health section — this is the single most serious risk in the country for visitors.
• Petty crime in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Stone Town: bag snatching from vehicles and on foot at night. Do not walk alone after dark in the cities.
• Zanzibar is safe but conservative; harassment of visibly under-dressed visitors occurs, and drink spiking has been reported at beach parties.
• Drug offences carry long sentences, and Zanzibar enforces strictly.

Medical facilities are limited outside Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Moshi, where private clinics are adequate. Serious cases are evacuated to Nairobi or South Africa, so insurance with air evacuation is essential. Flying Doctors membership is inexpensive and worth it.

Yellow fever vaccination is required if arriving from a country with risk, and is checked. Routine cover plus hepatitis A and typhoid; rabies for longer or remote stays.

Malaria is present across almost the whole country including Zanzibar and the coast, though not at altitude on Kilimanjaro. Take prophylaxis, use repellent and sleep under a net — this is not optional here.

Altitude on Kilimanjaro is the big one. Acute mountain sickness affects a large share of climbers, and pulmonary and cerebral oedema kill people every year. Choose a route of seven days or more, ascend slowly — pole pole — and descend immediately if symptoms are more than a mild headache. Operators carry oxygen and pulse oximeters; check that yours does.

Do not drink tap water. Use bottled or filtered, including for teeth.

Greet before anything else. A full greeting sequence precedes any request, and shikamoo to elders is expected. Going straight to business is rude.

Dress modestly. Tanzanians dress carefully and scruffiness reads poorly. On Zanzibar, which is largely Muslim, cover shoulders and knees away from the beach — swimwear in Stone Town causes genuine offence, and there are signs asking visitors not to.

Right hand for giving, receiving and eating.

Photography. Always ask before photographing people, especially Maasai, and expect to be asked for payment — agree it first. Never photograph police, military, airports or government buildings.

Plastic bags are banned with serious penalties, and the ban is enforced at the airport. Do not bring any.

Homosexuality is criminalised and attitudes are hostile; discretion is necessary. Public affection between any couple is uncommon.

Taking or exporting wildlife products, shells or coral is prohibited.

Emergency numbers: 112 or 999 for police, ambulance and fire. Response times vary considerably outside the cities; your lodge, operator or guide is usually faster and more effective.

Medical. The Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam, and Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre in Moshi — which handles altitude cases off the mountain — are the better facilities. Payment or an insurance guarantee is required.

Air evacuation. AMREF Flying Doctors covers East Africa and short-term tourist membership is cheap. Many safari and Kilimanjaro operators include it; confirm rather than assume.

On Kilimanjaro, evacuation is on foot or by stretcher to a road head and then by vehicle — there is no routine helicopter rescue on the mountain. This is why descending early matters so much.

Keep offline copies of your passport, insurance and yellow fever certificate. Most embassies are in Dar es Salaam, with some consular presence in Arusha.