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About Tanzania Tanzania, like many other African countries, has a rich, long and very interesting history. Looking at the map of this vast mass of land, one can easily discover a huge number of things. From north to south and from east to west, there is an amazing geographical and climatically variation. In Tanzania you will explore blessed and fascinating traditional lifestyles of the ancient continent in terms of tourism attractions in the region, treasured with its rich human history and culture like Maasai people, Watindiga people, Chagga people, Sukuma people in lake Victory etc, endowed with a wide diversity of natural resources. In Tanzania you can explore the so-called roof of Africa, amazing Kilimajaro, and other wonderful mountains, you can find the most famous wild-life areas in the world, you can relax on wonderful beaches at the Indian Oceans and on the Islands, unparalleled elsewhere in the world, you can start for amazing diving adventures in front of the islands, you can immerse yourself in a bustling and busy African metropol like Dar es Salaam or you can enjoy your time at the huge sweet water lakes like Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, etc. The people are as diverse as the culture itself. On the other hand the history is as old as the archaeological remains of mankind. Traces found at the Oldupai Gorge in northern Tanzania tell us that mankind lived in our country more than 1.75 million years ago. Don't wait, in Tanzania you can feel what paradise on earth might be. Karibu Tanzania - Welcome to Tanzania General Information How to get to Tanzania You can reach Tanzania and Kenya in the following ways by flights: to Kilimanjaro International Airport (close to Arusha and Moshi), to Dar es Salaam International Airport or to Zanzibar, by flight to Nairobi and Mombasa, or by domestic flights from Dar es Salaam or Arusha. Domestic flights in Tanzania and Kenya are relatively cheap. Northwest Airlines/KLM offers flights into Kilimanjaro (JRO is the airport code) and both Northwest and American Airlines/British Airlines offer flights to Dar es Salaam (DAR is the airport code). Several other non US based ailrines can also be used. Conduct Tanzanians are friendly and polite but somewhat shy people. That is why you probably will learn Karibu - welcome, as your first Swahili word.Greetings are important in Tanzania, so remember to greet before you start talking to someone or asking questions. It will create a friendlier atmosphere whether at the market or in an office. Jambo! is frequently used as greeting, with Sijambo! (all is well) as the reply. Also note that Tanzanians often finalise a conversation by Asante! Thank you! Climate Tanzania is a tropical countries, and for most tourists the notion will be that it is always hot. However, the northern part of the country has a pleasant climate from June - September. The hottest period is from October to February. The average daily high temperatures at: Arusha: Dec.: 27 C / Feb.: 27 C / June 24 C ; Zanzibar : Dec.: 31 C / Feb.: 32 C / June 27 C. The coast is usually humid and hot. The rainy season starts in March and lasts to May. Language Due to the fact that Tanzania has 120 different ethnic groups, you find the same number of languages. However, Swahili is the national language and spoken by almost everyone. In areas often visited by tourists, you can get along fine with English. Secondary schools are now required to teach classes in English so it is becoming more widespread. Food The diet varies greatly from area to area and depends on people's culture standard of living. Roughly one can say that in the northern parts of the country, staple foods are maize porridge (ugali), cooking bananas, meat (especially Maasai), vegetables such as yams and cassava and beans. The use of spices is rare. NB! Bread is not common in the countryside. In coastal areas people tend to eat more rice, fish, chapatti and spicy sauces. Zanzibar is known for a great variety of foods. Some recommended Tanzanian snacks: sambosas, grilled cassava, vitumbua (rice bun), bajia and mandazi. Do not hesitate to try the local dishes! Tanzanians prefer to eat with hands rather than fork and knife. Visitors are usually offered to wash their hands before a meal. In Muslim regions such as Zanzibar, during Ramadan, most restaurants are closed during daylight hours. A few will be open for the convenience of tourists. Clothing As a rule: bring comfortable, sporty clothes and forget your high-heels at home! Good walking shoes are a must. It is advisable to dress in layers. When hot, remove your long sleeved shirt or jacket and wear preferably cotton t-shirts underneath. Trousers or long skirts at night protect against mosquitoes. For climbing Kilimanjaro, warm trekking clothes and waterproofs are needed. Also, many Tanzanian communities are Islamic. Dress with modesty and respect local dressing codes. This means for example, not wearing shorts (men and women) and tiny tops for women when in Stonetown, Zanzibar. Do not wear swim wear except at the beach, and men, please leave your shirts on when in town! We will be happy to assist you with any specific questions. Baggage For safaris, backpacks are recommended. Usually you cannot bring your suitcase on safari, and NEVER on treks. For climbing Kilimanjaro, you are allowed to bring 15 kg baggage, which should be waterproof bags. In connection with booking, we shall furnish you a special information-sheet for mountain climbing. Currency The currency in Tanzania is Tanzanian Shilling. Foreign currency can be changed at banks or bureau de change. We do not recommend changing at the black market. It is forbidden, and the risk for being cheated is high! Do not relay on your credit card while in Tanzania. Some big hotels accept cards, but in most places, cards will leave you helpless! Travellers' cheques are safe but get a noticably lower exchange rate than cash and aren't that easy to cash. Larger bills get the best exchange rate but it will be difficult to exchange US currency that is not the new design. US currency is accepted in towns most times and is much easier than exchanging Euros, Pounds or Canadian currency. Definitely do not assume that all bureau de changes will give similar rates. At Dar es Salaam airport for example, one bureau was exchanging at a rate of 20% less than anywhere else in town! ATMs are found in Moshi, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar and other cities, but are often out of order and sometimes the wait is quite long. Pawa Rafiki Tours & Safaris LTD accepts Paypal. Passport and Visas All visitors to Tanzania must have a valid passport. Residents of most counties will require a visa (Ireland is one notable exception) . Visas can be obtained from the Tanzanian Embassies abroad, or upon arrival (airports). The approximate fee is US$ 50 per person, payable in US currency, for a single entry visa valid for 90 days. Vaccinations/Health Be sure to check with a travel health clinic for the most current reccomendations on vaccinations and malaria prevention medications before your trip. Modern medical help is available in major cities and in some of the most popular National Parks such as the Serengeti. Drinking tap water is not recommended. Mineral water is common in all places and inexpensive. Purifiers such as SteriPen is a great item to take along and is fast and easy to use. Crime/Safety Most theft in Tanzania is opportunistic, being careless in leaving a bag unzippered or even momentarily unattended is asking for trouble anywhere in the world. Bus stations and marketplaces are the biggest risks of pickpocketing. Be wary of people offering you food or a drink in a bar unless you see it being poured as drugs can be added. Taxis are inexpensive and easy to find. If in doubt about an area, take a taxi. Common sense goes along way in making decisons on where you go and how you store your money. Electricity Common in most places but at times a bit fickle. Outlets are the 2 or three prong UK and is 220v. Plug adapters are inexpensive but make sure that your appliances can accept 220v. Tekephones/ Internet/Post Cell phones are popular and can be bought/rented inexpensively. Check with your local carrier about bringing your phone from abroad along. Prepaid calling cards are found in numerous shops in cities but public phones that are in working order is hit and miss. Signal coverage and strength is good. Internet Cafe's are common in cities but are sometimes frustratingly slow and not always open (see comment regarding electricity). Postal service is pretty reliable and reasonabley priced. Life's Conveniences/ Misc. In towns shops are well equiped with items like toilet paper but finding women's hygene products is a bit more tricky. Purell or other hand sanitizers have not caught on in Tanzania and are a great idea to bring along. Flushing squat toilets are the most common. Higher priced accomodations will have western style toilets. Hot water is fairly reliable but not 100% so in less expensive lodging. Alcohol is common, even in Muslim regions. Public drunkeness is not acceptable in Tanzania. There are several excellent domestic beers and Konyagi, a spirit made from sugar cane is popular. Wines and other spirits tend to be expensive but can be bought at most stores in towns. Do not even consider drinking local illegally produced alcoholic beverages. Souveniers Maasai jewelry, Kisi pottery, Tingatinga art and Makonda woodcarvings are great souveniers. Prices for nearly everthing in Tanzania is negociable (not for our tours though- sorry). Several of the National parks have gift shops with the expected assortment of t shirts and gifts. Many large shops do a good job of shipping. |