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About Tanzania Travel Tips
Preparing for trip to Tanzania
- Prepare copies and electronic versions of all necessary documents (passport, driving licenses and vaccination certificate against yellow fever);
- Do all necessary vaccinations for travel to Tanzania;
- Make sure that your credit card and bank cards can be used abroad. Inform your bank about your travel beforehand and note phone numbers for contact in case your card is lost or blocked;
- Ensure to take your essentials in hand luggage. Do not pack prohibited items in your carry-on luggage;
- Rarely, travelers experience a delay in receiving their checked luggage. Usually, it arrives in 1 or 2 days. If this unfortunate situation occurs, your luggage will be delivered directly to your hotel by the Altezza Travel team. We even bring it up to the mountains if your climbing tour has already started. To save yourself some hassle, pack a few items of clothing in your carry-on luggage.
In Tanzania
- Tanzania is a safe and peaceful country. But you should practice common travel safety, as you would in anywhere: do not show off large amounts of money. When exchanging money or withdrawing from an ATM, count your money in a secure and private place before exiting, never on the street. If moving about with expensive equipment such as a large camera or laptop, consider taking a taxi, especially at night. Most hotels offer safe boxes or an option to leave expensive items at the reception desk for safe-keeping, if you are interested in taking a city tour, or walking to a restaurant in the evening;
- Use only registered taxis, never private vehicles. An official taxi has a white license plate and the car clearly bears registration numbers, usually painted on each door. They are typically white cars with green writing in Dar es Salaam and Arusha and Moshi towns. Ask Altezza or your hotel to order you a taxi when moving about town;
- Arusha and Zanzibar have a special Tourism Police Force in order to support and assist tourists. If you have any problem, Altezza can help you connect with the special Tourism Police Force;
- Do not exchange money in the street. Tanzania has recently changed laws about foreign currency exchange and money should be exchanged only at authorized change bureaus or banks;
- Get a receipt. Every authorized business in Tanzania has a tax number and offers official receipts. If shopping, request an official receipt when purchasing any items. Some local craft markets are the exception, the safe way to buy handmade items and gifts in Tanzania is to only purchase handicrafts from locations your tour guide suggests. You may even have a day for souvenir shopping and your driver-guide will bring you to an excellent craft market that offers authentic goods.
While Climbing Kilimanjaro / Meru
- Do not take valuables on a mountain trek. This includes: laptops and smartphones. The chance of breaking them, or damaging them due to extreme weather conditions is very high. Further, you will find it difficult to charge electronics during your trek. All guides have phones and radios for communication;
- Try to drink 3-4 liters of water a day, it speeds up the process of high-altitude adaptation and reduces such unpleasant symptoms;
- Most hiking in the mountains is in the morning and the afternoon is free. You may enjoy having a book, MP3-player, cards or other activity to enjoy during this restful time;
- Tip your climbing team. The easiest way is to leave a tip at the office after you return (provided you had an excellent experience). This way, it is easy for us to fairly share the tip among the guides, cook and porters. Of course, if you have a special request for distributing the tip, we will certainly oblige.. The recommended amount for an expedition is $200-250 per person which is shared with the entire expedition team.
While on Safari
- Ngorongoro can be cold in the early morning and at night. If you are planning to visit this world-renown site, pack warm layers, such as trousers and a fleece jacket;
- Take wet wipes; in high season it is very dusty and wipes are an easy, travel-friendly solution;
- Take the clothes to change, preferably a new set of clothes for each day;
- Avoid bright colors on safari (white / yellow t-shirts, blue jeans) as they do not help you to blend in with nature during a walking safari, or while driving through the bush. Further, they will show dust very easily. Ideal colors are khaki, dark-green, and neutrals;
- Bring a high-quality camera with all the special lens attachments. You won’t be sorry for the additional items when you have a powerful zoom and take an award-winning photograph!
- The hospitality industry in Tanzania is much like the rest of the world, and tips are most welcomed and often expected.The recommended amount for safari-guides is $40-60 per day, per vehicle. In hotels, $1-2 is enough when carrying the baggage and small tips in the restaurant for waiters.
In Zanzibar
- Zanzibar is a major tourist island, but remember that the majority of the population is conservative Muslim. Please dress modestly when visiting Stonetown or venturing away from your hotel. It is acceptable to wear bathing suits at the hotel pool or private beach, but men should wear a shirt and ladies a long dress which covers the knees when going to a restaurant or shopping. Avoid kissing or displays of affection in public; hand-holding is acceptable;
- “Beach Boys” may offer services from the beach in front of your accommodations, but they often have no office or boat, and tourists often spend more money when using their services. It is better and safer to book a tour or excursion with a legitimate office: ask your hotel to recommend a company instead of booking with a stranger;
- Occasionally, you will find someone attempting to sell you something and won’t take “No.” for an answer. It is considered rude, even in Tanzania, to pressure someone after they have politely declined. You may strongly refuse, or even ignore them and walk away, or ask them to leave you alone in this instance.
Published on 2 November 2023
Revised on 31 October 2024
About the author
Tanzania Safaris 
Kilimanjaro and other mountains 
About Altezza Travel 
About Tanzania
Thanks for the bits of advice, some of them were really unexpected but seem reasonable!
Thank you, Gary!
Thanks for such a detailed information! will definitely book a safari with you guys.