Tanzania Travel Advice

Before embarking on a trip to Tanzania it is of paramount importance that you take into consideration certain important aspects of your trip prior to your departure. Visa's, money, health, insurance and your security are all fundamental parts of your trip that may require a little more preparation and planning weeks if not months before you head out to the African continent. Failure to acknowledge or look into this issues may consequently mean that you are unable to travel due to access restrictions upon arrival in Tanzania. Each of these topics are fairly straight forward and although some may be more time consuming than others they play a pivotal role in the overall success of your trip.

Most nationalities require a visa to enter the United Republic of Tanzania & Zanzibar. You are able to get your visa prior to traveling to Tanzania however most people tend to wait until they arrive at the airport where they simply complete a visa application form and pay $60 US Dollars or $100 US Dollars for American citizens. If however you are a citizen of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia Sri-Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey or Yemen you will need to apply for a visa at your local consulate which can take anywhere up to 6 months to process.

The majority of nationalities who require a visa to enter Tanzania will purchase one upon arrival at one of the countries main airports or land border posts. Immigration officials simply require you to complete a visa form accompanied with $60 US Dollars and they will stamp your passport with a visa valid for 3 months. For many people who are heading out to Tanzania for a safari in Lake Manyara or one of the countries other National Parks or Game Reserves your visa may have been included in the price of the safari which will mean that your visa will either be waiting for you at immigration or you will have had it stamped by a staff member at the local consulate prior to your departure from your home country.

Perhaps the most vital aspect of your trip to Tanzania. It's imperative you pay your local GP or travel doctor a visit before you head on your merry way to Tanzania for two reasons. One, because you will need to be prescribed anti malarial drugs, especially if you are likely to be spending most of your time in the Katavi or the Ngorongoro Crater. Tanzania is a malarial country and unless you take precautions you could very easily catch malaria which at worst can prove fatal.

Whether you have previously been to Africa or this is your first time it's important you find out from your doctor what vaccinations you require, if any. For those that have been before booster vaccinations are still needed to ensure your body is kept up to date from the last vaccinations. If however you have never been to Tanzania, or in fact Africa before then you will most certainly require at the very least 1 or 2 vaccinations such as typhoid and hepatitis.

The local currency is called the Tanzania Shilling (Tsh). Unless you are back packing or working/volunteering in Tanzania we wouldn't recommend you go through the trouble of acquiring the local currency for the simple fact that if you are on a typical safari or an expedition to climb Kilimanjaro then you just won't need any. What is recommended to take is US Dollars as they are widely accepted and highly appreciated especially in the more touristy areas of the country.

There is very limited access to ATM machines unless you plan on spending a lot of time passing through major towns and cities and using your credit/debit card, although the safest method of caring money around will incur your charges of anywhere between 10%-25% per transaction. Travelers cheque's are another method of carrying money around but are also likely to incur high commission rates when it comes to exchanging them.

On the whole Tanzania remains a safe country as far as Africa goes. There may be the odd occasion every year when we hear about a foreign visitor who was killed in a road traffic accident, a light aircraft accident or an unfortunate encounter with a wild animal but it's never usually anything more serious than that. In terms of personal safety, again Tanzania is very safe although it is advisable to watch your possessions closely and keep them nearby when you are in crowded areas, especially in the cities as pick pocking and petty crime can be an issue.