This time for Africa…. First time in south Africa, a unique destination for us as it is our first time in a country of the sub-Saharan region stretching from west to east! We are in Tanzania, Africa, a beautiful country of enormous land with unique cultures such as that of Masai but also of vast natural beauty and wealth of enormous importance for maintaining the balance of the environment for the whole of our planet!
About Tanzania
Tanzania is a a destination that excites us all but remains quite unknown to most of us so we hope with this blog post the iinerary and all other related blog posts will guide you and orientate you quite a bit in the planning of the trip!
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania.
Zanzibar, the exotic island of Tanzania (or maybe not?)
Zanzibar is a rising travel destination, beloved for wedding trips and kite surfing lovers is truly a heaven on earth. Blue waters and all-white sand an unparalleled beauty scenery which contrasts in a strange and awkward way to the hard lives of the inhabitants of the island and the living conditions which are really bad. Our feelings about the exotic Zanzibar island are mixed. If you re intrested to learn more about zanzibar island read our blog post!
What to do in Tanzania
There are many choices, among them: hiking Kilimanjaro, safari game drive at national parks, adventure in cities and villages, exotic Zanzibar, visit a village of Maasai, volunteering etc. Read three different itinerary options we recommend in our blog post depending on the time you have and your interests and create your journey from scratch!
Safari game drive in Tanzania’s National Parks
For our safari game driving experience we can write countless blog posts but we still will not be able to transfer you all of our feelings about the greatness of nature as we experienced it! What we’re going to tell you is that it’s a unique experience with absolute respect to nature and animals! Read in detail our thoughts, advice and everything about the national parks we chose to explore.
How to move in Tanzania
Tanzania is a huge country where travel is an issue that concerns us all quite specifically if you want to explore it like a lot…! Our options are as follows:
Plane
With several international airports and even more local ones it is very easy to reachable from the south to the north of the country within one hour or less! Air Companies like Air Tanzania, Precision Air offer tickets from $50 per route e.g. from Dar El Salam to Kilimanjaro. Book your tickets online!
Bus
The bus is also a very widespread means of transport and you can easily reach for $20 and more from Dar El Salam to Arusha with companies such as Dar express. Book your tickets online!
Train
Train we didn’t try but there’s definitely one for some long asting adventures throughout the country! There’s an info page on internet, but to book your tickets you have to go to the station!
Ship
You’ll need to take a boat if you don’t choose the plane to go from the mainland to Zanzibar and back! Calculate from $35 and above for this specific route and be informed about the routes because they are limited per day.
Dala dala & Tuk tuk
Local minivans often open from top and back can be found everywhere around the country and move affordably but not comfortably. There are dala dala stations but you can easily catch them both on the roa, just raise your hand and they will stop! Tuk tuk the classics and favorite known tricycles from Southeast Asia!
What to pack for a trip to Tanzania? – Travel Packing List for a trip to Tanzania
First of all, let us give you a really important piece of advice! Don’t go To Zanania with a suitcase, it’s only convenient for the backpack unless you’re comfortable enough and luxurious travelling with private transfers! Check out our travel packing list for a trip to Tanzania that lasts two weeks, including camping, sea, hiking etc. You will find a useful travel packing list in our relevant blog post!
How much does a trip to Tanzania cost?
As you may understand the cost is indicative because it depends on the way you travel, the days of the trip and the type of traveller you are. There is room for everyone of course and we do not criticize any type of traveler just in case keep in mind that the prices below refer to “low to medium” budget backpacking trip (which means that the cost goes even lower). The cost is per person.
- Flights from Brussels with Turkish airlines and luggage 32 kg 350€
- Safari 5 days (including food lunch, breakfast entrances to the National Parks transfers and camping accommodation) $900 (prices vary depending on the choices and company)
- Food $10-15 per person a day with a beer (not for the safari days)
- Accommodation starts at $20 (we don’t recommend it), calculate at least $30 for a relatively comfortable stay (usually with a shared bathroom)
- Other transfers and entrances, e.g. in the waterfall areas you need to pay a small fee, also if planning on taking a national flight calculate $50-70 a flight, bus $20 for long journeys, ship to Zanzibar 35-50 dollars. The local dala dala costs little, 500-2000 Tanzanian shillings which is less than 1.5€
- If anyone hikes Kilimanjaro, for example, a climb will cost you up from 250 usd to $5000.
- For souvenirs you will spend less. We preferred the masai market in Arusha and the locals in Zanzibar.
- Tips calculate a small amount
- Visa $50 (online)
Useful information
- A visa is issued electronically prior to arrival in Tanzania and also applies to Zanzibar. If you are going to volunteer you may need to ask any further obligations.
- We made local change at Kilimanjaro airport for the whole trip.
- Internet card can be found almost everywhere eg at the airport and at local markets in obvious places.
Is a trip to Tanzania safe?
With absolute certainty our answer is yes! We didn’t feel not even for a second uncomfortable or dangerous at any point of our trip both in a city or a village we were visiting. People were everywhere kind and ready to help if needed!
Ngorongoro crater vista point
Useful words for your arrival in Tanzania
Mambo
Jambo
Poa
Karibu
Asante
Travel and volunteering
Did you know you could combine a trip with volunteering? How with very little money you will get back a lot richer than you started? In Tanzania there are wonderful projects both held by Greek organizations and by foreign ones, you can help on your own, of course, either by physical presence or through others! Sometimes you can even exchange your services for free accommodation (e.g. if you are a web developer you can build a website for a school so that they will be able to accept shipments and funding directly from interested parties). Read ways and information about volunteering in Tanzania in our blog post and proceed to do some practicing and undo the comfort of your everyday life! This time for Africa…
Karibu!
