what’s it like to travel in Tanzania?

Traveling there is pretty cheap by the standards of a first-world country. A typical safe, clean hotel is about the equivalent of maybe $ 15 bucks a night, about $ 30-$ 40 if you want a place with hot running water and/or your own private bathroom. (The cheaper ones are safe enough, just don’t leave valuables in the room.) Bus travel is pretty inexpensive, but if you want drivers and conductors (helpers) who know some English stick with Scandinavia as they drive the more well-to-do and the foreigners — they’re also faster and tend to have no one standing in the aisle, so they don’t have to stop and bribe the police for breaking laws!

Personally, I would try to hide some of the tattoos and minimize facial jewelry; you also might want to consider wearing skirts below the knees (with good slips as the sun is strong!) and short-sleeved shirts (no sleeveless). The style there doesn’t really require that of foreigners, but you’re less likely to attract attention and much less likely to be cheated on purchases.

For safety, otherwise I would avoid places that you normally avoid like dark alleys at night and that kind of thing; violent crime is mostly unheard of in Tanzania but there are pickpockets everywhere who will follow you — as well as many non-criminals who will follow you and beg. (Naomba is a begging word.)

You should be safe enough. Don’t exchange money on the street; there are people who will offer and give you fake money. There are places called Bureau de Change all over who exchange — and they only take newer, crisper bills that were printed in the last 10 years. Just FYI! In the little restaurants prices are set, but in a shop or on the street the price you are quoted is usually at least 10 times the price they expect (because you are a “rich mzungu” foreigner).

Try to eat food that is cooked when you order, like chipsi (fries), mahindi (roasted corn on the cob), or my favorite mishkaki (cooked beef on a stick) and ndizi (roasted banana on a stick). Rice is usually safe; drink soda or water from a bottle only but juice is usually freshly squeezed. You can also get chipsi mayai (scrambled eggs and fries) and yai ya kuchemsha (boiled egg) that are safe.

What regions do you expect to visit? I lived in the Dodoma region and visited a few others around the country, and I know people in several regions as well as safe places to stay where they speak English. (Tanzanians, most of my fellow foreigners have gone home) Typically, any foreigner who lives in the country will be happy to talk to you and help you; it’s nice to find someone who speaks fluent English once in a while!

Feel free to email me through here and ask what you want! I know people who were in almost every region of the country, so I can find more specific information if you like. Good luck!

Oh, by the way, when I went back to visit in 2008 I used about $ 500 besides the airplane ticket, and I was staying in hotels (“guesti” for guesthouse) the entire time and meeting friends whom I treated to meals when we got together. So it’s pretty cheap! Now, if you go to Zanzibar, it’s a bit more expensive, but that’s a pretty nice place too…