Safari is the main "token" of tourist Tanzania. To plenty of joking "Look, look like an elephant eats" or "Wow, what kind of cat, well, just spilled our Smoke, only more" here and tourists come from all over the world. There are still few Russian citizens among them, and there are not a few "budget" tourists: Safari is not a cheap pleasure.
However, with all the advantages of the national parks of the country, combined tours are more popular here than safari "in its pure form". And this is no wonder: snow-white sandy beaches, rich underwater world and interesting excursions of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia attract tourists tired of continental safari, no less than elephants and overgrown cats.
The capital is Dodoma, the major cities are Dar Es Salaam, Mwanza.
The main resorts are the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and the Mafia.
National parks of Tanzania: Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Ruaha, Tarangire, Selous, Ngorongoro, Arusha and others.
Read more about what's interesting in the country, you can visit the site of Tanzania's attractions.
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How to get to Tanzania
There are no direct flights to Tanzania from Russia. Large airlines fly to all three international airports of the country - Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar (with a transfer). The most convenient option is to fly KLM to Arusha or Dar Es Salaam with transit through Amsterdam. The cheapest options are flights to the same Dar as Emirates, Swiss or Qatar. Airport tax for departure from the country - 20 USD per person, it is not charged for children under two years and transit passengers.
Another option (especially good for those who are interested in Kilimanjaro) is to fly to Nairobi, where high-speed minibuses run from Arusha (5, 5 hours en route, reliable companies - Riverside, Scandinavian and Davanu). Kenyan visa in this case is obtained at the airport and costs 50 EUR. You can fly to Nairobi from Moscow via Cairo (Egyptair), Doha (Qatar) or Dubai (Emirates, this option involves spending the night). From St. Petersburg - via Amsterdam (KLM) or London (British Airways).
From Minsk to Dar es Salaam flies Swiss Airlines - already with two dockings. KLM flies there from Almaty and Kiev.
Serengeti National Park: 320 km from Arusha, can be reached by car in 6 hours or by plane - per hour.
Ngorongoro Reserve: for 4 hours by car or hour by plane from Arusha, from Maniara and Tarangir - a couple of hours by car.
Mount Kilimanjaro: transfer from Arusha - two hours by car, from Kilimanjaro International Airport - one hour.
The National Park of the Mountains of Mahale: one and a half hours from Arusha by air, two from Dar es Salaam and 40 minutes from Kigoma, in addition, you can still swim by boat from Kigoma in Mahal.
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Visa to Tanzania
A 90-day visa to Tanzania can be obtained both at the embassy in Moscow and at the entrance to the country.
Customs
Duty-free import of 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 gr of tobacco, a liter of alcoholic beverages, food and household items (within personal needs) is allowed. The export of jewelry from gold and silver, stamps, coins, food products is allowed in "personal needs". To the jewelry must be attached checks from the store. It is prohibited to import small arms (without special permission), drugs and pornography.
Import and export of the national currency is prohibited, but all foreign must be declared. It also prohibits the export of ivory, rhino horns, wild animal skins, gold, diamonds and some spices, for example, cloves - without documents confirming the legitimacy of their purchase.
Where to call, if that
Embassy of Tanzania in Moscow: st. Bolshaya Nikitskaya, 51; tel .: (495) 690-25-21, 690-25-17; Web site
The Russian Embassy in Dar-es-Salaam: P. O. Box 1905, Plot No. 73, Kenyata Drive; tel .: (22) 266-60-05, 266-60-06; Web site
Telephone codes: Dodoma - 26, Dar es Salaam - 22, Arusha - 27.
Transport
The network of domestic air traffic allows you to reach almost anywhere in the country. In addition to the car, two railway lines can be used to travel around the country: the first is the Dar Es Salaam-Kigoma route with branches to Mwanza and Mpandu, and the second is the Tazara (Tanzania-Zambia) railway. The delay in trains of 12 hours in the country is a common thing.
The buses are the most convenient for land transport, and for some companies, for example, Scandinavian, they are more than comfortable: passing in the crowded air-conditioned lounge by a local population moving on donkeys or in jammed minivans-matata, the tourist feels really white. But far from the big cities there is transport easier, and in the depths of ice-cold blood, trips to the "matata" can not be avoided if there is no car with a personal driver.
Between Dar-es-Salaam and the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar, as well as on the lakes of Victoria, Nyassa and Tanganyika, there is a ferry service. True, the ferry can turn out to be both a high-speed car with all conveniences and a rusty trough - it is possible to guess this in advance only at the price of the ticket. As a rule, night ferries are much worse than daytime ferries.
Car rental in Tanzania
An unprepared white man in Tanzania is best not to drive: the roads are in poor condition, and local cars leave much to be desired, as well as the local driving style .People and animals cross the road without paying the slightest attention to transport .Therefore, it is better to resort to the services of a professional chauffeur, which will be especially important if you are going to a countryside or savannah .If, even more so, yet to take a car in Tanzania, international rights will be needed - even for motorcycle management .The movement in the country is left-sided .
- Is it possible to rent a jeep with a driver-guide in advance and independently
Safety of tourists
Local residents are smiling, friendly and helpful .Attitude towards Russian tourists is very good .However, with all this, a white sagiba in Tanzania should not be removed from the main streets of cities - in order to avoid the risk of being robbed by smiling aboriginals .Also, do not carry large amounts of money with you and put on expensive gold jewelry .At night, one should avoid unoccupied strangers .During walks, it is better to take a photocopy of the passport with you, and leave the passport, money and air ticket in the hotel safe .
Before the trip, it is recommended to vaccinate against yellow fever, and about a week before departure - to start taking antimalarial drugs. Water from the tap in the country can not be drunk - only from bottles, having previously checked whether they were well sealed. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth and making ice should be boiled or disinfected in other ways. Pasteurized milk and dairy products are completely safe for consumption, and meat and fish can only be eaten in a well-fried or cooked form.
Climate of Tanzania
The climate in Tanzania is tropical, hot and humid on the coast, dry on the mainland. The temperature during the year can vary from +20 to +32 ° C, but does not fall below +25 ° C on the coast. The warmest in February and March, the coolest (of course, relative) - in July and August.
The rainy periods (October-November - the "short rains" season, March-May - the "long rains" season) are felt differently in different parts of the country. The dry season lasts 5-7 months. The best time to visit the north of the country is July-October and December-March, the south-June-October, the west-December-March and May-October. On the islands of Zanzibar and the Mafia, it is best to rest in July-October and December-March.
Actual information: weather forecast for the main resorts in Tanzania for the next few days.
| Fauna of Tanzania |
| The architecture of Stone Town |
| Fishing boats in Zanzibar |
Tanzania hotels
The hotel base of the country is very diverse. There are both "lodges" (very good level, but also very expensive), and more than simple hoteliers for 2-3 rooms, as well as camping. Most of the hotels in Zanzibar offer half-board accommodation (usually breakfast and dinner), and most of the safari lodges are full board.
On the island of Zanzibar, the "Arab" style of service prevails (absolutely without haste), but the level of service is gradually beginning to catch up with the European one. Claims of clients to lodges never arose, it can even be said that this is perhaps the best place in terms of service.
The country has a standard voltage of 220-240 V. In lodges and decent stationary tourist camps, generators also supply a standard voltage of 220 V. The sockets are a "British standard" (an adapter with a three-pronged plug is required.)
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Banks, exchange offices and tips
The currency can be changed almost in all banks approximately at the same rate, except for small bills (20 USD and less), which are usually taken at a lower rate. On the streets, especially in tourist places, full of street changes, but do not contact them. Credit cards are accepted only in large hotels and in very few shops, and it's almost impossible to get cash on them. Traveler's checks can be cashed at the registered dealers or in exchange offices (it is better to take checks in the USD in the country).
Banks are open from 8:30 to 16:00 from Monday to Friday and from 8:30 to 13:00 on Saturday.
It is customary to give "for tea" at the end of a safari. Mountain guides receive an average of 10 USD per day, cooks and porters - 5 USD each. In the hotel you can give 0.5-1 USD to a porter or a servant or leave at the reception a slightly larger amount upon departure - the staff will share the tips themselves.
- Visit the unique protected forest of Hosani (Jozani), where the last colony of colobus monkeys is preserved on the island. It is 24 km southeast of the city of Zanzibar.
- Admire the dolphins, frequent guests of the bay near the village of Kizimkazi.
- Try out what is deep sea fishing, which you can do on the coast of the islands of Mafia and Pemba.
- One weekend visit the Village Museum of Dar es Salaam, where traditional dances are performed.
- In the homeland of the famous art of carving "makonde" (makonde) the plateau of Maconde to buy a couple of souvenirs.
Shopping and shopping in Tanzania
Shops are open daily from 9:00 to 19:00. In large cities, most shops are open until 22:00.
Popular souvenirs from Tanzania are products made of black (ebony) wood, leather, malachite, soapstone and beads, as well as masks, figurines, figurines, batik, drums, wicker, coffee .Unique Tanzanian green tourmalines, sapphires, pomegranates, rubies, emeralds and diamonds are mined in the country, and a rare tanzanite mineral ("blue diamond"), found only here - in the volcanic sediments of Mount Kilimanjaro .Some of this wealth can be bought in the country, but, unfortunately, most of the local high-quality gemstones are freely sold only in the markets of neighboring Kenya .
Kitchen and restaurants
Here it is, the grave legacy of the colonial regime: restaurants in Tanzania usually do not serve pickled elephant and chops from the warthog, but banal "British" dishes - soups, steaks, fried chicken, boiled vegetables and puddings. Asian restaurants are better prepared, but not so many. However, there are plenty of small African restaurants where you can try local cuisine without risking health. The basis of their menu - dishes based on bananas (unsweetened, taste-like potatoes) and goats.
Local beer - cheap and not bad at taste, still there is an import from Kenya or the republic of South Africa, but it is more expensive. Wine is better to take imported, from Europe or the same South Africa, and from strong drinks you can try local vodka from papaya - "konyagi." Photo of Tanzania (209)