Dar es Salaam

When to Go

Transport

Getting Away

To get to Zanzibar: You may fly, take a ferry, or hire a dhow. Flights are roughly 75USD and average around 30 minutes. Ferries leave four times per day and cost about 35USD--they take 2 to 3+ hours depending on the ferry. Tickets can be bought from the docks near German church, all tickets for tourists regardless of which ferry you want to travel on, are bought from the 'flying horse' ticket window. Although it is improving, watch out for touts, scams, and pick-pockets in this area. Buy your tickets only from the ticket windows. Although you might manage to save some money by getting a resident rate, you could also get into a lot of trouble without a resident permit. Hiring a dhow, while an adventure, is not recommended for tourists (it may even be illegal). Prepare to work hard, be sea sick, perhaps become dangerously dehydrated and sunburned, and it could take 1-2 days. Air: There are flights to Arusha (kilimanjaro airport) on all the major airlines that fly into Dar es Salaam. Air Tanzania and Coastal air have local flights to all major cities in Tanzania. Flights are generally late, but reliable. Flying...more

Health & Safety

Accommodation

Entertainment

General Shopping

For kangas (or khangas), colorful, sarong-like pieces of cloth with Swahili sayings along the bottom, try Kariakoo market or the cloth market on the streets around it. The market has moved a bit recently, but check around south end of Jamhuri st., where there are many textile shops. Here you can also buy kitenge, twice the length of kangas and usually cut in half to form a complete outfit, for around TSH 4000 each. Try asking in here if you want something like a dress made to measure. Kariakoo is also a good place for fresh food, unless you want more "hygienic," packaged Western-style food, in which case there are several supermarkets (such as Shoprite) in the centre of town. Carvings and other touristy souvenirs can be found all over the place. Remember to haggle unless you want to be ripped off. There is a fantastic craft market in Mwenge, the Mwenge Carvers' Market. Here you can watch many of the artists make the crafts that are sold throughout the country (although some crafts sold in Tanzania are imported from Kenya). Prices range from expensive to extremely cheap. There are many stalls selling similar things, and...more

Sights

General Activities

If you happen to be staying at the Holiday Hotel, do be sure to check out their roof deck around 7 p.m. Here you will get a great view of the city while watching the sun set and listening to the numerous calls to prayer from nearby Mosques. For a great day trip, head out to Bangoyo island. Bongoyo is a small, uninhabited island just off the coast. The boat to Bongoyo leaves from Slipway, the upscale set of shops and markets just north of Dar es Salaam. The boat leaves a few times in the morning if there are enough people, and you can get basic food on the island (chips, fish and chips, egg and chips, etc.). You can relax without having to worry about anyone stealing your things. Take a hike around the island, or just relax under a banda on the beach. When you come back, you can get an extremely expensive ice cream or meal at Slipway and watch the sun set. You can also check out the Tinga Tinga paintings at the market. There are quite a number of night clubs in Dar es Salaam. Probably...more

Itinerary Builder