Dar es Salaam Getting Away

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 on these airlines to Arusha is preferred as you arrive at Arusha airport, not Kilimanjaro airport, which is 35 minutes, and a very expensive taxi away. Train: There are two trains running out of Dar Es Salaam from different stations. Tanzania Railroad is a train that travels through the center of Tanzania to Dodoma and further West, even up to Mwanza; however, the train tends to be unreliable, not terribly pleasant, and full of thieves. Tourists should try to travel in groups, and/or buy out a first class cabin. Keep the doors and windows locked, especially when sleeping. The train travels at walking pace much of the time, so it is possible to buy fresh fruit, eggs, and other items out of the windows all along the way. Tazara runs a much nicer, though not much more on-time train to the south, which goes through part of the Selous National Park, through Mbeya, and down to Komperi Mposhi in Zambia (about 2 to 3 hours from Lusaka). Tazara has a large train station just out on the edge of town. Visas for Zambia are available on the train. This is a nice but slow way to travel, as it takes about 2 days. Bus: Bus travel is generally reliable if you pick the right company. It can be somewhat scary as Tanzanian's seem to value arriving quickly more than arriving safely ('Mungu akipenda, tutafika' - If god wants it, we shall arrive). Scandinavia (a bus company) is your best bet for a reliable schedule, a comfortable ride (many of the buses have air conditioning), and timely stops. Scandinavia runs their own bus station in Dar Es Salaam, and tickets should be purchased ahead of time. If you are traveling to Arusha, Royal Coach is perhaps an even better option. The buses are very nice, have A/C, a bathroom, and travel at 80kph for safety. The Royal Coach ticket office is located down town near the Jambo Inn and Econolodge: buses leave from here early in the morning as well. All other buses leave from Dar Es Salaam's central bus station, Ubungo, just west of the city (about 5000 to 7000 tsh taxi ride from downtown). Here you can find buses to the majority of other cities. Although there are many touts outside of Ubungo's ticket area, they are mostly harmless. If you are put off by them, ask the Taxi to take you inside the station for a small extra fee. The ticket offices are located just outside the station, though you can buy the tickets from the bus if you have entered already. This might be a better idea regardless, as you cannot tell the state of the bus from outside, nor how full the bus is (buses will only leave when completely full). Some of the cheaper lines run buses which are remarkably dilapidated and uncomfortable, will take a very long time to fill up, and will likely have to stop more often on the way, assuming they make it at all. Some of the more reputable bus companies are Scandinavia, Dar Express, Abood, and Hood. Bus travel by night is not allowed, so most buses except for those to nearby cities will leave early in the morning.