Dar es Salaam Travel Guide

Kunduchi beach is one of the finest beach in Dar es Salaam. Especially the area inside the Kunduchi beach hotel. The sand is silk soft and white. There are many beds with sunshade and table. Normally it's not necessary to be a hotel guest to enter the finest beach, but you have to order food and drinks when you are there. There are in between...

When I was walking in Mandazi road I was invited home to the Nicodemue family to eat dinner. They lived in a small house with 2 rooms, and they all shared the same bedroom.We went inside some narrow sidestreets, through a labyrinth of small houses.Nicodemue, the proud father from the Muha tribe in Kigoma was living here with Raonia (mother), The...

A visit to the downtown of Dar es Salaam can be stressful if you are not prepared for heavy traffic jam and a lot of people. I think the atmosphere in the downtown is different from the f.ex. Msasani and Mikocheni area. The local people rush away to/from work, and the smile isn't there as it is in the other more relaxed parts of Dar es Salaam.In...

Mediterranean cuisine - as the name of the hotel/restaurant suggests. But what does Mediterranen cuisine mean anyway? Pasta, wine, olive oil, cheese, vegetables, fruits, fish (seafoods)... I had two dinner meals and breakfast in here and I was impressed. I wish I were with someone special in here because it is a very romantic place for dinner. I...

The most Chique (and most expensive) spot in town. in Kempinski Hotel, it offers a variety of Japanese, chiense and Indonesian food. famous for its Sushi. The food is so fresh u actually get to pick it from the tank (u choose your alive fish, crabs and lobsters from the fish tanks). i m in love with the fried prawns in eggnoodles.

this is very nice japanease restaurant.you can eat katu-don,oyako-don and ten-don.taste is really good.this is really japanease food.the owner is japanease .he is very polite and good person.if you are japanease and eat katu-don at this restaurant,you will be impressed very much.

QBar's got live bands playing live music and good English line up of songs! Everybody knows the place especially the bajaji drivers.... Catch Banana Zorro - a local frontman and a good entertainer. Just watchout for hookers around, they wont do any good.Maisha Club is near the Qbar and it's got local bands but I never heard them play English songs....

Its situated out of town so there is plenty of parking - although taxi ride into centre late at night can be expensive - especially if you look like a tourist :-) . As for the place itself I like it after you have paid 10,000 Tz shillings ( $6 US) to get in !!! You used to get vouchers for free drinks , but on my last trip in December 2011 , that...

A live band plays nightly tunes to wind down to. Level 8 is located on the top floor of the excellent Kilimanjaro Kempinski Hotel in the heart of Dar es Salaam. There is a view of the bay through large windows. There is an outside terrace accessible from the inside, where you can enjoy the seabreeze and a nice cold Safari beer, or your favourite...

The bus from Mombasa to Dar es Salaam takes 8-10 hrs and costs 15 USD. Its recommended to buy your bus ticket some hours or a day in advance to get a good seat.The bus stops at the border waiting for passengers to arrange visa and immigration. In the city of Tanga you have to change bus, so keep your ticket ready. Another long stop is made at the...

A typical street view in Dar es Salaam with old buses. There were a lot of shabby, old buses in the city. The Tanzanian call their buses Daladala.

The two most popular planes in Tanzania are Precision Air and Tanzanian Airways. I flew Precision Air and had a great time.Direct flight from Dar to Arusha is 1 hour 20 minutes.From Arusha to Dar with a stopover in Zanzibar is 2 hours 1o minutes. I had to pay with credit card and I was charged a total of US$ 283 for the roundtrip.Precision serves...

Entrance of the fish market of Dar es Salaam Don't buy the sea shells which are sold here.They are seriously amazing but the collecting by the sellers kills the reefs of Zanzibar.Collecting sea shells and corals is an illegal act and this should be respected.A good picture of the shells gives the same pleasure when looked at when you're back home....

In the main fish market, the first shops that you will see from the parking lot are a few stalls selling sea shells. If you don't have time to go to Zanzibar like me, and you like sea shells, then go to the fish market and you will be amazed with the size and shapes of sea shells - many of which you probably haven't seen in your life. Bargain. At...

If you would like to help some poor Tanzanians, better buy from street vendors. Unlike the shops I have been to in Arusha, these vendors are ready to negotiate and they do not overprice (much). I actually had good buys. And if you think you paid more than you wished, look back and think of how the money will help their families. necklaces and...

You will be tempted to take photos of locals and Masais because they wear colourful dresses. Do not take snapshots because they are known to throw stones at foreigners who just take photos of them.There is a tour to a Masai village which the Tour Guide will offer you for sure. I heard that Masais show how their live in exchange for some money to...

Dar es Salaam ("House of Peace". Paradise Koran 6:127) is multicultural, multireligious but tolerant and peaceful place.

Don’t be worried about your hairstyle. Very easy to find hairdressers … what I’m always looking for, when I travel! (I’m a very “classy” girl)

Private taxi drivers operates in Dar es Salaam, and some of them are thiefs. Robberies has been reported when the car ends up in a quiet back street at nights. Tourists have in some cases been threatened to give away the PIN code on their credit card. The thiefs normally operates in the evening when the long distance buses arrives in Dar es Salaam....

Slipway is an isolated resort area in Dar es Salaam with exclusive hotels. It has been many incidents of pickpockets from cars where the passenger snap the bag from walking tourists and then drive away in full speed. Be careful with your bags.

Kunduchi beach is in my mind the second most beautiful beach in Dar es Salaam. The beach has some exclusive hotels. But it has become so dangerous for tourists so it is adviced not to stay there before the police and the hotels themselves does something with the violent crime. It is not enough to have many security guards inside the hotel beach...

Two of the security officers at Zanzibar airport asked for a tip from the departing tourists when they were checking the hand luggage at the x-ray machine. And some tourists gave money because they felt commited to do so. It creates an unethical business if tourist pay money to officials for nothing. Be aware of this and say no.

It's easy to let one of the workers carry your luggage for you. And the workers will ask the tourists for that, without saying what it cost. Many tourists believe the service is included because of the high price for the ferry ticket. A Norwegian couple did that, and I saw their surprised faces when the workers claimed 10000 Tanzanian shilling (10...

In Dar and in Arusha, I was disappointed how bad I fared with bargaining (I am actually good at it, you see). The Tanzanian male shopkeepers offer higher prices to tourists. Best thing to do is to start with half the price they quote then just leave when you are not happy with the last price. The reason why they still managed to sell at the price...

Your handbag should be just fine for your camera, sunglasses, mobile phone, wallet and passport so you don't worry about things getting stolen while you're moving around. Closed shoes if you don't want sand or small stones to bother you. Bring toilet paper and lots of facial tissues just to make sure that you'll be fine. If you don't like to get...

In most cases I would certainly recomend taking a rucksack. They are comfortable to carry and easy to tie onto the top of the taxi or bus. In summer...cool clothes, but if you're going to rural areas, make sure that you dress appropriatelly... ie women - covered knees and shoulders. Yup, once again - toilet paper! Only because the paper that is...

anything that can hold enough clothes for your stay, remember you'll want to change your shirt twice a day since it gets pretty hot and sweaty here. Remember all the mosquitoes, and it'll be a laugh nothing special, you're not going to be in a jungle but a city, swim gear and some nice shirts are usefull though malaria profylax, and all the other...

If you want some beach experience while you are in Dar, then visit Kipepeo Beach. To get there, you should go to the ferry next to the fish market and take it over to Kinondoni. The reason there is a ferry is that there is no bridge as yet (this will change at the end of 2005). Kipepeo is a great beach away from the crowd where you can just chill...

If you are brave enough you can go to the barber. Manpower (services) in Tanzania is cheap; african barber about 1,- USD, indian about 1,5-2 USD.

Dar is a good starting point to find Tanzanian places off the beaten path.Our NGO offers accomodation in SW Tanzania - Livingstone mountains, a remote area where hardly anybody goes to.See: http://members.tripod.de/LUDEFO/Afrikahilfe.htm

The mobile phone works good in the Dar es Salaam (2012). The connection is good. But the roaming price for a foreign SIM card is expensive.Buy a Tanzanian SIM card in one of the many phone shops here. You can recieve calls without credit, so it doesn't cost you anything. It's also cheap to buy credit. The country code is +255.

I have asked the people at the hotels and read the reviews. The best time to fly to Dar Es Salaam is from June to August. The average high temperature is 29 degrees Celsius. The average low temperature is between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius.If you decide to travel between August to May, then be ready with the heat.

When you book your hotel, you may inquire if there is a box for tipping in the hotel. In many hotels, the management requests guests to give their tips in the box so the money will be equally divided among their workers/employees.