The checklist as a PDF
Entry, health, money, transport and safety, laid out for print, with their sources and verification date.
Tanzania
East Africa
Dream beaches, lagoons, safari, mountains and culture. Zanzibar’s Stone Town, Kilimanjaro and the Serengeti.
- On the map
CapitalDodoma
When to goJanuary–February and June–October
Suggested length10 days min.
CurrencyTanzanian shilling
LanguagesSwahili, English
The Viafro verdict
For whom, and for which trip.
An editorial bearing, with no percentage and no rating: our criteria are written down, and every “good to know” links to its source.
- For which trip
- Stone Town, Zanzibar · Parc national du Serengeti · Dar es Salam · Kilimandjaro · Arusha
- Best season
- January–February and June–October
- Length
- Allow at least 10 days for these 5 essentials, one stop every two or three days. (Viafro’s rule of thumb)
Best time to visit
Twelve months, in colour.
Hover or tap a month: its reading and its source appear. Bars measure rain, the figure is the capital’s mean maximum.
Possible
November
Short rains: light showers in the late afternoon.
- Mean maximum
- 32 °C
- Rain
- 114 mm
- Station
- Dar es Salaam
Source: Rough Guides
Before you go
The essentials, tab by tab.
Entry, health, safety, money and facts: dated official extracts, never paraphrased.
Visa, passport, customs
GOV.UK advice, written for British passport holders. French travellers: see France Diplomatie (https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/information-par-pays/tanzanie/conseils-aux-voyageurs-entree-sejour).
- To enter Tanzania, your passport must have an ‘expiry date’ at least 6 months after the date you arrive and at least one blank page. Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
- You must have a tourist or business visa to enter Tanzania. If you are planning to work or volunteer, you will also need a work permit. Information on how to apply is available from the Tanzanian Prime Minister’s Office.
- To enter Tanzania, you must have a certificate to prove you’ve had a yellow fever vaccination if you’re coming from a country listed as a transmission risk. For full details about medical entry requirements and recommended vaccinations, see TravelHealthPro’s Tanzania guide.
Vaccines, malaria, water
This is not medical advice: talk to your doctor or an international vaccination centre before you travel.
- At least 8 weeks before your trip: Altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Tanzania. Read more about altitude sickness on TravelHealthPro.
- Medical facilities are limited, especially outside Dar es Salaam.
Per the ministries
Viafro gives no safety rating: here are the zones and advice published by the French ministry (in French) and the official extracts, with their dates.
Vigilance zones published by France Diplomatie (in French) · page updated on 21 Oct 2026 · see the official map
- Red · Zones formellement déconseillées (en rouge sur la carte)
Bande frontalière avec le Mozambique et région de Mtwara
Compte tenu du risque d’attaques terroristes et du risque d’enlèvements, la zone frontalière avec le Mozambique et la région de Mtwara sont formellement déconseillées.
- Orange · Zones déconseillées sauf raison impérative (en orange sur la carte)
Régions occidentales frontalières avec le Burundi
La présence potentielle de groupes armés ou de trafiquants dans les régions frontalières avec le Burundi peut engendrer des situations d’insécurité dans la région de Kagera, et la région de Kigoma.
- Yellow · Zones en vigilance renforcée (en jaune sur la carte)
Le reste du pays est en vigilance renforcée.
Au nord (régions d’Arusha et du Kilimandjaro), il est conseillé de suivre scrupuleusement les consignes données par les opérateurs touristiques en matière de circulation, de criminalité, de sécurité dans les parcs…
- There is a high threat of terrorist attack globally affecting UK interests and British nationals, including from groups and individuals who view the UK and British nationals as targets. Stay aware of your surroundings at all times.
What the country’s law provides
Photography, alcohol, drugs, relationships: the rules published by the ministries, quoted as they stand, without comment.
- You should respect local laws and customs. If you are arrested or detained for any reason, you can insist that the British High Commission is notified immediately.
Currency
Tanzanian shillingViafro publishes no price or budget range without a source: amounts will come from our own expenses recorded on the ground, dated and itemised.
- There are strict rules about goods you can take into or out of Tanzania. You must declare anything that may be prohibited or subject to tax or duty.
Express card
Structured data from Wikidata and the CIA World Factbook, re-checked at every site update.
- Population · 2025
- 70,545,865
- Time zone
- +2 h from Paris
- Plugs and voltage
- Type G plugs · 230 V
- Driving side
- Driving on the left
- Calling code
- +255
- Languages
- Swahili, English
- Area
- 947,303 km²
- Highest point
- Mount Kibo, 5,895 m
- Main religions
- Christian 63.1%, Muslim 34.1%, folk religion 1.1%, Buddhist 1%, Hindu 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, unspecified 1.6%
Getting there and around
Airports, roads and transport.
- DARJulius Nyerere International AirportDar es Salam2.5 M passengers · official site
- ZNZAbeid Amani Karume International AirportZanzibar934,337 passengers · official site
- JROKilimanjaro International AirportKilimanjaro665,149 passengers · official site
- MWZMwanza AirportMwanza400,457 passengers
Direct flights from Paris are to be checked on the airport’s or airline’s website.
On the road
- If you’re planning to drive in Tanzania, see information on driving abroad. The condition of cars rented out by some car hire companies is variable, so use a reputable firm. There are no roadside rescue or breakdown services. Road maps are hard to come by and not always up to date.
Destinations
The essentials.
Stone Town, Zanzibar
Stone Town preserves an urban landscape shaped by Swahili coastal trade. Its buildings reflect long exchanges among African, Arab, Indian and European cultures. The waterfront, shown here, offers one entry into that layered city history.
Open the destinationParc national du Serengeti
The Serengeti National Park is a large national park in northern Tanzania that stretches over 14,763 km2 (5,700 sq mi).
Dar es Salam
Dar es Salaam (English:, Swahili: [ɗɑr‿ɛs‿sɑˈlɑːm]; from Arabic: دَار السَّلَام, romanised: Dār as-Salām, lit.
Kilimandjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a large dormant stratovolcano in Tanzania.
Arusha
Arusha is a city in Tanzania.
Activities
What to do, sheet by sheet.
Starting point, season, tips and sources: each sheet says only what its sources say.
Tanzania
The Serengeti and the great migration
In northern Tanzania, Serengeti National Park stretches over 14,763 km².
Tanzania
The Ngorongoro Crater
Some 180 km west of Arusha, Ngorongoro is the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera.
Tanzania
Climbing Kilimanjaro
At 5,895 m, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.
Tanzania
Stone Town, Zanzibar’s old town
Zanzibar’s old town is a maze of narrow alleys lined with houses, shops, bazaars and mosques, famed for their carved wooden doors.
Tanzania
Zanzibar’s beaches, from Nungwi in the north
At the island’s northern tip, about 56 km from Stone Town, Nungwi was a fishing and dhow-building village.
Tanzania
The elephants and baobabs of Tarangire
Tarangire National Park, 2,850 km², is famous for its high density of elephants and baobab trees.
Tanzania
Lake Manyara and its tree-climbing lions
Between Lake Manyara and the Rift Valley escarpment, this 325 km² park is famous for lions that rest in the branches of acacia trees.
Tanzania
The Rufiji River in Nyerere National Park
Formerly the northern part of the Selous Game Reserve, Nyerere is, at 30,893 km², Tanzania’s largest national park.
Tanzania
Mafia Island and its marine park
Opposite the Rufiji delta, Mafia Island covers 394 km² and became home in 1995 to Tanzania’s first marine park.
Tanzania
Hiking in the Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains are the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc, about 90 km long.
Dar es Salam
Filmed by usMust-try food
Five dishes, and where to taste them.
Ugali
Ugali, also known as posho, nsima, papa, pap, bogobe, sadza, isitshwala, akume, amawe, ewokple, akple, and other names, is a type of corn meal made from maize or corn or mahindi flour in several African countries: Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zimbabwe
Nyama choma
Nyama Choma is a specialty of grilled or barbecued goat meat or cattle meat. Roasted meat is very popular in Tanzania and Kenya, where it is considered the national dish. The expression nyama choma means "barbecue meat" in Kiswahili. Nyama choma gatherings are
Mtori
Mtori is a popular Tanzanian stew made of bananas and meat along with other ingredients.
Zege
Chipsi mayai, also known as zege, is the most popular street food found all over Tanzania. The dish was invented in the streets of Dar es Salaam. In its most basic form, chipsi mayai is a simple potato-egg omelette. It is available in all regions of Tanzania,
Mandazi
Mandazi is a form of fried bread that originated on the Swahili coast of East Africa. It is also known as bofrot or puff-puff in Western African countries such as Ghana and Nigeria. It is one of the principal dishes in the cuisine of the Swahili people who inh
Culture and etiquette
Customs, dress, useful words.
- Jambohello
- Asantethank you
- Tafadhaliplease
- Entries checked on Wiktionary.
- Religions: Christian 63.1%, Muslim 34.1%, folk religion 1.1%, Buddhist 1%, Hindu 1%, Jewish 1%, other 1%, unspecified 1.6%.
- Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic, many local languages.
Festivals and events
The big dates.
- National holiday
Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964) ; independence: 26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar); 29 October 1964 (renamed United Republic of Tanzania); notable earlier dates: 9 December 1961 (Tanganyika became independent from UK-administered UN trusteeship); 10 December 1963 (Zanzibar became independent from UK).
Fixed dates and moveable events, each with its source; moveable dates change every year and are to be checked on an official calendar.
Did you know?
Three things to remember.
The country’s highest point, Mount Kibo, reaches 5,895 m.
70,545,865 inhabitants in 2025 on 947,303 km², about 74 per km².
Independence on 26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar).
The country on video
Tanzania, in motion.
Gallery
See it before you go.
Real photographs: free images under a verified licence and Viafro images. Never a generated image. Credits in the footer.
Share your trip with #viafro: the best images will join this gallery, with your credit.
Live, work, invest
A few key figures.
Sourced data (World Bank). No investment advice.
GDP per capita (current US$)1.3World Bank · 2025GDP growth5.9 %World Bank · 2025Inflation (consumer prices)3.3 %World Bank · 2025Unemployment (ILO estimate)1.6 %World Bank · 2025International tourist arrivals1.5 ,000World Bank · 2019
World Bank data (World Development Indicators), consulted on 28 Oct 2026. Tourist arrivals are the latest year published.
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Sources and verification dates · 21 sources, checked on 28 Oct 2026
Travel advice · GOV.UK (FCDO)Entry, visa, safety: the official page, kept up to date by the ministry. Travel health · US CDCVaccines and precautions from a reference medical source. World Heritage · UNESCOThe country’s inscribed sites and tentative list. WikidataCapital and currency, verified structured data.
- Wikidata · Tanzania (Q924)
- World Bank · World Development Indicators
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Tanzania · Foreign travel advice · Entry requirements (page updated on 20 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Tanzania · Foreign travel advice · Health (page updated on 20 Oct 2026)
- GOV.UK (FCDO) · Tanzania · Foreign travel advice · Safety and security (page updated on 20 Oct 2026)
- Rough Guides · Best time to visit Tanzania
- Wiktionary · Checked entries (Swahili)
- Wikipedia · Ugali
- Wikipedia · Nyama choma
- Wikipedia · Mtori
- Wikipedia · Zege
- Wikipedia · Mandazi
- Wikipedia · Zanzibar (archipel)
- Wikipedia · Parc national du Serengeti
- Wikipedia · Dar es Salam
- Wikipedia · Kilimandjaro
- Wikipedia · Arusha
- CIA World Factbook · Tanzania (public domain) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- France Diplomatie · Tanzanie · Travel advice · Security (zones, in French) (page updated on 21 Oct 2026)
- Wikidata · Airports of the country (IATA code, traffic) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
- Wikipedia (climate normals) · Dar es Salaam · monthly normals (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) (page updated on 29 Oct 2026)
Information checked on 28 Oct 2026. Check the official source before you travel. Viafro gives no safety rating and publishes no price without a source.