What is Tanzania’s currency? What time is it in Tanzania? How can I make a call to or from Tanzania? When going on holiday to Tanzania for the first time, these are important questions most travellers ask – below we’ve tried to answer these frequently asked queries as well as we can.
Tanzania is a popular country in East African for the visitors flow; this is due to the facts that it has many natural attractions including Zanzibar, Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater. Tanzanians have a very good reputation in term of safety and security, violent crime is quite rare.
Location: Tanzania is located in East Africa bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique.
Area: 945,087 sq km, a little more than twice the size of California.
Capital City: Dodoma (but the commercial capital and largest city is Dar es Salaam).
Population: Around 39 million people live in Tanzania.
Language: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar) and many local languages.
Religion: Mainland – Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, and indigenous beliefs 35%. Zanzibar, more than 99% Muslim
Climate: Tanzania lies just south of the equator and on the whole enjoys a tropical climate. There are two rainy seasons, generally the heaviest rains (called Masika) usually fall from mid-March to May and a shorter period of rain (called mvuli) from November to mid-January. The dry season, with cooler temperatures, lasts from May to October.
Time in Tanzania: Tanzania is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3). It doesn’t operate daylight saving time, hence there’s no time difference between their summer and winter months.
Currency in Tanzania: Tanzania’s currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS). At the time of writing (Apr 2013) £1 = Tsh2,437 – see www.oanda.com for the latest rates. Most camps and lodges charge in US$ (Aug 2009: £1 = US$1.69); very few now accept travellers’ cheques, although most accept credit cards (Visa or MasterCard) but may charge a fee to do so. Buying Tanzania’s currency in Europe or America can be difficult; many visitors will wait until they arrive in Tanzania to buy local currency.
Tanzania’s International Dialling Code: The International Dialling Code for Tanzania is +255, followed by area codes (e.g. (0)22 for Dar es Salaam, or (0)27 for Arusha). Calling from Tanzania, you dial 00 plus the relevant country code (44 for the UK, 1 for the USA).
Food in Tanzania: The food served in Tanzanian safari camps varies, but is often delicious – the equivalent of a reasonable restaurant in Europe or America.
In Tanzania’s towns and villages, the food is usually simpler. Plain grilled meat, nyama choma, is very popular, and often served with sauce, rice, chips, plantains or ugali (cornmeal or cassava mush). Indian cuisine is also wide spread. The locally brewed beer is good, including Serengeti,Safari, Kilimanjaro, mbege (homebrew from the Chagga people) and banana beer; imported beers (e.g. Tusker from Kenya) and wine are also excellent.
Health in Tanzania:Tanzania is a tropical country and vaccines are sensible (typhoid, polio, tetanus and yellow fever). Malaria is common and occurs all year round; you must take anti-malarial measures, especially in areas below 1800m! Always check the latest recommendations with your clinic or doctor – more travel info on Tanzania is provided by the Scottish NHS.
In Tanzania, HIV infection rates are high; AIDS is prevalent here. This isn’t usually an issue for visitors, but they should be aware of the situation, and take the same sensible precautions to avoid infection which are wise in most countries. We understand that blood supplies used by the private hospitals in Tanzania have been carefully screened for many years.
Language in Tanzania:KiSwahili and English are the official languages and spoken by most people living in Tanzania; as well as this, there are many ethnic groups, speaking localised languages and dialects. Try to learn some basic KiSwahili before you go, to help you enjoy your trip more!
Laundry in Tanzania:Virtually all camps and lodges have a laundry service, although sometimes, because of religious taboos, women’s underwear cannot be included.
Taking children to Tanzania:A few of Tanzania’s safari camps are suitable for children, others aren’t; Tanzania’s beach destinations are generally very good for relaxed family getaways. For detailed advice, call our expert team, or see our ideas for family holidays in Tanzania.
Visas for Tanzania:At time of writing (Apr 2013), travellers with British passports, as well as US citizens, require visas for Tanzania (or Zanzibar). If you are living in the UK, then these are best obtained in advance from theTanzanian High Commission, and cost (Apr 2013) £43 per single entry. Always check the latest regulations with your nearest Tanzania Embassy or High Commission before you travel.
Weather and climate in Tanzania:Depending on where you are in Tanzania, the weather and climate varies considerably – click on the following link to see a detailed descriptions of the weather and climate in Tanzania.
BEST TIME FOR SAFARIS IN TANZANIA
The best time for safaris in Tanzania depends on what your travel preferences are.
The period from June to October (also known as the “dry” season) is perfect for watching the Great Migration. Furthermore, this season is also excellent for safaris since the density of animals is the highest near the rivers and other sources of water. The number of mosquitoes is much lower than the usual one, and the weather is mostly sunny. The number of tourist vehicles in the parks is reasonable, though Ngorongoro and Seronera plains in Serengeti are usually the hotspots. Make sure to take warm clothes for the early mornings in June-August, when the temperatures may be low.
The “wet” season (or the “rainy” season) from November to May is ideal for those, who are eager to watch hunting scenes. Calves are born from January to February, and the predators are notably active during this time. The migration of birds is also at its peak at this time of the year, turning the National Parks into a paradise for ornithologists.
Furthermore, the vegetation is booming during the rainy season, and the Parks are amazingly green. Many award-winning photos of the Tanzanian wildlife have shot during May-November. This time is ideal for nature photographers.
A remarkable feature of the wet season is that the number of visitors to the Parks is notably lower than during the dry one. Coupled with the fact that rains are often (though not always, especially from March to May) short dribbles in the second half of a day, the advantages of rainy season should be surely taken into consideration in planning a trip to Tanzania.
