How to organize a trip to Tanzania
If we think about a trip to Africa, we imagine authentic and wild landscapes, natural wonderful beaches, flora and fauna to discover but also cities with an important historical past and archaeological sites to visit: you can find out all this by organizing a trip to Tanzania
A faraway land with a magical flavor, it allows you to discover native cultures such as the masai’s one or the one of the Tribes of Lake Eyasi, discover some natural wonders such as the Ngorongoro conservation area or face a challenging but exciting trekking route on Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in the entire african continent
How to reach Tanzania
How to reach Tanzania? The best solution is for sure to use the airplane. Flights for Tanzania are numerous and you can also find great offers for cheap travels by relying on some specific or local companies.
By plane, you can reach one of the three main international airports: Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar or Kilimanjaro (recommended for safaris). Tanzania can be reached by sea too, through some connections made by hydro boat companies, but however it’s not the fastest or most comfortable method.
Flights to Tanzania
As mentioned earlier, the best solution to reach the destination is by using the plane, but how long does the flight to Tanzania last? The charter or scheduled flights of the major airlines companies leave from Malpensa or Rome Fiumicino, but there are also some connection from Naples, Bologna or Verona
The duration of the flight depends on the city of departure and the one of arrival: we can tell you that Milan connects to Tanzania in about 8 hours of direct flight; in some cases the hours can increase depending on if it’s a stopover flight or not. When to choose a flight with a stopover? Prefer it if you want to save some money, but it you have more available time or if you’re traveling with children, so that they will be able to stretch their legs and won’t be forced to sit for many hours in a row
When to go to Tanzania
What is the best time to visit Tanzania? This is a very common question for many types of travel. When you leave Europe and the climate changes considerably, getting the month wrong could ruin the trip due to adverse weather conditions. If you’re thinking about organizing a trip to Tanzania, plan your holidays in July, August and September or in November, December and January which correspond to the sunny but cool and not excessively rainy season as well as being a period of great migrations.
What to see in Tanzania
In our website you will find lots of insights on what to see in Tanzania, explaining all this beautiful place in just a few lines is not easy but we will try to be brief but exhaustive enough to conquer yu and help you planning the holiday of your dreams:
- Organize a safari in the Serengeti National Park during the period of the Great Migration, it’s something truly unforgettable
- Reach the Mafia island and take a moment for snorkeling: here it’s also possible to swim with the whale shark
- The Pemba island is another absolutely unmissable point to see, known for its luxuriant nature, it boasts the marvelous reserve of the Ngezi forest, where it’s possible to explore the area until the white sand beaches
- Stone Town in Zanzibar has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it’s a truly significant cultural and historical center, here you cannot miss a visit to the House of Wonders and to the Sultan’s Palace Museum
- Climbing the Kilimanjaro is an experience to try, there are a lot of paths and routes of various difficulty to satisfy the needs of all tourists
- Lake Victoria is the largest freshwater lake in Africa and is located inside the Rubondo Island National Park
Safari: the best way to discover this fascinating place
Among the most popular activities to practice in Africa there’s the Safari: it’s a true tradition that allows you to see up close the flora and fauna in their natural habitat, observed in this way freely. In Tanzania, in particular, there are some particularly populated areas where a safari is a really pleasant experience
In Tanzania, if well organized, a safari gives you the opportunity to visit 3 of the 7 wonders of Africa, reaching the Serengeti Park, the Ngorongoro area and the one of the Kilimanjaro. These are also Unesco Natural Heritage sites, where wild animals are protected, visitors can here see lions, cheetahs and leopards up close, but also rhinos, giraffes, flamingos and many more. A safari in Tanzania is an activity to plan for your vacation: did you know that you can also do it in several days?
What types of vaccines are necessary in order to travel safely to Tanzania and Zanzibar
Traveling outside of Europe puts us in a position to protect our health with specific vaccines; what are the mandatory vaccines for reaching Tanzania and Zanzibar? At the moment, the only mandatory vaccination required is the one against yellow fever and it’s asked if you come from (or if you have made a stopover) in areas where this disease is a real risk, so for italians traveling to Tanzania, both directly or with stopovers, there’s no mandatory vaccination needed
For what concerns malaria, it’s a no mandatory vaccine, only a recommended one. The best suggestion? Contact your family doctor to plan a personalized vaccine plan based on your needs and personal clinic situation
What documents and visas are needed
Are you wondering about which documents you need to access Tanzania? If you’ve booked your trip, you must know that it is necessary to apply for a tourist visa and you should request it a little in advance. In order to apply for it, you’ll need to contact the Visa Office with your passport, photo, flight reservation and fill the required forms which can also be found online. in case you’re traveling to see a friend or for a mission, you’ll also need an invitation letter
Depending on the type of trip, you will have to follow a different procedure; basically you’ll need to bring with you:
- Passport
- A recent passport photo on a white background
- The completed forms for the request
- GDPR information signed
- Request for assignment signed
In addition to the tourist visa, there are also specific procedures for religious or volunteer visas. In this case, we recommend that you contact the embassy for more information and details on the individual procedure.
Currency and time zone
The currency in Tanzania is the Tanzanian shilling, known by the acronym of TZS but you must know that also dollars are widely accepted. To get favorable exchange rates and leave in an organized way, ask your bank for more information and insights. Tanzania is one hour ahead of Italy when here the daylight saving time is in force (April-October), while it’s 2 hours ahead when there’s the solar time in Italy (November-March); this means that comparing the time zone in Rome and the one in Dar Es Salaam, the italian capital is 2 hour behind.
Is it safe to go to Tanzania?
We can say with certainty that Tanzania is a rather safe place to travel; in urban areas, just like in other large cities, it’s possible that muggings, robberies or fairly common episodes of crime may occur, but a little attention is enough to avoid problems. If you want to have more information about how safe it is to go to Tanzania, read our in-depth analysis, and remember to always consult the ViaggiareSicuri Farnesina’s portal.
