General travel information

Arrival by plane

Tanzania has international airports in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar and Mwanza. The Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is the ideal destination for visiting the north of Tanzania. The airport is about 35 km from Moshi. The journey from the airport to Moshi takes less than an hour and is possible with shuttle buses or taxis.

Money and payment cards

The national currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TSh). The US dollar is meanwhile established as a kind of unofficial second currency. The payment of the visa, entry fees to the national parks or, for example, some hotels can only be made in USD.

The exchange of USD or EUR is easily possible in banks and Exchange offices, although the exchange rate in exchange offices is usually more favourable. Also the exchange rate for larger banknotes (50/100 USD or in Euro) is usually better.

Please have in mind that Dollars with an issue date before 2007 are usually not accepted or exchanged.

The acceptance of payment cards for payments in shops and at other service providers becomes more and more common, but one should not rely on it. The Visa Card is in general more accepted than the MasterCard.

At ATM's in the cities one can withdraw money with both cards, at some banks this is possible only with the Visa card. A maximum of 400,000 TSh can be withdrawn at the ATMs, eventually the withdrawal may be repeated several times in succession.

The usage of traveller cheques is not recommended, these are not accepted by all banks and in some cases the fees may be very high.

We recommend to keep a part of the travel fund always in USD, possibly also Euro and not to rely on the ATM's alone.

Health

Please advise before your arrival with your doctor or a tropical medicine doctor. Absolutely

recommendable is a vaccination against tetanus, polio, diphtheria, typhoid and hepatitis A. Anyone who comes from a yellow fever area must prove a valid yellow fever vaccination. The current entry requirements for direct flights presuppose no yellow fever vaccination obligation from Europe, but this may change. Even if you do not come from an Endemy area, there may be occasional controls at Kilimanjaro Airport. We recommend you take a vaccination passport.

Please note that malaria is widespread in Tanzania. This also applies to the north and the Kilimanjaro up to heights of about 2000 meters. It is therefore advisable to wear body-covering clothing in the evening and in the night, to apply repeatedly insect repellent on all uncovered body parts and to sleep under a mosquito net.

Personal travel luggage should include a travel pharmacy with plasters, bandages, insect and sun protection, diarrhoea medicine, pain and anti-inflammatory agents, as well as personal medicine.

Electricity

The current voltage is 230 volts, usually three-pole (English) plugs are available. You can buy cheap an adapter in large cities. Since it occasionally comes to power failures, we recommend to take a flashlight or headlamp.

Insurance

Please consider the conclusion of a foreign travel health insurance if your travel is not covered by your health insurance. The insurance should also include return transport to the home country. Please also remember that the climb of Kilimanjaro may require additional insurance, please consult your insurance company regarding this.

Plastic bags ban in Tansania

Tanzania follows the example of other African countries and has completely banned the use of plastic bags from 01.06.19. Please find here the original text of the new plastic bags ban regulation in English:

Tips

Tanzania is among the poorest countries in the world, and the wages are correspondingly low. Please consider this when you pay, especially after climbing the Kilimanjaro or Mount Meru, a generous tip for the guide and the porters is customary. Without their support, your summit ascent would be much more difficult. A corresponding recommendation will be given to you separately by your booking.

Visa

A passport valid for at least 6 months is required for entry into Tanzania. Most nationalities also need a tourist visa. Travelers from the EU, USA, Canada, South America and some other countries can apply for the visa on arrival at the airport. The current visa fee is 50 USD, the visa is valid for 3 months. For holders of US citizenship the fee is 100 USD. Children need their own passport, the entry in a parent's passport is no longer valid. Entry requirements and visa fees may change, we recommend that you contact the Tanzanian Embassy who is responsible for you before arrival.