Dar es Salaam

By train

There are two trains running out of Dar Es Salaam from different stations. Tanzania Railway Limited is a train that travels through the center of Tanzania to Dodoma and further West, even up to Mwanza; however, the train tends to be unreliable, not terribly pleasant, and full of thieves. Tourists should try to travel in groups, and/or buy out a first class cabin. Keep the doors and windows locked, especially when sleeping. The train travels at walking pace much of the time, so it is possible to buy fresh fruit, eggs, and other items out of the windows all along the way. Tazara runs a much nicer, though not much more on-time train to the south, which goes through part of the Selous Game Reserve, through Mbeya, and down to Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia about 2 to 3 hours from Lusaka. Tazara has a large train station just out on the edge of town. Visas for Zambia are available on the train. This is a nice but slow way to travel, as it takes about 2 days.

By plane

Tanzania's main airport is in Dar es Salaam, Julius Nyerere International Airport - IATA:DAR formerly known as Mwalimu Julius K. Nyerere International Airport and Dar es Salaam International Airport.

The airport is 10 km from the city center and 20 km from the Msasani Peninsula. Most large hotels offer a pick-up and drop-off service upon request. A taxi from the airport to the city center should cost between 10,000TSh and 20,000TSh, but many will ask for as much as US$40. Prices will be higher at night. If you can't get a decent price, walk to the main road and flag a taxi, it may be cheaper. Do not do this at night. Petrol is about US$1.50/liter and climbing, this in a country where people earn less than $1 a day. Fares may rise quickly. Daladalas are also available if you walk out the the main road. Look for those marked POSTA, which is the main Post Office in the city center. Hitchhiking is uncommon and most drivers will expect some form of payment from foreigners.

Warning: Getting back to the airport often entails a traffic nightmare, particularly around evening rush hour which can last beyond 8PM. There is one particular intersection between downtown and the airport that is impossible to avoid and is often backed up for over an hour. Leave yourself a lot more time than you think reasonable for the trip; if you arrive too early for your flight's check-in, there is a pleasant restaurant above the terminal that has okay food and good beer.

Dar es Salaam is served Internationally from:

Europe by:

Turkish Airlines

Istanbul-Ataturk, +90 212 444 0 849, (http://www.thy.com), 3 flights a week Monday, Wednesday and Saturday flights.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Amsterdam, +255 22 213 9790, (http://www.klm.com), daily flights with a stopover in Kilimanjaro.

British Airways

London-Heathrow, +255 22 211 3820, (http://www.ba.com), 3 flights a week Tuesday, Friday and Sunday flights.

Swiss International Airlines

Zurich, +255 22 211 8870, (http://www.swiss.com), 5 flights a week Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Middle East and Asia by:

Emirates

Dubai, +255 22 211 6100, (http://www.emirates.com), Daily flights.

Oman Air

Muscat, (http://www.omanair.com/), direct flights 3 times a week Friday, Sunday and Wednesdayand 4 times week via Zanzibar Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Qatar Airways

Doha, +255 22 284 2675, (http://www.qatarairways.com), 1019, Julius Nyerere International Airport, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Daily flights.

Egypt Air

Cairo, +255 22 2136665, (http://www.egyptair.com), 4 flights a week Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Sunday. Offers lowest fares out of Europe, Americas & Asia to Dar es Salaam via Cairo. A Star Alliance Member.

Africa by

South African Airways

Johannesburg, +255 22 211 7044, (http://www.flysaa.com), Twice daily flights.

Ethiopian Airlines

Addis Ababa, +255 22 211 7063, (http://www.flyethiopian.com), Daily flights except on Monday with a stopover in Kilimanjaro.

Kenya Airways

Nairobi, +255 22 211 9376 Dar & +255 24 223 8355 Zanzibar, (http://www.kenya-airways.com), 3 daily flights with some stopping in Kilimanjaro.

Air Malawi

Blantyre & Lilongwe, +255 22 212 7746 / 2043, (http://www.airmalawi.com), 3 flights a week Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday

Mozambique Airlines a.k.a. LAM – Linhas Aéreas de Moçambique

Maputo, +255 22 213 4600, (http://www.lam.co.mz/en) e-mail: [email protected], 3 flights a week Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday

Zambezi Airlines - Zambia

Lusaka, +255 22 2137422 (http://www.flyzambezi.com), 3 flights a week Monday, Wednesday and Friday between Lusaka-Zambia and Dar es Salaam. (http://www.flyzambezi.com)

Air Uganda

Entebbe, +256 41 216 5555, (http://www.air-uganda.com), 3 flights a week Monday, Friday and Sunday to Dar es Salaam, with flights to Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar also.

Comores Aviation

3 flights a week Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Air Malawi

Blantyre

And Domestically by:

These airlines provide almost daily service to and from Dar es Salaam to all major cities including Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya, Zanzibar, Kilimanjaro and most national parks.

Air Tanzania

+255 22 211 8411, (http://www.airtanzania.com), email: [email protected]. Also fly internationally to Johannesburg daily.

Bold Aviation

+255 75 465 4154, (http://www.boldairways.com), email: [email protected].

Precision Air

+255 22 212 1718, (http://www.precisionairtz.com), Along Nyerere/Pugu Road, P.O Box 70770, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, email: [email protected] or [email protected]. Internationally to Nairobi ,Comoros, Johannesburg and Entebbe

Coastal Aviation

+255 22 211 7959, (http://www.coastal.cc), P. O. Box 3052, 107 Upanga Road, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, email: [email protected]

ZanAir

+255 24 223 3670, (http://www.zanair.com), P.O.Box 2113, Zanzibar, Tanzania, email: [email protected].

Warning: Domestic flights are often late but generally reliable.

Buying Tickets: One can even buy flight tickets from Travel Agents, Airline offices. When purchasing tickets for domestic flights with a credit card, travel agents will add-on a fee ranging anywhere from 3-6% of the ticket price. To avoid the fee, pay for your tickets in cash. There are no additional fees when purchasing tickets for international destinations.

By bus

Bus travel is generally reliable if you pick the right company. It can be somewhat scary as Tanzanians seem to value arriving quickly more than arriving safely 'Mungu akipenda, tutafika' - If god wants it, we shall arrive.

If you're traveling to Arusha, Royal Coach is perhaps an even better option. The buses are very nice, have a/c when working, a bathroom, and travel at 80kph for safety. The Royal Coach ticket office is located downtown near the Jambo Inn and Econolodge: buses leave from here early in the morning as well, although they then wait at the main bus stand for at least an hour.

All other buses leave from Dar Es Salaam's central bus station in Ubungo, just west of the city TSh5,000 taxi ride from downtown [or more, depending on your negotiation skills]. Here you can find buses to the majority of other cities. Although there are many touts outside of Ubungo's ticket area, they are mostly harmless. If you are put off by them, ask the taxi to take you inside the station for a small extra fee. The ticket offices are located just outside the station, though you can buy the tickets from the bus if you have entered already. This might be a better idea regardless, as you cannot tell the state of the bus from outside, nor how full the bus is buses will only leave when completely full.

Warning: Some of the cheaper lines run buses which are remarkably dilapidated, uncomfortable, will take a very long time to fill up, and will likely have to stop more often on the way, assuming they make it at all. Bus travel by night is not allowed, so most buses except for those to nearby cities will leave early in the morning.

Warning: Keep valuables and bags containing valuables with you at all times during bus travel. It is not uncommon for bags placed on an over-head shelf to be stolen from the bus during a stop, especially if the passenger has stepped off of the bus.

Sometimes the touts for the shadier bus companies claim to be working for or selling tickets for the more reputable bus companies. It is best to find the ticket office of a reputable bus company in the line of offices just outside of the bus stand. It is not necessary to book a ticket in advance, but it is a good idea to do so during high travel times Easter, Christmas. Also make sure the correct date is written on the ticket.

The nearest dala-dala stand is also called "Ubungo", just down the road: Leaving the bus stand, head left on Morogoro Road, going toward the city; watch for the people crowding at the dala stand a short distance along. Dala-dalas to downtown will be marked "Posta"; people are typically happy to point them out to you if you ask.

Taxi prices from Ubungo are highest inside the stand, where there is a fairly strong cartel similar to the airport. However there are always taxis outside the stand as well, with whom better prices can be negotiated. If you make a deal with a tout, and not directly with the driver sitting in the car the price will include a commission for the tout. Your negotiating position will be affected by things like the weather, time of day, traffic, how many other taxis there are, whether you can bargain in kiswahili, whether you have lots of bags, etc. Starting to walk to the daladala stand can show you're serious about negotiating - actually going there and taking a dala will really save you money.