General Information

Tanzania General Information for visitors to Tanzania
Arrival / Visas / Visitors' pass

Everyone entering Tanzania is required to be in possession of a valid passport. Although not strictly necessary the passport should not only be valid for the intended duration of your visit but should expire well into the future. If your passport is due to expire within a month or two, we'd recommend renewing it before travelling. A valid Visa is also required unless you are visiting from an exempt country. Many Commonwealth and Scandanavian countries are exempt and require only presentation of a passport which will be stamped upon arrival with a temporary visitors' visa. In ALL cases, it is best to check with the Tanzanian Embassy in your country for the latest regulations. Only Diplomats are exempt visa/visitors' pass requirements but for visitors from *most* countries, the visitors' pass is available on arrival.

A valid return ticket (this is likely to be checked) and sufficient funds for your stay (this is unlikely to be checked, but may be) are also, of course, required.

Certain vaccination certificates may also be required - especially Cholera and Yellow Fever. You *must* check with your doctor before travel, and he will administer the necessary vaccinations. We highly recommend the use of anti malarial prophylactics - again consult your doctor, there are many strains of malaria and different drugs are provided to be most suitable with the prevailing strains in the areas being visited.

Time
Tanzania is three hours ahead of UTC (formerly known as GMT). It won't take you long to learn numbers, in Swahili, so it's worth noting that Swahili time differs from the rest of the world. Being so close the the equator, days/nights are approximately 12 hours each the whole year round. The Swahili 'day' (hour zero) starts at daybreak, around 6am and ends at dusk, around 6pm. If you're told "Saa mbili" (literally, "hour two" - two o'clock) it refers to either 8am - two hours past daybreak - or 8pm - two hours after dusk. You'll soon get the hang of it...

Currency
The official unit of currency is the Tanzanian Shilling, currently (september 2000) around 810 shillings per US Dollar, or 1,050 shillings per UK Pound. There is no limit on the amount of foreign currency which can be brought into Tanzania, although the following points should be noted.

You must obtain official receipts whenever exchanging foreign currency for Tshs, and record it on your currency declaration form.

Do not change more currency than you need, at any one time. It is a
headache changing it back again on departure if you find yourself with left over shillings (not to mention what you lose in the exchange rates back and forth)

Never, ever be tempted by the black market currency touts. Be forceful, or they will hound you. An emphatic "NO!, Thank you" usually suffices.

Credit Cards
Do NOT depend on your credit cards in Tanzania. Whilst increasingly they are becoming accepted especially at the larger hotels, restuarants etc., they are most definitely NOT widely used. Bring it with you, of course, but there is no substitute for hard currency.

Bureaux & Banking
Bureaux and Bank opening hours vary, so it is best to check locally upon arrival. Generally, the hours are 08:30 to 12:30 weekdays, although increasingly many of the larger banks are more 'European' in standard and are also open in the afternoon, 13:30 to 16:30. It is *extremely* difficult to transfer cash into, or out of Tanzania. Make absolutely sure you have enough with you, and that there isn't going to be a crisis back home that might require any cash transfers!

Health
Malaria is the highest risk disease, and an anti-malarial course of medication is strongly recommended for several weeks PRIOR to arrival, to be continued during your stay. Bug repellent is widely available at local retail outlets but tends to be far more expensive than overseas - bring it with you. With anti-malarial drugs you are unlikely to contract malaria but even so, the bite can be extremely irritating and we recommend the use of a good insect repellent. Malaria can take several weeks to incubate, you should continue your course of medication for at least a few weeks on departure - contracting malaria in Tanzania is bad enough but overseas - often doctors overlook the possibility of malaria, they're simply not exposed to it.
More recently, there has been an increase in cases of cholera due to water crisis, great care should be taken with drinking water, and we strongly advise vaccination against hepatitis A and B.

Food poisoning - from mild stomach upset to chronic is not uncommon, it is wise to bring medication with you.

Religion
Muslim, Hindu and Christian beliefs cover most of Tanzania, whilst in rural areas it is not uncommon to also encounter traditional, local beliefs. It is worth noting that Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim, and common sense should be applied, especially by women, when sunbathing etc. Generally, foreigners are tolerated to a great extent vis-a-vis wearing of a bikini on the beach, etc, although thoughtful respectfulness for the Muslim faith is highly appreciated and considered the ultimate in politeness, especially during religious periods such as Ramadhan. If in doubt, ask!

Language
Predominantly Kiswahili, with English widely understood. English is the predominant language in commerce, banking etc. Arabic is also encountered, especially in Zanzibar with its' strong Arabic influence / history. It's worth noting that many phrase books concentrate on Kenyan Swahili which is quite different from Tanzanian Swahili. The two are similar enough that Kenyans and Tanzanians understand one another with no difficulty but with a foreign accent AND Kenyan Swahili you may not be understood too easily! They're much harder to find but try to find a phrase book which covers coastal, Tanzanian Swahili rather than Kenyan Swahili.