Travel tips for Tanzania

With Tanzania offering border-to-border adventures, ease of travel is paramount. In recent years there have been major investments made in Tanzania´s road and rail infrastructure and this coupled with some intrepid spirit on the part of the traveller should ensure that no corner of the country is out of reach. Here is a guide to the best ways to get around.

By Air

Tanzania has one of the most competitive domestic air transport sectors in Africa. The national carrier, Air Tanzania currently serves 10 destinations in the country, including Bukoba and Geita that both open up the western shores of Lake Victoria and remote Kigosi and Burigi Chato National Parks, as well as Kigoma, the gateway to Gombe Stream National Park and Lake Tanganyika. Precision Air, the country´s leading independent airline, counts Mtwara among its domestic destinations, connecting travellers to the beautiful but rarely visited southern coast. Both airlines have partnerships with international carriers meaning they seamlessly connect foreign tourists with Tanzania at the country´s three international airports in Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar.

By Road

Tanzania has made great progress in reforming its trunk roads, improving the quality of the road network. While the dirt roads of reserves and national parks call for four-wheel drive vehicles, decent bitumen roads link the main cities. This means that the country´s buses are a smooth and cheap option for long journeys. Buses are also transforming city transport with the BRT service in Dar es Salaam speeding up commutes with its own traffic-free lane.

By Train

In 2024, Tanzania is set to introduce electric trains capable of reaching 160 kph – the fastest in East Africa – on a 546-kilo-metre line from Dar to Makutupora in the Dodoma Region. Decidelly not a bullet train is the Tazara Railway which has two speeds – slow and stop – and creaks its way a full 1,860 km south from Dar es Salaam to kipiri Mposhi, in Zambia, with Mbeya among its many station stops along the way. Ostensibly, the full journey takes around 46 hours, but the trip is deemed a success if it is hours rather than days late. But punctuality is not the point here. Book a first-class sleeping compartment – around US$ 40 – and just enjoy the ride with views from the carriage window including a big chunk of the wildlife-packed Nyerere National Park.

By Ferry

There are fleets of modern, fast ferries that connect Dar es Salaam with Zanzibar Island – the trip takes around 90 minutes – and the biggest ferry operator, Azam Marine, also connects Zanzibar Island with Pemba and then back to the mainland at Tanga if you wish. On Lake Victoria there are ferries to the larger islands, including national parks Rubondo Island and Saanane. There is also a ferry that travels the length of Lake Tanganyika with stops at Kigoma, where you can get a lake taxi to Gombe National Park, and further south for Mahale National Park.