11 important things to know about travelling to Tanzania!

A quick list of important points to note before you begin planning!

We go into more detail on all of the below points in our other travel tips, but we thought it would be useful to collate them all in one place for quick reference!

1. WhatsApp is commonly used by Tanzania businesses to communicate. Don't be surprised if you reach out to a safari company and they communicate via WhatsApp. We thought it was really unusual at first!

2. Tanzania is a country with a risk of malaria. Seek advice from your Doctor.

3. You will likely need a visa to travel to Tanzania.

4. Businesses commonly deal in US dollars and prefer this currency as it's more stable than the Tanzanian shilling.

5. You can see the Big 5 in Tanzania.

   

6. You may be required to have additional vaccinations. Seek advice from your Doctor.

7. We personally wouldn't recommend haggling on safari prices. It's unlikely that you would haggle with a huge travel company like Virgin, so we personally feel it's not appropriate to haggle with the local companies who will already be offering much cheaper rates!

8. Safaris are very BUMPY! Once inside the parks in Tanzania, be aware that the roads are not paved. You are travelling on these roads for hours so it's something worth noting.

   

9. The national language is Swahili. Learn the basic phrases below as you will hear them all the time! The Tanzanians are incredibly friendly people!

   karibu (ka-ree-boo) - 'welcome'

   jambo (jam-bo) - 'hello'

   asante (a-san-tee) - 'thank you'

   asante sana (a-san-tee san-a) - 'thank you very much'

10. Do not drink the tap water in Tanzania. Always opt for bottled water.

11. Always ask permission before taking a photo of a local person as it is deemed very disrespectful not to. In some cultures they believe the flash of a camera steals part of someone's soul, so it's really important to bear this in mind and ask permission.