Travel Advices

Safety

Tanzania is one of the safest countries to visit in Africa, thanks to political stability. The current president Samia Suluhu Hassan was elected in March 2021 and is the first woman president in the country.

According with the World bank  45% of the population lives with about $2 USD a day and the country average is $3 dollars a day (data from 2017). The total country GDP in 2022 was 68 Billion, to put it in perspective Amazon net profit in the same year was $2.872 Billion. So, we can safely say that Tanzania is a poor country. Most people spend their all income in basic necessity such as food, water and shelter.

The vaster majority of Tanzanian nationals cannot afford the luxury to travel abroad. It is important to remember these socio-economic conditions when visiting the country. Often visitors are considered “rich” independently from their real economic conditions. Visitors are easy target for price increases, but also pickpocketing and robbery might occur when not part of an organised tour. If you do not have a package holiday booked and prefer to have your independent experience, we strongly recommend you that you never adventure yourself alone in remote areas. Also, it is recommended that you do not take unlicensed taxi, and you always book your transport with an agency or hotel.

Cases of strangers approaching tourists and forcing them to withdraw from ATM have been recoded across the country, therefore we recommend you to always stay alert and do not talk to whoever approaching you on the streets of the most touristic areas.

Finally, we recommend that you keep your belongings in safe spaces, such as hotels or agency organised camp areas. It is recommended that also your passport is kept in such safe places, while you carry with you a photocopy at all time.

Keep updated with the latest recommendation from UK and USA government travel advices.

Travels within the country

We recommend you to travel in the country by booking taxi or transport from agencies or hotels.

In Tanzania, only 9,951km or 27% of the country’s 36,258km classified national road network is paved 

Moreover, the local police do not have the resources to make sure all the drivers respect road regulations. In addition to enter any National park you require a licensed vehicle. For all these reasons we would discourage you from hiring a self-driving vehicle.

Locals use buses (known as ‘dala dalas’), motorbike taxis (‘boda bodas’), and tuk-tuks (known locally as ‘bijajis’). Buses are often especially crowded and pickpocketing can occur. If you decide to take local transport, make sure you agree the price before. We strongly recommend you to avoid taking taxies arranged by strangers on foot.

To corss the sea, always use a reputable ferry company or agency booking. If you believe a ferry to be overloaded or unseaworthy, do not get on.

What to bring

What to bring really depends on which level of comfort you want to achieve and which activities you are planning to do.

Hiking trips

Here below an example of what you can bring to ascend the Kilimanjaro, assuming you will stay in huts or you will rely on agency provided camping gears.

• Backpack (50 liters recommended), preferably light weight backpack and water resistant.

• Clothes: 3x socks, 3x underwear, 1 short trousers, 1 long trousers, 1 thermal throusers, 3x tshirt, 1 thermal long sleeves, 1 long sleeves, 1 raincoat. Wear comfortable shoes (recommended trail running shoes rather than boots), and bring a pair of light shoes for the camps.

• For the summit day: top temperatures are between 20 and -20 degrees Fahrenheit (-7 to -29 degrees Celsius). 1 jacket and 1 trousers for below zero temperature, hat, and gloves.

• Others gears: sunglasses, headlamp, battery bank, SMALL towel, buff, trekking poles, 1x natural soap, 1x tootbrush and toothpaste, 1x sunscreen, lipbalm, any medicine you take (we have already emergency kit). Passport keep it in an airport zip bag to protect from water, bag for rubbish (we have a zero trace policy. In Tanzania plastic bags are forbidden).
We recommend NOT to overpack and not bring unnecessary items.

ATTENTION: FOR KILIMANJARO PARK REGULATIONS, THE OVERALL BACKPACK OF INTERNATIONAL VISITORS MUST BE BELOW 12 KG OF WEIGHT EXCLUDING WATER AND FOOD.

This is for traveller safety and mitigation of risk of accident of international visitors. Please note, the backpack will be weighted at the entrance of the park and if exceeding the weight, the visitor might be asked to hire a porter, at his/her own cost.

If you decide to have a guide only experience you will have to make sure you can carry all your belongings and your rubbish, both up and down. You will need also to pack and carry your food and have a capacity of at least 5 liters of water. You will need to carry your own water. Here additional list if you decide to carry your own backpack.

• For eating: 1x pot, 1x stove, 1x spoon/fork, 1x water filter, 5l capacity of water.

• For camping: Tent, Sleeping bag, Sleeping pad.

Safaris and other experiences
For safaris we recommend bringing comfortable and light clothing. There might be some sporadically rains, therefore a raincoat might be useful. Trails running shoes would be the most appropriates for maximum comfort. Make sure you don’t forget your sunscreen and sunglasses.
If you go to the beach you can bring swimsuit and towel. You might also want to brig swimming googles and sea shoes. We can provide fishing equipment.

When to travel

Tanzania has a dry and a wet season. Different activities are recommended at different times of the year.

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Parks rules

​Before you go wild exploring, let’s quickly cover the 10 park rules

  1. No Littering: Visitors are expected to dispose of waste responsibly by using designated trash bins or carrying out any litter they generate.

  2. Respect Wildlife: Visitors must maintain a safe distance from animals and refrain from feeding or disturbing them. Please avoid loud noises, in exchange you will benefit from even better encounters!

  3. No Hunting or Fishing: Hunting, fishing, or any other form of wildlife exploitation is strictly prohibited within national park boundaries. Camping is allowed only at designated sites

  4. Stay on Designated Trails: To minimize environmental impact and preserve delicate ecosystems, visitors are required to stay on designated trails during guided walks and hikes.

  5. Camping and Campfire Regulations: Campfires are permitted only in designated areas and must be fully extinguished before leaving.
  1. Follow Guide Instructions: Ranger guides provide valuable information and ensure the safety of visitors during activities such as game drives, nature walks, and boat rides. Visitors are expected to follow their instructions at all times.

  2. Respect Cultural Sites: Visitors must respect cultural sites and artifacts within the parks, refraining from touching or removing any cultural or historical items.

  3. Canoeing: it is compulsory to wear a life jacket

  4. Canopy walkways: do not exceed recommended numbers

  5. Children: Children under the age of 12 years are not allowed above 3000 amsl. Children under the age of 15 years are not permitted on Chip trekking. Tanzanian people are very welcoming with children but please ensure they are never unattended, and they are grown enough to abide to the rules above.