Country
Culture
During the sixties and seventies in Tanzania, studying original cultures was condemned sharply for two reasons. First of all they found it old-fashioned and wanted to adopt the newer, Western culture. Furthermore they linked these traditional cultures with the tribes from which they originated. In a state with so many tribes, Tanzania saw this as contemptible "tribalism". Politicians and scientists meanwhile have parted with these ideas. Nowadays just as much Tanzanian as Western pop music is transmitted and the schools teach tradition oral literature. With this history in mind it's difficult for European tourists to get a good picture of the East African culture. Also because only the "rare" modern versions of old sages are left to get an impression of the rich traditions.Language
The population of Tanzania speaks over 30 different languages, these can be categorized in three main groups, Bantu, Nilotic and Cushitic languages. Because of this mixture there was a need to find one common language. Throughout the centuries the language of the traders along the coast (the Kiswahili, the language of the Swahili) developed itself as the most suitable. A total of over 60 million people along the coast speak Swahili. The British colonists added English as an official governing language and ever since the Tanzanian independence in 1961, English is the official language. Later on Swahili also received that official status.Climate and best time to travel
Tanzania lies close to the equator, nevertheless the climate here is cooler and drier then in most other tropical countries. This because large parts of the country lie on an altitude of approximately 1500 meters.The best periods to visit Tanzania, are from June till the end of September and from December till the end of February. From March til May the long rain time occurs and from mid- October til the end of November the short rain time occurs. At the end of the dry season one has the biggest change to see a lot of wildlife in the parks, the grass is still relatively short and dry, in this period the animals flock around the areas were there's still some water left. In the rain period traveling is not an easy task because of the bad state of the roads. During the rain period it's not pouring out of the sky all day, but it's cloudy more often and in the evenings heavy rainfall can occur.
Food and beverages
On the coast of Tanzania you find the Swahili kitchen, which consists of mainly fish, combined with peppers and coconut. Very tasty are the from India originated somosa's, crust dough filled with vegetables and/or meat. Once in a while you can find Dutch orientated dishes in the Hotels, these probably came over from South-Africa.Mineral water is sold in big plastic bottles and is relatively expensive, soda's are relatively cheap and can be bought everywhere, just like coffee and tea. Highly recommended are the fresh fruit juices, but be careful with ice cubes as they can be made from unboiled tab water.
Accommodations
Hotels
Tanzania is home to a multitude of hotels in, resorts and lodges. In the big cities along the coast you can find the five star luxury hotels comparable to European standards. Most of them with facilities like a pool, bar, restaurant, disco and shops. There is also a choice of good middle class hotels. In general the rooms are clean, however even in the most luxurious hotel you can run into cockroaches. Furthermore there can be outages concerning water and electricity services.Pensions
In the smaller places and villages mostly there's only a simple pension available.Transportation
Public Transport
In Tanzania the buss system is well organized, but regarding reliability and comfort not comparable with what we are used to in Europe. For most of these buses a Western security test would not be passed and accidents happen on a regular basis. A matatu is a small bus with, officially 12 up to 30 seats, but if the need arises they can also cramp in 40 up to 50 people. A matatu has a fixed starting point and endpoint, only they departure when their fully boarded. With such a matatu it is a considerably rough ride as they want to make as many rides back and forth as possible. Accidents, with deadly results happen on a regular basis.Tanzania has a train connection between Moshi, Tanga and Dar es Salaam. The connection Moshi - Tanga departs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the other way around on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The trains depart in the afternoon and the brings you to your destination in approximately 12 hours.
City Transport
Always negotiate a price before you get into a city cab, and try to avoid city cabs in the evening or at night. The change that you run into the wrong is not a great one, but it's better not to any risk.It's a good idea to check at the Hotel reception which maximum price you should pay to a certain destination, that way you know in advance were negotiations should end, furthermore it is usual to give a small tip.
Local Flights
Local flights, carried out by the national airline company air Tanzania are so unreliable, that you're better of not using them.Practical issues
Health
Mineral water is preferred, you can buy this anywhere in big bottles. Coffee and tea are no problem as this is made with boiled water.Before departure check with the local health agencies which vaccinations you need, mostly this will consist of a cocktail for Diphtheria, Tetanus and Polio, and one for Hepatitis-A. For Tanzania a vaccination for Yellow Fever is mandatory, it needs to be registered in your vaccination booklet and could be check when entering the country. A vaccine for Cholera is hardly ever really given anywhere.
Taking malaria tablets however gives a good protection to this illness past on by mosquito bites.
Money business
In Tanzania the currency is shilling. They have coins of 5, 10 and 20 shilling and bank notes of 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 shilling. To be insured against theft, you can best take travellers cheques in Euro or Dollars, the exchange rate for cash, however, is better most of the time. You can not withdraw money with Eurocheque or a regular bank pass and credit cards are only accepted in the more expensive international Hotels, however you can draw cash from an ATM with your credit card.In the typical tourist shop bargaining is a "must". They often ask five times the price which one really want to receive, therefore begin very low. Also the price of a taxi ride needs to be negotiated before you depart.
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