Travel Information
Visas, health, money, safety and connectivity. Practical facts, with an honest note about where to verify them yourself.
Before you rely on this page
Entry and health requirements change, sometimes quickly. We keep this page current to the best of our knowledge and we send route-specific guidance with every confirmation, but you should always verify visa and health requirements with your own government’s travel advice and the Tanzanian High Commission or Embassy for your country.
Visas
Most visitors need a visa to enter Tanzania. An ordinary tourist visa is available in advance through the Tanzanian immigration e-visa service, and is also available on arrival for many nationalities, though applying in advance avoids queueing at Kilimanjaro airport after a long flight.
Citizens of the United States are normally issued a multiple-entry visa rather than the ordinary single-entry one. If your journey includes Kenya as well, ask us about the East Africa Tourist Visa, which can be better value.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry and have at least two blank pages.
Health
- Yellow fever vaccination is required if you are arriving from, or have transited for more than twelve hours through, a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. Carry the certificate.
- Malaria is present in most safari areas. Antimalarial medication is strongly recommended and must be prescribed at home before you travel.
- Routine vaccinations should be up to date. Hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are commonly recommended. Ask your own travel clinic.
- Drink bottled or filtered water. We carry drinking water in every vehicle.
- Altitude matters on the Ngorongoro rim, at around 2,300 metres, and considerably more on Kilimanjaro or Meru.
- Bring any prescription medication in its original labelled packaging, in your hand luggage, with a copy of the prescription.
Money
- The local currency is the Tanzanian shilling, but US dollars are widely accepted for tourism services.
- Bring dollar notes dated 2009 or later, as older notes are frequently refused.
- Cash is essential for tips. There are no cash machines in the parks.
- Cards work in Arusha and at larger lodges, less reliably in the bush.
- Tell your bank you are travelling, or your card will be blocked on first use.
Safety
Tanzania is a stable country and safari areas are safe with normal precautions. In camps, follow the escort rules after dark. Unfenced camps sit inside wildlife areas and that rule exists for a reason.
In towns, take the same precautions you would in any city: avoid displaying valuables, use arranged transport at night, and keep copies of documents separate from originals.
Stay in the vehicle on game drives unless your guide tells you otherwise. Your guide has our full authority on questions of safety.
Connectivity and power
- Mobile coverage is good in towns and patchy to absent in the parks. Treat time in the bush as genuinely offline.
- Most camps have wifi in the main area, and it is usually slow. Some deliberately have none.
- Power is UK-style three-pin at 230 volts. Charging is often in the main area rather than in tents, and may run only at set hours.
- Bring a power bank. It solves most of this.
What is illegal or restricted
- Plastic carrier bags are banned in Tanzania and are confiscated at the airport.
- Drones require a permit that is difficult and slow to obtain, and flying one in a national park without it is an offence.
- Photographing military installations, airports and government buildings is prohibited.
- Buying or exporting wildlife products (ivory, shells, skins) is illegal and carries serious penalties.
- Always ask before photographing people. A guide will help you ask properly.
Climate, briefly
Northern Tanzania is warm by day year-round and genuinely cold at dawn, particularly on the Ngorongoro rim. The long rains fall roughly from March to May and the short rains around November, though both shift between years.
For what your specific month means for wildlife, crowds and price, read our guide to the best time to visit Tanzania.
Questions about this policy
Write to us and a person will answer. We do not use a legal inbox that nobody reads. If something here is unclear or you think it is wrong, we would rather hear it than not.
