Dar es Salaam > Dar es Salaam Experience

Advantages: Conveniently sited airport near Zanzibar and gateway to Mozambique
Disadvantages: Few flights but good ones to Dar: KLM, Swiss etc.

There are no facilities for transiting internationally. You must imperatively contact the ground staff for performing your international transit. Otherwise you will have to go through the immigration and customs (50$) for rechecking-in. Fortunately the staff is very friendly. They will accompany you through the immigration back and forth as many times as necessary (there is a locked little green door for that purpose and they will get the key). ...
...the departure hall is OK though there is no A/C. There are several lounges, one has internet access (2US$/hour) and payment of 15US$ (year 2006) is required if not on business class. There is a restaurant with fast-food-like offerings. Alcohol served. The shops are well supplied with books, typical clothes and T-shirts, handycrafts and drinks. The restrooms are OK. ... Read review

Advantages: Fluttering Palms & Sandy Beaches
Disadvantages: Beware the pick pockets

Having lived in Dar Es salaam(Tanzania) for almost 25 years till I moved to London, it was nothing strange that I felt "homesick" and wanted to revisit the city where I had spent my child hood and having finished studies spent part of my youth. The very thought of going to Dar es salaam, made me tingle with pleasure at the memories of the warm and lush beaches and cool evenings, with wind rustling through the palm trees The vast open plains dominate ...
...most pleasant. I flew into Dar es salaam with Egypt Air. The flight arrived about 6.00 in the morning and already the sun was out. The airport building that I remembered had completely changed and was barely recognisable by me. The Swahili language came back flowing, with initial hesitation since it was years before I spoke it last. Having gone through the immigration and customs formalities, I found my friend of school days waiting for me. We drove ... Read review

Advantages: Technology! ie a few places to send email!
Disadvantages: A scary place where I always felt uncomfortable.

Well, I must admit that this would not be a place that I would choose to go again......... As soon as our truck stopped in the car park and we got off we were under siege by people trying to sell us T-shirts, cashew nuts, and sunglasses. If it wasn’t that they were trying to persuade us to change our US dollars with them instead of in the Bureau de Change or Bank. Never change money on the street, apart from it being illegal, they always rip you ...
...professionals. There are plenty of Internet places here, contrasted by little street stalls selling lovely food, every thing from corn on the cob with lime and chilli, to exotic fruits. This is also where you need to be to catch the ferry to Zanzibar. It’s only worth spending just a couple of hours here to sort yourself out with money, emails and ferry tickets, but no more! Now, I don’t like to slate somewhere where I haven’t really spent a lot ... Read review

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When arriving at Dar Es Salam try and get over the shock of the burnt out planes at the end of the runway and stay on your toes. If you look like an obvious first time in Africa backpacker which its hard not if you've just arrived then do your homework before you leave. Know exactly where you're going to stay for your first night and ignore thetaxi touts at the arrivals lounge. Go outside to the first taxi that you can see. Most touts dont have a ... Read review