Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

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

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

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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

Advantages: Arrived in one piece!
Disadvantages: A lot of small inconveniences and annoyances

...How do you judge an airline? During this particular trip - I certainly got to the destination in one piece and with all my luggage intact so I guess you could say it was successful. However, when you're flying long haul I think you're entitled to a little more than just A to B. I flew EgyptAir from London to Dar-Es-Salaam (Tanzania) with a plane change, unsurprisingly, in Cairo. The journey time was long enough, the best part of 12 hours, but Egypt Air turned this trip into an endurance test. FREE-FOR-ALL At Cairo airport, which is one of the more "interesting" airports I've been stuck in, I have to say me and my travelling companions were subjected to what can only be described as a "passport free-for-all" as we were processed through transit. Our documents were taken from us (and all the other passengers on our 'plane, as well... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Great senery, cheap food, accom and beer, friendly people!
Disadvantages: Poor roads and accom, long waits for busses, altitude sickness

...Secondary school Week 2: Mt. Hannang and Cultural Education Week 3: Mt Kilimanjaro trek Week 4: R 'n' R WEEK ONE: Arriving in Tanzania seemed surreal, we were actually there and away from home for a whole month - Oh yes! As we walked out into the main square of Dar Es Salaam airport we saw the true Tanzania culture running on 'African time.' Time-wise, whatever a Tanzanian says - don't believe them. If they say a bus is going to be 30 minutes its more like two hours, which was exactly what happened to us! When the bus finally arrived the shock continued as the bus conductor piled, and I mean piled, people on until the whole bus was at bursting point. I spent the eight hour journey not knowing whether to laugh or cry, surrounded by chickens, baby cattle, locals reeking of body odour and the 'nice' plump ass I had dangling in front... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Beaches, Sun, Culture, Food
Disadvantages: Not that easy to get around unless you have experience

...As part of a world challenge expedition to Tanzania i got the chance to visit this awesome island for 5 days at the end of our month long stay in the country doing volunteer work and trecking. It was very much a last minute decision to go there as the east coast of Tanzania was much more convenient and cheaper. The one thing on the side of the small island of Zanzibar was the awesome beaches and culture which as we found out was much different to that on the mainland. My stay was split into three parts. First an overnight stay in the Hotel Marine in Stone town (the capital of the island), secondly a three night stay in the Matenuve Bahariri beach bungalows on the north east side of the island. The final part was another overnight stay in the Hotel Marine. Because the boat journey from Dar es Salaam was fairly long we got a short... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful