Tanzania General Information
What is Tanzania's currency? What
time is it in Tanzania? How can I make a call to or from Tanzania? When going
on holiday to Tanzania for the first time, these are important questions most
travellers ask – below we've tried to answer these frequently asked queries as
well as we can.
Time in Tanzania
Tanzania is three hours ahead of
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+3). It doesn't operate daylight saving time, hence
there's no time difference between their summer and winter months.
Currency in Tanzania
Tanzania's currency is the
Tanzanian shilling (TZS). Visit www.oanda.com for the
latest rates. Buying Tanzania's currency in Europe or America can be difficult;
many visitors will wait until they arrive in Tanzania to buy local currency.
Tanzania's International Dialing Code
The International Dialling Code
for Tanzania is +255, followed by area codes (e.g. (0)22 for Dar es Salaam, or
(0)27 for Arusha and Kilimanjaro). Calling from Tanzania, you dial 00 plus the
relevant country code (44 for the UK, 1 for the USA).
Food in Tanzania
The food served in
Tanzanian safari camps varies, but is often delicious – the equivalent of a
reasonable restaurant in Europe or America.
In Tanzania's towns and villages, the food is usually simpler. Plain grilled meat, nyama choma, is very popular, and often served with sauce, rice, chips, plantains or ugali (cornmeal or cassava mush). Indian cuisine is also wide spread. The locally brewed beer is good, including Serengeti, Safari, Kilimanjaro, mbege (homebrew from the Chagga people) and banana beer; imported beers and wine are also excellent.
Health in Tanzania
Tanzania is a tropical country
and vaccines are sensible (typhoid, polio, tetanus and yellow fever). Malaria
is common and occurs all year round; you must take anti-malarial measures,
especially in areas below 1800m! Always check the latest recommendations with
your clinic or doctor.
Language in Tanzania
KiSwahili and English are the official languages and
spoken by most people living in Tanzania; as well as this, there are many
ethnic groups, speaking localized languages and dialects. Try to learn some
basic KiSwahili before you go, to help you enjoy your trip more!
You are most welcome!
