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BEFORE YOUR TRIP From our shuttle service to the weather, all you need to know before your unforgettable journey. Scroll down or browse the links on the left to find out more _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Arusha is Tanzania’s safari hub. All our tours, expeditions, safaris, and home-stays begin or are based here. The below will help you with information how to get to Arusha. **If you are going on safari around the Southern Circuit, all itineraries begin in Dar Es Salaam**. We pick you up from your hotel or directly from the airport and begin our journey. From Dar Es Salaam: Most major international airlines serve Dar Es Salaam International Airport (DAR). From there you can get to Arusha either by a short domestic flight with Zanair or Air Excel (approximately USD 200) that takes you to Kilimanjaro Airport or a much cheaper, but somewhat longer, journey by coach. Coach services to Arusha are provided by a number of companies, although we recommend either Dar Express or Scandinavia Express. Tickets can be bought on the day or a few days in advance (recommended) from their respective ticket offices: the Dar Express office is situated on Lybia Street and the Scandinavia office on the corner of Nyerere Road and Msimbazi Street. Prices are USD 18 – 25 and you must specify that you want first class. All other local operators are only slightly cheaper (USD 9 to 15) but less reliable and can sometimes be crowded. If you are on a tight budget though, try Amazon Coach, Royal, Fresh Coach, Tashreef or Akamba. If you would like to travel quicker, more reliably and comfortably, we provide shuttle services from the airport or your hotel in Dar Es Salam, to your hotel or home-stay in Arusha. You are picked up by one of our very own members. If you have not booked a hotel in Arusha in advance you can either stay in one of our local family home-stays or we can advice you on a number of accommodation options on the way. For more information and rates please contact us From Kilimanjaro Airport (KIA): Many International Airlines fly directly into Arusha by serving Kilimanjaro Airport. Amongst these airlines are KLM in cooperation with Kenya Airways, Air France, Northwest Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Condor and South African Airlines in cooperation with Air Tanzania. We strongly recommend you use our private pick up service from Kilimanjaro Airport. This is for several reasons: Kilimanjaro Airport is situated around 60Km southeast of Arusha city center. There is no public transport unless you are willing to walk a few kilometres to the junction and then attempting the ubiquitous daladala (minibus) ride. A much faster and safer option (especially if you have luggage) is private transport. Taxis are available outside the airport compound but you must be wise to avoid touts and barter hard to get a fair price. The advantage of using our pick up service is that you will have one of our guides waiting for you with your name in the arrivals hall ready to take you to town. The price we offer is generally lower than the taxis at the airport. We propose this pick up service to all clients whether they are touring with us immediately upon arrival or several days (or even weeks) after. From Zanzibar: Several domestic airlines fly directly from Zanzibar to Arusha’s Kilimanjaro Airport, these include Coastal, Zanair and Precision. Alternatively, an often cheaper option is to take the ferry back to Dar Es Salam and take a flight from there. From Nairobi: If you want to connect from Nairobi directly to Arusha’s Kilimanjaro Airport then you can do so with Kenya Airways or Regional Air both departing from Wilson Airport (approximately USD 150 - 200). You can also get a coach from Nairobi to Arusha, services are operated by Scandinavia Express; their Nairobi ticket office is situated on River Road. We do not provide shuttle services from Nairobi but many companies do. Please let us know if you would like us to arrange a shuttle service for you. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Visitors from most countries require a visa to enter Tanzania. You can either apply for a visa prior to your departure or purchase a visa at the point of entry at a cost is USD 50 dollars. American citizens have to pay USD 100 as of September 2007. If you are not sure whether you need a visa, the Tanzanian High Commission in London website http://www.tanzania-online.gov.uk/visa.html provides a comprehensive list of countries whose nationals require a visa. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The following vaccinations are highly recommended for tourists visiting Tanzania:
Malaria is still widespread and a malaria prophylaxis is highly recommended. Remember that you generally need to start the prophylaxis 1 week before departure and need to continue it up to 4 weeks after returning from holiday. Please consult your GP or travel clinic for your different options. A mosquito spray or insect repellent with at least Deet 50% is also essential As in most developing countries, drinking tap water is not recommended. For all tours and safaris we provide bottled mineral water (included in the price of your tour). If you are planning to stay longer we recommend you bring water purification tablets. For more health advice the following sites are useful: www.MASTA.org and www.traveldoctor.co.uk _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ For safaris and hikes you should bring light, casual, comfortable clothing. If you are hiking or intend to be walking for long distances you should also bring good walking shoes. In the wet season (late March to late May) water-proof hiking boots or even gumboots are highly recommended as some areas can become very muddy and slippery indeed, many locals living on surrounding villages wear them daily. Also for this period bring a sweater and a lightweight waterproof jacket as mornings and evenings can get rather wet and chilly. We provide you with a separate packing list recommendation for our mountain climbing itineraries. Below we have prepared a checklist of other packing essentials:
Other useful items are:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Being so close to the equator means that Tanzania has a relatively moderate climate all year round. However, the rainy season does often bring some heavy showers. These are most often experienced in November and especially April and May. Rains come in short bursts usually during the night and morning, leaving days still warm and sunny, Safaris are still possible although some hikes become either more demanding or simply impossible (i.e. our itinerary to explore the Forests of Meru is not recommended during wet season and we will inform you if it is safe to go or not). Please contact us if you have any questions. The mass migration moves from Kenya into the Serengeti in Tanzania in December, January, February, and March. That is also a popular time to travel in Tanzania. Low and high tourist seasons depend largely on the weather in Tanzania, the wildlife migration, as well as on holidays in European countries and the US. Generally though, high season is the first week of July to end of August and mid December through to February. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The national currency is the Tanzanian Shilling abbreviated as TSHS. Although it fluctuates heavily against the dollar, rates range from 1150 to 1300 TSHS for 1 USD. For exact exchange rates we recommend www.xe.com You should always travel with at least two different types of payment: cash, visa, travel checks etc. Many pickpockets operate in busy areas especially around minibus terminals so we recommend you carry only small amounts of cash with you. There are many cash points situated in and around Arusha and Dar Es Salam, most accept Visa and/or Maestro. There are also a number of bureau de change in the area, and one at every airport (although the rates offered there are usually very poor) . Travel Closer accepts payments in TSHS, and USD. |
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