Climate and clothing

• In Tanzania and Uganda The climate in the park areas is around 20/30 degrees, being between 1000 m and 2000 m above sea level. In any case, also bring a light jacket and a shirt for the morning and evening.

• At the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania and in the Gorilla-trekking area in Uganda (about 2300 m) in the evening the temperature can drop to a few degrees above zero, it is recommended to have a heavy jacket and winter sleeping bag for those who make camping.

• In Zanzibar and on the coast it is hot but windy; light clothes are recommended.

• In Zanzibar it is recommended to wear sandals that protect your feet while swimming, the sea is full of life and you may not see a piece of sharp coral or a sea urchin

• In Dar Es Salaam the heat is intense, above 30 degrees.

• It is important in any case to be provided with protective sunscreen, hat and sunglasses

Vaccinations

• In mainland Tanzania vaccinations are usually not asked of those arriving in Europe; in Zanzibar they may ask you for a yellow fever vaccine if you arrive by land.

• In mainland Tanzania, you may be asked for a vaccination record if during your flight you stopped in areas endemic to yellow fever for at least 24 hours, as Ethiopia can be. Consult the website www.ilgirodelmondo.it of the Travel Medicine clinic of the Turin infectious disease hospital, you can find advice on protection, behavior, the travel pharmacy and what to do if you are not feeling well on your return . You can also call us on 011 4393803/57.

• Ugandan vaccination for yellow fever is mandatory.

drugs

• Take all the medications you normally need with you, accompanied by a prescription and inform us of any special needs you may have.

• we also advise you to have a small first aid with broad-spectrum antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrheal, antipyretic, antihistamine ointment, patches, disinfectant, Cortisone for allergic reactions (a pharmacist will be able to advise you).

• We will ask you before departure to provide us with information on any allergies

Mosquitoes

• To defend yourself from mosquitoes, it is sufficient to have a strong repellent (containing DEET or KBR) and to cover yourself after sunset.

• Wear light clothes in the parks. The strong mosquito repellent also removes the fly tze tze, which in any case is as annoying as a normal horsefly and does not involve any more risks (like 100 years ago).

Visa and passport

• TANZANIA: From 16 October 2017, the visa must be requested in Italy from the Consulate of Milan or from the Embassy of Rome. It costs 50 euros + 20 euros for processing in Milan. In reality, it is still possible to do so upon arrival in Tanzania. It is necessary to ask a specialized agency in viati 1 month before departure

• UGANDA: you can apply for a visa upon your arrival in Uganda, it costs 100 USD and is also valid for Kenya and Rwanda

• The passport must be valid for at least 6 months when entering the country.

Language

• English is spoken in all tourist areas, the national language is Swahili.

Religion

• The faithful of three religions, Muslim, Christian, animist, live together harmoniously. These religions are present all over the territory but the Tanzanian coast has a Muslim prevalence so, even if in the tourist places the population is very accustomed to Westerners, it would be advisable to avoid too skimpy clothes for both men and women (with the exception of beaches).

• We recommend that you ask for permission before photographing people, Islam condemns any type of reproduction of the human image. In addition, there is now an international right to image.

Water and food

• Drink only water from sealed bottles and cooked food.

• If you want to taste the wonderful fruit found in the greenest areas, buy it whole and clean it yourself. (Bring a suitable knife to put in your checked baggage)

• Avoid ice and dairy products.

• Brush your teeth with bottle water.

rains

• TANZANIA: The rainy season runs from mid-March to May, there can be intense daily rains, but also good weather. Short but daily rains can occur from October to mid-November.

• UGANDA: there are two rainy seasons, March-April and October-November

Recall that climate changes are underway and sometimes the seasons are less predictable than before

Telephone and internet

Telephones operate in almost all tourist areas and often WhatsApp can also be used, while it is more difficult to connect to the internet for other operations (for example Skype).

• If you need to make long calls, we advise you to buy a local phone card (make sure you have also purchased the top-up), it costs much less than our intercontinental rates. Find out about current offers by phone or internet.

• The international dialing code for Tanzania is +255, for Uganda it is +256

• The time zone compared to Italy in summer is only 1 hour difference, in winter, with our summer time, 2 hours.

Electricity

• The sockets are of the English type. In cheaper lodges and campsites, there can be a power cut during the night. Most safari cars are equipped with sockets for charging phones or other devices.

• Bring a front battery just in case

Currency and ATM

• TANZANIA: The current currency is the Tanzanian Shilling (which corresponds more or less, as purchasing power, to our old lire!) 1 euro corresponds to about 2000 Sh. Everywhere in the tourist areas the dollar is accepted, more rarely the euro.

• TANZANIA: In Arusha, Stone Town, Dar Es Salam and in the most important cities you can find some ATMs.

• UGANDA: The current currency is the Ugandan Shilling, 1 euro corresponds to about 4200 Sh. In tourist areas the dollar is accepted.

ATTENTION, USD PREVIOUS TO 2006 ARE NOT ACCEPTED

Security in Tanzania

• Tanzania is a republic, in peace for many decades, in whose territory more than 120 different tribes live together respecting the differences and at the same time with a sense of national brotherhood (in the 23 years of Nyerere's government, a great political work to achieve this masterpiece). An exception is Zanzibar, which maintains legislative and legal peculiarities, but separatist pressures are expressed only at the level of political dialogue.

• In any case, it is a good habit to avoid going around alone at night and paying more attention in big cities such as Dar es Salaam.

• Despite being one of the poorest countries in the world, based on a subsistence economy, there is no malnutrition, the population lives in a simple but dignified way. If you are asked for money, it is because many think that Westerners go to Africa to give away the most they have. Instead, you will easily meet someone who wants to sell you crafts of all kinds. In particular in Zanzibar the beach vendors can become a little nagging, we simply recommend you interact with them, explaining your intentions and socializing a minimum, you will find that the following days will remember you with remarkable precision!

Insurance

• Bring the contact details and contract of your medical expenses insurance and medical repatriation with you. In case of need, the agency will take care of the timely air transfer to the hospital (with the exclusion of the islands) but not of medical expenses.

Recommended behavior in Tanzania

• The Tanzanians are very welcoming and friendly and the greetings are very important: wherever you are welcomed with karibu, welcome, and it is very important to reciprocate (healthy asante thank you very much). If you are rejecting a hawker offer, saying hapana asante might be more effective than no tanks

• In the same way, those who work for you expect a small tip, welcomed as an appreciation for the service provided. This is a sensitive topic, which is often not covered before the trip. It seems important to us to inform you about what people expect from you, in order to be able to make informed decisions. To give you an idea: those who carry your suitcases when you arrive at a lodge expect around 2000 Sh / 1 dollar, a guide who accompanied you for 2 hours 10,000 Sh, a guide who spent 30,000 Sh with you all day. The guide who has been with you throughout your trip may expect around USD 20 per day. If you are many, a little more. Obviously the decision whether and how much to give is entirely up to you.

• Tanzanians, out of respect for children, avoid any kind of couple tenderness in public.

• Homosexuality is not accepted in public

Baggage

• For internal flights, the baggage must be a maximum of 15 kg per person, hold baggage and 7 kg of hand baggage

• Soft bags are recommended for safari off-road vehicles

… and good trip! Safari njema!