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Preparations
In East Africa you will probably meet many mosquitoes during
your stay. Some of them can give you Malaria. It is recommended
that you talk to your doctor about Malaria tablets. Some
medicines you need to start many weeks before your departure.
Bring enough repellent and in the evening always wear long
sleeves and trousers. You should also talk to your doctor about
vaccination.
How to get there?
KLM is the only company that brings you direct from Europe to
Kilimanjaro International Airport. They leave from Amsterdam in
the morning and arrives the same night.
Other companies can take you to Dar-Es-Salaam or Nairobi.
British Airways leaves from London. Other companies are
Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways .
You will need a visa that can be bought on arrival.
What to bring?
If you are not traveling in the rainy season, you don’t need
many clothes.
Take enough T-shirts and light trousers with you. It can be very
dusty so white clothes will be dirty at once.
Sandals
High protection sun cream, and sun glasses
Hat for the sun
First aid kit
Binoculars, film for camera, torch, mosquito oil
Money
The currency is Tanzanian shillings. 1 dollar is about 1100 Tsh.
In the big towns you can find an ATM machine and use a Visa.
There are many Bureau de change that will take US$ and Euro.
Some of them will accept travelers cheques.
If you are on a budget trip you can find places to sleep for 3-4
US$ and in the local bar you can eat a big dinner and beer for
1,5-2 US$. The cheapest way to travel around in Tanzania is by
bus, but it takes a long time.
If you have a slightly larger budget you can find beautiful
hotels in the big towns. You will pay from 100 US$ and up. Also
there are many good places to eat including Indian, Italian,
Chinese and Ethiopian cuisine.
How to behave?
You are a Mzungu (“White” or “Western” person) and in 99,9% of
the cases a mzungu has more money than a Tanzanian. Therefore you
will always be stopped and asked if you want to buy something,
if you need safari, if you can help to pay school fees and so
on. Most people are harmless and it’s just their job to sell
things. So a pleasant “Hapana ahsante” is sometimes enough if
you don’t want to buy. If you are buying you will always have to
bargain. Usually the price starts 2-3 times the actual price.
If you are lucky and get out of the tourist area you will
probably meet many kids and youngsters that will stop you
because they want to practice their English. You will make their
day if you know some kiswahili words or if you have a pen or
something else to give them. Tanzanians are very welcoming and
love to have guests. They will always invite you to their home
and maybe you will get tea or bananas.
People always dress well, even if they are very poor. It means
they never wear dirty or worn out clothes when they are outside
their homes. The textile is traditionally full of colour and
patterns. Its not usual to show shoulders or knees. If you also
dress well it will be easier to get respect and help from
people.
Some kiswahili words to know:
Karibu – Welcome
Mzungu – White people
Habari – How are you?
Jambo – Hello
Mzuri – Good
Mbaya – Bad
Salama – In good health
Shillingi ngapi – How much (how many shillings)
Ahsante – Thank you
Hapana ahsante – No, thank you
Ndio – Yes
Nataka maji/soda baridi – Give me cold water/soda
Ninaitwa…. – My name is ….
Ninatoka… - I’m from….
Simba – Lion
Chui – Leopard
Tembo – Elephant
Faru – Rhino
Mbogo or Nyati – Buffalo
Duma – Cheetah
Twiga – Giraffe
Pundamilia – Zebra
Nyumbu – wilderbeest or Gnu
Kiboko – Hippo
Mbuni – Osrich
Wanyama – Animals
Ndege – Birds
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