Travel to Tanzania

A word on Visas

Visas are required for most visitors to Tanzania so it is advisable to check with your local Tanzanian embassy or High Commission before travelling. That said, visas can be purchased on entry to the country and range, depending on nationality, between US$20 and US$60. Entry into Tanzania is for a three month period and employment is prohibited.

Travel to Tanzania by Air
The following international airlines operate regular flights to Tanzania: Air Tanzania; British Airways; Egypt Air; Emirates; Gulf Air; Kenya Airways; KLM; Lufthansa; South African Airways; Swiss Air and a host of other charter flights. There are two international airports on the mainland and one in Zanzibar. The airport at Dar es Salaam is the main international airport of the country and is serviced by all the above airlines. The other mainland international airport is Kilimanjaro International which is situated halfway between Moshi and Arusha and serves as an entry point for visitors going directly on safari. A number of international flights land directly at Zanzibar with a lot of connections coming from Nairobi, Kenya.

Whichever your point of entry, once you are in Tanzania a good network of regional air carriers can take you from one side of the country to the other.

Travel to Tanzania by Land

At present most of the established routes to Tanzania from the north are quite difficult and not really recommended. There are a few routes for example Egypt; Sudan; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Kenya or the 'Nile' variant of Egypt; Sudan; Uganda and a few West African routes, but all are avoided these days due to unstable political situations and banditry in one or more of the countries involved.

Travelling from the south (with the exception of Zimbabwe) is a lot safer and far more common these days. Trips generally begin in South Africa and offer a variety of routes to Tanzania. The eastern route passes through Mozambique and/or Malawi - this is the most direct route and offers an ideal tour of the Indian Ocean coastline. Other routes can go through either Namibia or Botswana but then inevitably go through Zambia - each route has its own particular charm, advantages and disadvantages. A lot of people making the overland journeys do so with a trucking company which has the added advantage of increased safety.

Tanzania Border Crossings

The United Republic of Tanzania shares borders with eight different countries. What follows is a list of the border countries and their respective border crossing points.

Kenya has 3 points of crossing the first is Namanga between Nairobi and Arusha; the second is between Mombasa and Tanga and the third is between Kisumu and Mwanza on Lake Victoria.

Uganda has a direct road crossing at Mutukula between Masaka and Bukoba as well as a ferry service between Port Bell and Bukoba. From Bukoba a ferry service operates to Mwanza from which you can make your way across the country.

Rwanda has a crossing between Kigali and Mwanza although this is not used much these days due to the unstable political situation.

Burundi has a crossing at Kagunga which entails a 20 minute walk pass the birder post and then a ferry crossing across Lake Tanganyika. Burundi is another troubled country and so this too is an unpopular crossing for tourists.

Democratic Republic of the Congo - there are no established direct crossings. People used to go through Burundi but this is a generally unstable area and should be avoided by tourists.

Zambia is the main entry point between east and southern Africa. Tanzam trains run between Kapiri Mposhi and Dar es Salaam or one can take a ferry at Lake Tanganyika.

Malawi - there is a border crossing between Tanzania and Karonga but it should be noted that there is no steady service across this point and it is forbidden to stay overnight at the border crossing.

Mozambique has two points of crossing. The first is by sea at the Tanzanian fishing village of Misimbati where one can go via dhow to Palma or Mocimboa do Praia or by road at the border crossing of Mwambo.