Taxis in Tanzania

Tanzania‘s largest city is Dar es Salaam, an urban centre spread out along the Eastern coastline. Dar Es Salaam is notorious for its chaotic traffic, which can be a nightmare during weekday business hours. There are limited traffic lights, which rotate on an infrequent basis, meaning when you catch a red light you will be waiting for a while.

Registered taxis are generally safe and easily accessible from the Dar airport for 50,000 Tsh (or 20,000 Tsh in smaller towns). In Dar Es Salaam, the white cars will be identifiable with a yellow stripe and a three-digit number along the side. It’s always best to determine the cost of your fare with the driver based on a flat-rate before departing. If your taxi passes through a toll stop, the toll is typically paid by the taxi driver, not you.

Tuk-tuk’s and boda bodas (motor bike taxis) are cheaper options available throughout Tanzania, but are more dangerous than taxi cars in urban traffic. Many tuk-tuk and bike taxi’s are not registered, so be aware of the risk for theft and ATM extortion, particularly at night. Uber is relatively new to Dar es Salaam, providing a taxi alternative in the capital.

TANZANIA TRAVEL GUIDE

Being overshadowed by its northern neighbour has rather worked in Tanzania’s favour. Tourism has developed here more quietly, more thoughtfully, with fewer cheap packages and more personalised experiences. It’s more stable and laid-back, and enormous enough to keep some corners well hidden. But its attractions are anything but low-key: Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, the Maasai, Zanzibar, the Big Five, and of course, the Great Migration, which propels itself around the northern plains throughout the year.

TANZANIA SEES KENYA’S OFFERING AND RAISES IT – WITH HIGHER MOUNTAINS, TROPICAL ISLANDS, MORE DIVERSE CULTURE AND GREAT MIGRATION THAT LASTS ALL YEAR.

Despite the big names, it’s often the smaller details that remain in the memory – the fiendishly good fusion of Arabic, Swahili and Indian cuisine; an eye opening bushwalk with a Maasai guide; a glimpse of an endangered wild dog in the little-visited south; the silhouette of a dhow at sunset. Our Tanzania travel guide will leave you in no doubt as to why this land has attracted travellers for centuries – and that it will be sure to attract many, many more in the years to come.