Dar es Salaam

Understand

thumb|350px|The Bank of Tanzania at dawn Dar es Salaam is certainly not at the top of the list of places to see for most visitors to Tanzania. It's often a necessary stop on their way to Zanzibar, the northern safari circuit or home, but Dar has its charm. Walks around the city centre are a great way to get a feel for the culture and Kariakoo market can be an interesting place for the more adventurous. It can also be a good base for visiting some of the nearby sites such as Bagamoyo, Bongoyo and Mbudja Islands, as well as learn to scuba dive or go deep sea fishing. For those looking for something more humanitarian, most international organizations are based in Dar and may be a good starting point if you wish to volunteer.

Get in

thumb|280px|Julius Nyerere International Airport

See

200px|thumb|The Nutcracker Man, a 1.75-million-year-old skull at the National Museum

Do

Massage Try High Care Massage at the Slipway for a very professionally organized place. There are signs for lots of other massage and spa centres around town. Two places favoured by ladies in landcruisers are Lemon on Haile Selassie Road (next to George & Dragon pub) or the Spot on Chole Road (opposite the taxi stand).

Buy

thumb|280px|A crowded downtown street market

Eat

Due in part to the growth of the expatriate community and the increasing importance of tourism, the number of international restaurants has risen very rapidly. The city now offers a rich and internationalized diversity of cuisine, ranging from traditional Tanzanian Barbecue style options such as Nyama Choma (Roasted meat – served with rice or ugali) and Mishkaki (Shish kebab – usually barbecued and served with salt, hot peppers, chapati, fries, and rice on the side), and the long-established traditional Indian and Zanzibari cuisine, to options from all corners of the globe including Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Italian, and Japanese food. Restaurants like City Garden, Addis in Dar, and Best Bite are only a few of the most popular restaurants in Dar es Salaam. Even fast food restaurants like Steers and Subway now have prominent places in the restaurant sector of Dar es Salaam. People who prefer neither fast food or traditional restaurants buy their food from street vendors, who usually sell good food for very affordable prices. Samosas are common street food items within the city. Primary and secondary school students are usually more likely to buy food from street vendors than other age demographics.

$ = Cheap (TSh 1,000–5,000 for a meal for one) $$ = Average (TSh 5,000–10,000) $$$ = Moderate (TSh 10,000–20,000) $$$$ = Expensive (TSh 20,000+)

Drink

You should only drink bottled water. A 1.5-litre bottle will cost you TSh 1,000 in a store or on the street, depending on the brand (and TSh 2000 or more at restaurants), but you can also drink tap water if you've purified it with iodine tablets or boiled it (at least 3–5 minutes at a rolling boil). "Seepage" from the sewer pipes into the water pipes is quite common.

Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, and Safari (the latter being a stronger beer, 5.5% alcohol) are local beers and popular with Tanzanians and foreigners. These are typically TSh 2300-3000 apiece for 500-ml bottles in local spots, but can cost TSh 4000 or more at some bars and restaurants.

Imported beer available in Dar include Tusker, Ndovu, Stella Artois, Castle Lager, and Heineken. The African imports (Tusker, Ndovu and Castle Lager) are not that much more expensive than local beers, but the European beers can be three to four times the price of domestics.

Konyagi is a popular, local gin, and its variant Konyagi Ice is comparable to hard lemonade and other sweet drinks.

Krest, bottled locally by Coca Cola, offer Club Soda, Tonic Water and Bitter Lemon drinks. Stoney Tangawizi (ginger ale but stronger in taste) is one of the more popular soda drinks. Sodas come in glass bottles and you'll usually be asked to return the bottle or pay extra to take it, but they don't usually like that.

All of the large hotels have full bars with air conditioning. Many offer 2-for-1 happy hour specials in the late afternoon/early evenin…

Sleep

thumb|250px|A traditional hut at the Village Museum

The cost of accommodation can vary from TSh 10,000 a night for very basic rooms to hundreds of dollars for the Holiday Inn Hotel. The YWCA and the YMCA are the main place to stay and meet fellow backpackers. They fill up quickly.

Stay safe

Homosexuality is illegal in Tanzania, with a possibility of life imprisonment. Public displays of homosexuality like holding hands or kissing in public places could lead to arrest and imprisonment.

Tanzania is one of the least policed countries in the world. Rapes and murders often go unreported and little data exist to suggest how common these crimes are. Domestic violence and sexual harassment, which often go well beyond verbal cat-calling, are extremely common. Foreign female students have documented multiple accounts of sexual assault and/or rape. These cases often go unreported/under-reported by universities with study abroad programs in Tanzania, and of course by the Tanzanian authorities themselves. Walking alone at night outside the most exclusive areas (such as Oyster Bay, the Slipway, Sea Cliff) is extremely inadvisable for foreigners. Slipway Road has been the site of muggings in late 2015. Men stand a high chance of being mugged, and women of being mugged and/or sexually assaulted. Dar is often very poorly lit. The city experiences a great many power outages. This makes lone women particularly vulnerable.

Most travellers who are in Dar on a short stay will, fortunately, not face these challenges. Similarly, most expatriates who live in Dar are sequestered well enough (with cars, security guards, in upscale neighbourhoods) not to have to worry about this sort of thing.

By far the most common crimes, and the biggest risk for most travelers, will be muggings and …

Connect

There are quite a number of Internet cafes in Dar in different places, But this particular one is the most popular especially for visitors CybeBase Internet Cafe' on Shekilango Road in Sinza +255 787-000157 or +255 719-924389, [email protected]

However, all cell phone companies offer at least 3G internet service, which is quickly making internet cafes go the way of typewriters and carbon paper.

BBC World Service broadcasts in Swahili and English on 103.3MHz.