Frequently asked questions

The airport tax is included in the price of your ticket, also the airport tax for the airports and domestic flights in Tanzania. If this is not included, it will be stated on the confirmation of your flight.

You can view the departure and arrival times of your flights via www.schiphol.nl. You can also subscribe to a notification service. This will keep you (or the person who takes you/picks you up) automatically informed of the current flight information.

Upon arrival at the airport of Tanzania – Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar – a driver from Explore Tanzania will meet you in the arrival hall. You will recognize him by a nameplate with your name (or the name of your travel group).

Make sure your trip is known to those at home. You’ll receive the travel documents two weeks before departure. Here you’ll find the names of your hotels in Tanzania and the contact details of the safari company and / or the contact person on location. Please also pass on the address and telephone number of the Explore Tanzania office in Apeldoorn to those who stay at home. If necessary, they can contact Explore Tanzania.

• Respect nature and the environment;
• Don’t participate in activities that cause animal suffering or play poachers;
• Don’t order meat from a restaurant that you suspect is from an endangered species;
• If you go diving or snorkelling, leave the coral and shells alone. Don’t step on it or touch it, just leave it as it is;
• Don’t purchase items and products made from protected animals (sea turtles, large cats, rhinos, elephants or coral).

Are you going on a safari? And do you want to see the animals well? Then bring your binoculars! If you can afford it, a magnification of 7 to 10 times is recommended. Avoid permafocus binoculars. These give tired eyes and no sharp image. Also avoid binoculars that focus or zoom electrically. Very small binoculars are difficult to hold.
Does everyone want to take a good look at the same time? Then we recommend binoculars per person (from your travel group).

The price of a safari is determined by many factors. An average budget is € 325 – € 450 p.p. per day, excluding international flights and any local flights. With this money, you enjoy a nice and comfortable safari, where you’ll see a lot of the landscape and the animals. A more expensive safari gives more luxury, but not guaranteed a better safari experience. But can this amount also be somewhat reduced?

• A similar program is cheaper when you travel in a group than if you go privately. Besides, a group safari can also be a lot of fun! You could consider going with more people so that you can use the capacity of the entire Landcruiser.
• Your overnight stay partly determines the price you pay. Real camping in a small tent and the somewhat larger and older lodges are slightly cheaper. You can opt for the small-scale, but comfortable, lodges and tented camps in Tanzania.
• If you spend the night outside the parks you save accommodation costs for yourself, the car and the driver/guide. After all, a large part of your travel sum is already spent on entrance fees to the parks, on average around $ 60-80 p.p. per day (and you also pay for the car, the driver/guide). If you decide to stay the night, entrance fees are added.
• Considering self drive? We admit it sounds great. However, in Tanzania this is only for the very experienced traveller. Due to the short depreciation time of the car, it’s also not really cheap. On the other hand, the chance of damage due to poor road surface is high and insurance does not always cover all damage. In contrast to South Africa and Namibia, the roads in Tanzania are very poor and gasoline expensive.
• Exploring without a guide is possible, but without knowledge of the area, you don’t know where you are. Getting lost on the unmarked sandy paths in the Serengeti is very easy and without a guide you’ll see fewer wild animals anyway.
• Saving on tips is also not an option, because tips in Tanzania are an important part of the income. The guide’s entire family counts on it.
• You could, however, limit yourself to two or three parks.
• Don’t go on a safari every day, but also plan a day off or a cultural visit to the population, a market or a sporting activity such as cycling or walking etc.
• Or interrupt your safari with a few beach days at the coast or on one of the islands off the coast, whether or not lazy in your hammock or with a water sport activity such as diving, swimming, snorkelling, sailing, fishing, kiting, canoeing etc.

You must be at the international airport approximately 3 hours before the departure time. Keep the stated check-in time as an indication for this. For some airlines you have to take extra check-in time into account, as there may be extra security checks.

Avoid the crowds and the queues at the airport. With internet check-in, you can check in for your flight (at home) online, select your seat yourself and immediately print and email your boarding pass. Or arrange everything via the KLM app (download for apple or android).

Online check-in is only possible for:

• passengers with an e-ticket;
• passengers with a confirmed booking;
• groups of max. 9 passengers;
  passengers travelling with checked luggage that meets the weight limits;
• passengers departing from an airport where online check-in is possible.

You can check in online from 30 hours up to 1 hour before the departure of your flight. Look for this on the website of your airline.

Don’t take too much (clothing) with you! On our website, you’ll find a packing list, with advice for the clothes that you can take with you.
You don’t have to look great on and during your trip. Take comfortable and practical clothing with you. Are you going on a safari? Then choose clothing in “safari colors”, such as green, khaki, brown and gray. White or bright colors can scare the animals. This is especially important if you go on a walking safari.

In the evenings and in the morning, it can be chilly (especially in the higher areas) and it’s hot during the day. Therefore, bring clothing you can wear in layers.

Zanzibar is a predominantly Muslim island. Therefore, keep in mind (when you arrive at the airport, if you visit a village or town) that your body is covered from shoulders to knees. This is greatly appreciated by the locals.
Don’t worry if you’re lying on the beach or going for a swim; the Zanzibari’s have gotten used to that by now.

The climate in Tanzania is generally tropical. The coast is often warm and humid, but on the beaches the sea breeze provides cooling. The average daytime temperature is 30°C.
Tanzania has two rainy periods: the long rains from late March to early June and the short rains from November to mid-December. During the long rains, short heavy showers can fall, the short rains are less heavy. The hottest period of the year is from December to March, before the long rains begin. The coolest months are June, July and August with an average temperature of 20-25°C. In high-lying areas, such as Kilimanjaro and the highlands of Ngorongoro, it can get cold.

Phone
The country code for Tanzania is +255.
With your mobile phone, you can reach Tanzania almost entirely, except for very remote areas. To make a phone call, you can buy a Tanzanian SIM card. That’s cheaper than calling with your international SIM card. SIM cards and prepaid calling credit can be purchased everywhere.

Internet
Almost all hotels and lodges have WiFi. There are internet cafes in the bigger cities.

Letters
International mail takes about a week.

The electricity voltage is 220 to 240V. Every now and then there are power outages. So don’t be surprised if the electricity goes out (for a moment). The sockets are British (3-pin straight or 2-pin round) and can be different. So take a world plug with you, it fits everywhere.

Every now and then a power failure occurs. So don’t be surprised if the electricity goes out (even).
Some lodges have a limited number of hours of electricity because they use a generator.

In a number of (camping) accommodations, such as our Green Camps, there is no electricity. We use solar energy and lanterns there.
There is a power outlet in the safari jeep (Northern Tanzania).

Choice
During your trip, there is often an extensive choice of international dishes. The lodges and camps with which Explore Tanzania cooperates have a good and hygienic kitchens.

Drinks
International soft drink brands are available everywhere. Local beer brands include Safari, Kilimanjaro, Tusker and Serengeti.

Hygiene
Most tourists who visit Tanzania come from countries with few problems with hygiene. As a result, our immune system is not well prepared for the level of hygiene in Tanzania.

Important:

• wash your hands before eating.
• You can eat fried, boiled and peeled food.
• do not eat salads if you do not know how they are prepared (for example with tap water); the cooks of the lodges and camps of Explore Tanzania use purified water.
• only eat cooked meat or fish.
• only eat fresh ingredients, prepared under clean conditions.

Are you in doubt? Just don’t eat it.
Are you following a certain diet? Inform us of this at least 3 weeks before departure.

Local food and drinks
A Tanzanian breakfast consists of a mug of sweet tea with milk and a chapati (kind of pancake) or mandazi (kind of oliebol). A lot of ugali is eaten in Tanzania. That is a corn porridge that is served with vegetables, meat or fish.
On the coast and on Zanzibar people eat a lot of fish, lobster and crab, prepared with coconut milk.

The official languages of Tanzania are Swahili and English. There are also many other local languages, these vary per tribe of the Tanzanian population. Outside the towns and villages, people speak less English. Arabic is widely spoken along the coast, especially in Zanzibar.