Cheap flights to Tanzania

Tanzania climate

Tanzania’s rainy season starts in March and runs until May. Tropical downpours are usual. Along the coast and on the islands, showers are heavier and more predictable (every afternoon). Humidity levels are high with temperatures in the low to mid 30s. There are also “short rains” months – November and December – when rainfall is lighter than the “long rains”. The dry season months are June, July, August, September and October. You may still get rain during these months. Think fine sunny days and clear skies.

Getting around Tanzania

Air Tanzania flies domestically to Dar Es Salaam, Mtwara, Mwanza, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, Precision Air also offers domestic links, and there are smaller charter airlines linking local airports and more out-of-the-way parts of the country.

There are two railway systems – the Tanzania Railway Corporation operates two lines, the central line from Dar es Salaam to Tabora and one to Tabora to Mwanza port on Lake Victoria. The Tanzania to Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) links Dar Es Salaam with various destinations.

Bus services are plentiful. Scandinavian and other lines provide good service throughout the country. Buses don’t move until they are full however so don’t take the timetables as gospel.

The quality of the roads varies greatly. If renting a car, a four-wheel drive is best, albeit expensive.

To get to the islands off the coast of Tanzania including Zanzibar and Pemba, there are boat (including ferry, catamaran, hydrofoils, or dhow) and air services. Azam Marine, for example, offers passage from Dar Es Salaam/Zanzibar or Pemba/Zanzibar.

What is good to know if travelling to Tanzania?

• Bagamoyo is Tanzania’s oldest town, dating from the late-1700s. It was the capital of German East Africa and an important trading post – a slave-trading post. The name is poignant, in KiSwahili, it means “bury my heart” and refers to slavery. It was from here that slaves were shipped to Zanzibar – just an hour away – and then off around the world. There is much to see here including the beautiful beach; Kaole Ruins – two mosques and tombs, all built with coral stones – that remain from the 13th century; the Roman Catholic Mission, built in the 1800s; and more grimly the German Hanging Place.
• In Dar Es Salaam, the National Museum contains fossils from Olduvai Gorge, one of the most important prehistoric sites, considered the “cradle of mankind”. The outdoor National Village Museum houses 16 furnished traditional houses from every region in Tanzania. Artists sell their wares here and you can also catch a traditional performance at weekends and on public holidays.
• The Serengeti is a vast national park covering almost 30,000 sq km. It is from here, more specifically the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor that you can see the river crossing during the wildebeest migration. The most popular part of the park is Seronera, a small settlement, home to leopards and lions. Hot-air balloon safaris are popular here. And the huge Ngorongoro crater, a World Heritage Site, known as Africa’s Garden of Eden, is a must-see.
• Safari … The northern circuit boasts the biggies: Arusha National Park (boasts Mount Meru – good for hiking – and Momella Lakes, while Mount Kilimanjaro, is just 50km (30 miles) in the distance); Serengeti; Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park (has some of the highest population density of elephants anywhere in the country). The eastern circuit – easily accessible from Dar Es Salaam – includes Saadani National Park and Mikumi National Park (has the Big Five: cheetah, lion, elephant, buffalo, and rhino).
• In the west, on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe Stream National Park, is synonymous with Jane Goodall, the primatologist who spent years studying the behaviour of the chimpanzees. Guided walks are available.