Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania December 2023
Travel Itinerary
Hello viewers. I will discuss my experience in Tanganyika. This by far was one of my favourite countries to visit. My flight path was from DCA->JFK->AMS->DAR. This flight took about 24 hours altogether including the layovers which were relatively short on the way to Dar. You could find a ticket for about 800-1000 USD from the USA to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania flying Delta Airlines, but be prepared for many layovers because to get to African countries you mostly have to fly through Europe and then to Africa rather directly to Africa from the USA.
My Zimbabwean friend joined me on this trip. Not only did I meet many people while travelling through the country, I learned a lot about the state of the infrastructure in Tanzania. Tanzania is an East African country with a population of 66 Million. As shown in the map below Tanzania is surrounded by Zambia, and Mozambique to the south, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi to the West; Uganda and Kenya to the North. Dodoma is the Capital city which is in the central region of the country. Dar Es Salaam is a very old city that sits on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Dar is the largest city in the county and is the economic hub of Tanzania. Tanzania also has islands like Zanzibar which operates like its own autonomous country while legally being part of Tanzania. People Speak Swahili in Tanzania which is the most spoken language in Africa. I planned to travel throughout East Africa so what I did was travel to Zanzibar, Nairobi, and Mwanza in Tanzania which I will talk about in a future post.
Infrastructure
You can see the Port of Dar Es Salaam.
You can see the beautiful architecture here.
Tanzania has been an important trade route throughout ancient history and modern-day history with complex trade routes in the interior of Africa, and in Asia and the Arab world, especially Zanzibar. Also, there have been many colonial powers that occupied the country from the 1500s through the mid-1900s. The first colonial invaders were the Portugues who captured the territory in 1505 AD. Their occupations lasted until the 1800s when they were ousted by the Sultan of Omar. Eventually, in the late 1800s, the Germans took control of Tanzania with Otto Von Bismark as the Chancellor at the time. Then in 1947, the British took control of Tanzania until gaining their independence in 1961.
Swahili Food
Swahili Food is a must-try! I enjoyed the food there. I had chicken with Pilaf Rice which is so delicious. Rice and fish are staple foods in Tanzania. You will get a great meal for around 14K-18K TZN Shillings which amounts to roughly 4-6 USD.
Below are Tanzanian Shillings. About 1 USD = 2500 TZN Shillings in December 2023.
Lodging
There are many hotel options in Dar Es Salaam depending on what you want and your budget. There are local BnB and local hotels that have price ranges from 15-40 USD per night which is really affordable. I ended up staying at the 4 Seasons Marriott since I came for a business trip and it cost roughly 120 USD per night it is a quality hotel like you would have for a Marriott in the USA, and I will say it is fancier than the ones we have in the US.
Transportation
So to get around Dar Es Salaam there are many transportation options. You have Uber, Bolt, and you can just flag down a ride. You have three options with ride-hailing services, you either take a private vehicle, you take a Bodaboda, or you take a Banjagi. So The picture below is a Banjagi which is a 3-wheel vehicle you see them used in South East Asia also which is a cheaper option than the automobile, but the cheapest option is taking a Bodaboda which is essentially a motorbike and that is one hell of experience riding on one navigating the maze of traffic jams and people moving everywhere across the streets.
Mwenge Market
We ended up going to the Mwenge Market which is a traditional market that sells many hand-carved woodwork items. I ended up purchasing a lion sword which is fitting for a Leo. I also purchased a mask for my sister since she collects African masks.
Overall my experience in Dar has been really great. There is so much to see here the Swahili culture is very rich and the people are very nice. Below is the fish market for Dar. It is a really busy place and all of the fresh produce is processed and sold in the market right next to the coast.
Tafara Trust says
December 29, 2023 at 1:24 amI enjoyed reading this.
Jennifer Pettway says
December 28, 2023 at 9:59 pmLove it! Everything is just beautiful!!