Tanzania: good to know
The general-information half of trip planning: how expensive Tanzania feels, what is considered polite, what is not, and the everyday practicalities - alongside our 84 written places.
Pole pole - slowly slowly - is advice and identity; Swahili courtesy opens everything.
✓ Considered polite
- Learn greetings seriously - extended hellos are the culture; Shikamoo respects elders
- Tip guides, cooks and porters on treks and safaris by the day - ask operators for norms
- Choose licensed Kilimanjaro operators - porter welfare varies and matters
- Dress modestly in Zanzibar's Stone Town - it is a Muslim community, not a resort
✗ Better avoided
- Rush anyone - pole pole governs
- Photograph people without asking
- Haggle without humour - it is social, not combat
- Drink tap water
Worth knowing
- Cash US dollars (newer bills) plus cards cover most travel
- Park fees are premium - the Serengeti is worth every cent
- The migration is in Tanzania roughly November to July - opposite calendar to Kenya's Mara
- Ferries and flights link Zanzibar; the ferry is scenic, flights are quick
Plugs and voltage: Wikipedia, «Mains electricity by country» (after the IEC World Plugs list), read 15 October 2026.
Some links on this page are Amazon affiliate links - if you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Keep planning
Customs are living things - regions differ, cities relax, generations shift. Take these notes as a friendly head start, watch what locals do, and when in doubt a smile and a greeting in the local language cover almost everything.