General Tour Information
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Tanzania. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they took this tour. Although we do our best to make sure what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING AND LEAVING TANZANIA: A valid passport with a Tanzania tourist visa and an on-going air ticket are required. Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the end of the tour. We recommend obtaining your visa in advance, although airport visas are available in Dar es Salaam. Travelers who opt to obtain an airport visa should expect delays upon arrival. There is a fee for the visa. Travelers may obtain the latest information and details from the Embassy of The United Republic of Tanzania, 2139 R Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20008, telephone (202) 939-6125, or online. Overseas, inquiries may be made at the nearest Tanzanian embassy or consulate. WINGS will provide you with a letter to accompany your visa application.
MAPS AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: An online map of Tanzania may be found here. The US State Department’s background notes on Tanzania are here.
TIME DIFFERENCE: Tanzania is 11 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, eight hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
HEALTH: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention currently recommend taking an anti-malarial drug when traveling in Tanzania. Since chloroquine-resistant malaria has been confirmed in Tanzania, atovaquone/proguanil (Malarone™), doxycycline, or mefloquine (Lariam™) are the currently recommended prophylaxes. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required for entry into Tanzania from countries where yellow fever occurs; please consult your physician and the CDC for updates on required vaccinations. The CDC further recommends the following vaccines: hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG); typhoid; and as needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria, measles, and a one-time dose of polio vaccine for adults.
Please be sure to contact your physician at least six weeks in advance of departure to complete your inoculation series and to review the latest malarial and other advisories.
Biting insects are not numerous, although mosquitoes and ticks occur locally. We recommend using insect repellents with a high concentration of DEET. However, care must be taken to avoid getting the DEET repellents on optical equipment as DEET dissolves rubber and plastic and can damage coated lenses. Camping supply stores and outfitters carry some reasonably effective alternatives, which contain natural products and aren’t corrosive.
Products containing tick- and chigger-repelling chemicals are effective. Camping supply stores sell such a product containing permethrin 0.5%, which can be applied directly to your clothing. This non-staining, odorless chemical is non-toxic to humans and protective on clothing through several launderings.
Water is generally safe to drink, but mild intestinal problems are not uncommon. We provide bottled water for all excursions, and will always have a supply on the bus when traveling. Lodges may provide flasks of purified water in the rooms; bottled water is readily available at the lodges. Soda water, soft drinks and beer are ubiquitous and safe to drink.
You may wish to bring a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as tetracycline in case of a stubborn bacterial infection. Bringing a basic first-aid kit (with band aids, antibiotic ointment, etc.) is a good idea. Finally, be sure to bring adequate supplies of all personal medications, as it may be impossible to obtain them during the tour, but remember not to carry these in your checked luggage.
Please note that any health/medical information contained herein is gleaned by WINGS from websites that are dedicated to traveler’s health issues. Advisories and recommendations by agencies such as the CDC can and do change frequently. We urge you to consult with your physician, local health department, or the CDC for the most up-to-date health advisories for travel to Tanzania. For more information and updates, visit the CDC website.
PACE OF THE TOUR: This is a fairly relaxed tour. There will be early starts on most days, but some of these will be optional pre-breakfast excursions. Walks on this tour are not very strenuous, although there will be some walking on uneven ground; a fair amount of time will be spent in the vehicles. Unpaved roads are usually in good condition.
CLIMATE: Arusha, Ngorongoro and Usambaras are in the highlands and can be cool in the mornings. Dar-es-Salaam, Ifakara, and Mikumi are lowland sites, warm most of the time and hotter in the middle of the day. Rain is not expected, but it can rain at anytime in the eastern ranges and along the coast.
ACCOMMODATION: We’ll stay in a variety of hotels and lodges. In Arusha National Park we will stay at an established tented campsite surrounded by forest. The tents are large, with proper camp beds and chemical toilets at the rear of each tent. Shower tents are also provided, and it is usually possible to have showers with hot water. We will stay at a basic hostel for one night in the Uluguru Mountains, with clean shared toilets and shower rooms. The rest of the tour uses extremely comfortable lodges, with all rooms having private bathroom facilities. Most of the lodges have swimming pools.
DRESS: Dress will be informal throughout the tour.
TRANSPORTATION: Transportation will be in four-wheel-drive minibuses with roof hatches for window-free viewing and photography. Our drivers will be professionals, skilled at finding birds and mammals, and at repairing vehicles. Most roads are good to excellent, but there are some rough stretches and one or two long drives. Since we are not permitted to leave the vehicles in most National Parks, be prepared to spend more time than usual in the vehicles; each person will have a window seat, and the roof hatches are helpful.
SMOKING: Smoking is prohibited in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group. If any lodge, accommodation, or location where the group is staying or is gathered has a more restrictive smoking policy than the WINGS policy, the more restrictive policy will prevail.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS OF WINGS TOURS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours, and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Tanzania will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. If you have any questions, please let us know.
Updated: February 2008