Travelling to Tanzania

Tanzania is a picturesque destination where travellers can explore the Serengeti, encountering incredible wildlife. For particularly ambitious hikers, Tanzania also provides the challenge of a lifetime to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

For visitors who aren’t quite up to the challenge of Kilimanjaro, there are many other natural landscapes to explore.

Tanzania’s landscape makes for impressive sunrises and sunsets. The food is also unforgettable, a mixture of Arabic, Indian and African influences.

Yellow fever vaccination

Yellow fever vaccination is required for arriving travelers from all countries if traveler is ≥1 year of age.

Hepatitis A vaccine

This vaccine is recommended because you can get hepatitis A through contaminated food or water , regardless of where you are eating or staying.

Antimalarials

You will need to take prescription medicine before, during, and after your trip to prevent malaria. Your doctor can help you decide which medicine is right for you, and also talk to you about other steps you can take to prevent malaria.

Tetanus vaccine

Make sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccines before every trip. These vaccines include measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine, polio vaccine, and your yearly flu shot.

Typhoid

You can get typhoid through contaminated food or water . This vaccine is recommended for most travellers, especially if you are staying with friends or relatives, visiting smaller cities or rural areas, or if you are an adventurous eater.

Eat and drink safely

Tanzania Food and Drink Food in Tanzania varies greatly depending on where you are in the country. On the mainland and away from the coast, most restaurants serve Tanzanian dishes that usually consist of meat stews or grilled chicken, accompanied by staples including chips, green bananas or ugali (maize meal porridge is eaten all over Africa). While on the coast, the Indian Ocean provides a full range of seafood, and the Swahili culinary style is delicately flavoured by spices and coconut milk and features fragrant rice, grilled fish and prawn curries.

Eat

  • Food of your choice either raw or cooked
  • Fruits and vegetables, you have washed in clean water or peeled yourself
  • Pasteurized dairy products

Don't Eat

  • Food which is not well prepared
  • Eat food without washing hands
  • Unwashed or unpeeled fruits or vegetables

Drink

  • Water that has been disinfected
  • Ice made with bottled or disinfected water
  • Carbonated drinks
  • Hot coffee or tea
  • Pasteurized milk

Don’t Drink

  • Water which has not been boiled or disinfected
  • Unpasteurized milk

Take Medicine

Talk with your doctor about taking prescription or over-the-counter drugs with you on your trip in case you get sick.

Avoid sharing body fluids

Diseases can be spread through body fluids, such as saliva, blood, vomit, and semen. Protect yourself;

  • Use latex condoms correctly.
  • Do not inject drugs.
  • Limit alcohol consumption. People take more risks when intoxicated.
  • Do not share needles or any devices that can break the skin. That includes needles for tattoos, piercings, and acupuncture.
  • If you receive medical or dental care, make sure the equipment is disinfected or sanitized.

Know how to get medical care while travelling

Plan for how you will get health care during your trip, should the need arise;

  • Carry a list of local doctors and hospitals at your destination.
  • Review your health insurance plan to determine what medical services it would cover during your trip. Consider purchasing travel health and medical evacuation insurance.
  • Carry a card that identifies, in the local language, your blood type, chronic conditions or serious allergies, and the generic names of any medications you take.
  • Some prescription drugs may be illegal in other countries. Call Tanzania embassy to verify that all of your prescription(s) are legal to bring with you.
  • Bring all the medicines (including over-the-counter medicines) you think you might need during your trip, including extra in case of travel delays. Ask your doctor to help you get prescriptions filled early if you need to.

Many foreign hospitals and clinics are accredited by the Joint Commission International. A list of accredited facilities is available on their website (www.jointcommissioninternational.org).

Malaria is a risk in Tanzania. Fill your malaria prescription before you leave and take enough with you for the entire length of your trip. Follow your doctor’s instructions for taking the pills.

Tanzania: Officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a sovereign state in eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and the Indian Ocean to the east. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, is in north-eastern Tanzania.

Joined EAC: July 2000 (Founding Member)

Tanzania hosts the EAC Headquarters. It is also the temporary seat of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) - the legislative Organ of the Community, and the East African Court of Justice (EACJ) - The Judicial Organ of the Community.