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Dar es Salaam Hotels

With travelsupermarket.com's hotels finder you can search for hotels in Dar es Salaam from over 55 hotel websites with one click - saving you time and money! We compare all the big name hotel chains as well as some smaller companies you may not have heard of so you can get a full view of hotels in Dar es Salaam - from budget accommodation to 5 star luxury hotels. We have also teamed up with tripadvisor to provide hotel customer reviews for many of the properties we compare and the prices and availability shown in our hotels search are real time.

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What's On?                     Overview                     Prepare                     Highlights 

Overview

Overview

Wander streets busy with goats, chickens, dust-shrouded safari cars, suit-clad office workers and traders in colourful traditional dress. A beach is always close to hand.

See

Hunt for bargains in sprawling outdoor market Kariokoo and Mwenge craft market. Stroll among the peacocks in the Botanical Gardens, or head for the beach – Bongoyo, Mbuja and South Beach are all just short boat rides away. More conventional sightseeing options include colonial-era buildings on Kivukoni Front. And don't miss the eccentric National Museum.
Spend

Pick up traditional Makonde wood carvings of people and animals at the Mwenge craft market or Nyumba ya Sanaa in Upanga. Tingatinga paintings are witty, colourful representations of Tanzanian life and are on sale all over the city. For last-minute gift shopping, try The Slipway on Msasani Peninsula; for a more down-to-earth shopping experience, hone your haggling skills in Kariokoo market.
Get Out

South Beach on Kigamboni Peninsula is popular with locals. Hop on the ferry from Kivukoni. A boat also shuttles between White Sands beach resort in Jambiani and Mbuja Island, where you can count the yachts of the rich expats and eat fresh fish. Jump on the waterslides and go-karts at Kundichi Wet'n'Wild.
Culture

Hit the Village Museum for displays of traditional dancing and exhibitions on Tanzania's 120 tribes. Dar also has a thriving dance band scene – try Diamond Jubilee Hall or the TCC Club. Experience ‘bongo flava' (local hip hop) at Bilicanas, Bar One or live venue Gymkhana Club.
Eat & Drink

Don't miss the Indian food at Anghiti, or communal Ethiopian fare of curried meat and vegetables on a base of spongy bread at Addis in Dar. Indian restaurants in Upanga serve vegetarian dishes and no alcohol – Retreat is the best of the lot. Upmarket restaurants cluster on Msasani Peninsula; particularly in Namanga, where you'll find Africa's only Croatian restaurant. At Kivukoni fish market, watch your dinner being netted, gutted and grilled.
New Perspective

Hear hooves pound on the sand and feel the wind in your hair while horse riding at Amani Beach, or visit the mysterious ruins at Kundichi for a glimpse into Dar es Salaam's murky past.

Prepare

Prepare

Bring a Swahili phrasebook for the hundred conversations a day you'll have with friendly strangers. A laidback attitude and mosquito spray are essential; warm clothes and strict timekeeping are not.

Dar es Salaam Year

Bet on the world's least likely racing animal at the Goat Races in May, where bewildered goats are herded round a track for charity. Stock up on Tanzanian-made goods at the Tanz Hands crafts fair in June. In October, soak up some arthouse glamour at the European Film Festival, or hold out till December to explore African art at the Art in Tanzania exhibition.
Public Holidays

New Year's Day (1 Jan), Zanzibar Revolution Day (12 Jan), Eid al-Adha – Feast of Sacrifice, celebrating the last day of Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca (Dec/Jan), Eid Milad Mnabi – Prophet's Anniversary (10 Apr), Good Friday, Easter Monday (Mar/Apr), Union Day (26 Apr), Labour Day (1 May), International Trade Fair Day (7 Jul), Farmers' Day (8 Aug), Nyerere Day (14 Oct), Eid Al Fitr – Festival of the Breaking of the Fast (Oct/Nov), Independence Day (9 Dec), Christmas Day (25 Dec), Boxing Day (26 Dec). Based on the lunar calendar, Islamic holidays move forward approximately 11 days every Western year.
Weather

Dar is hot and humid all year round. June to August is the coolest time of year, although temperatures rarely drop lower than the mid-20s. The seriously hot months are between October and February, when temperatures are in the high 30s. The long rains are from March to May and the short rains are between October and December, although they've become more unreliable in the past few years. Even during the rainy seasons, there are usually blue skies in the afternoons.
Electricity

220V AC, 50 Hz, three-pin plugs are standard.
Dialling Code

+255 (national), (0) 22 + 7-figure number (Dar es Salaam).
Money

The Tanzanian shilling is the official currency, though US dollars are widely accepted.
GMT

GMT+3
Dar es Salaam Tourist Info

Tanzania Tourist Board website

Fit In

There's no need to limit yourself to shapeless safari gear. However, bear in mind that roughly half of Dar's inhabitants are Muslim, so try to avoid baring too much flesh.

Highlights

Highlights

Sightseeing in Dar es Salaam is all atmosphere, so use monuments and museums as pegs on which to hang a relaxed tour of the city.

Colonial-era buildings are concentrated around Kivukoni Front and Sokoine Drive – that's where you will find the Azania Lutheran Church, built in 1898, and German colonial buildings. Recharge your batteries just up the road at the Botanical Gardens, complete with strutting peacocks. The National Museum is worth checking out for its eccentric array of fossils and socialist era bric-a-brac, and you can learn more about Tanzanian culture at the Village Museum and Sukoma Museum – the latter is dedicated to just one tribe. Visit the Indian quarter, Upanga, where temples and mosques jostle for space with sari shops and cafes, and for some historical perspective trek up to the 18th century Kundichi ruins.
Sightseeing Tips

Taxi drivers often charge over-inflated prices: the best test of a suspiciously high fare is to walk away – often the price drops immediately. Dar es Salaam is generally a safe city, but be careful after dark and watch out for rip-offs involving suspiciously good black market exchange rates.

Content provided by Frommer's Unlimited © 2009, Whatsonwhen Limited.