Travel costs and information for Tanzania - Kigoma, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Mbeya

Note that all information in here was valid at the time (July 2009) - it may well have changed since.  It's also possible that I was ripped off, that I did some exceptional haggling, or that I accepted a price that I should have haggled over :-)  Currency indicators are £ (British pound), $ (US dollar), and TSh (Tanzanian shilling).  At the time, the official exchange rates were roughly TSh1,300=$1 and TSh2,170=£1.

Tanzania

• Similar levels of hassle to Kenya, with Arusha and Dar es Salaam almost to Egyptian standard.
• ATMs will generally accept foreign ATM cards on the Mastercard network (didn't try Visa).  The only place I went to that didn't was Kigoma, where I was able to get a cash advance on my Visa credit card at the NBC bank.  I think the bank's commission was included in the FX rate, as the only separate entry on my bank statement was a fixed £2.50 charge (plus obviously interest on the advance).

23rd June 2009 $50 3 month visa for a British citizen at the border. Remember to put your watch an hour forward.
23rd June 2009 TSh6,000 Minibus from the border to Kigoma, leaving at about 12:15PM and taking 3 hours 30 minutes (of which 30 minutes was spent waiting (for more passengers?) in a town near the border).  This was one of the worst journeys I've ever taken, though this was mainly due to getting the worst seat in the minibus with nothing to either brace myself against or hold on to.  The road is bad, the minibus is overloaded with passengers and luggage (yes, another country yet to receive roof-rack technology ...), and the air (and hence your hair, mouth, eyes, etc) is full of dust.  Just be grateful you aren't the conductor, who has to do this 4 or 5 times a day! 


Kigoma

• I originally intended staying at the Omega Guesthouse but no-one had heard of it so I went to a place that a fellow-passenger from the minibus recommended (see below).
• The best rates for changing $ can be obtained (unofficially) at the cloth stores in the market - they're slightly better than the bank rate. 
• I don't think Kigoma has any mains electricity, so only places with generators will have power (in particular for lighting at night).
• Internet is available for TSh2,000 per hour at Baby Come and Call on the main street.

23rd June 2009 TSh2,000 Taxi from the minibus station to the centre of town.  I travelled with a Burundian guy who had lived in Kigoma for several years, so this fare might not be achievable by a random white guy!
23rd June 2009 TSh20,000 Nightly rate for a large private ensuite room (cold water only) at Zanzibar Hill Lodge, with TV, mossie net, towel, bog roll, fridge, fan, and breakfast.  Like with the taxi, this rate was negotiated by the Burundian guy, so I doubt it would be achievable by the average tourist.  There only seemed to be one member of staff who spoke English.  Cheap laundry available.
26th June 2009 TSh5,000 Taxi from Zanzibar Hill Lodge to the airport, taking about 10 minutes.
26th June 2009 TSh198,000 Flight from Kigoma to Dar es Salaam, leaving just after 3PM and taking 50 minutes to Tabara (where we waited for 30 minutes) then a further 1 hour 50 minutes to Dar.


Dar es Salaam

• You'll be hard-pressed to find restaurants serving booze in the Muslim quarter (funnily enough), but there is a Chinese place that does - it's called Tai Huo San Zhuang and is on Jamhuri St between Morogoro Rd and Zanaki St.  It has strong aircon so you might want to take a light jacket with you.  Prices are a little higher than average but the food is good (the place was always packed with Chinese people when I went).  The main downer is the plentiful cigarette smoke.  The restaurant at Jambo Inn seems to attract most backpackers - the food is OK. 
• Internet available for TSh1,000 per hour.

26th June 2009 TSh17,000 Taxi from Dar airport to the Muslim quarter.  The "official" taxi price is about twice this, but if you say you're going to get one from the road then the price will rapidly drop.
26th June 2009 TSh20,000 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room (supposedly with hot water but it was rather sporadic, and the pressure was rather low) at Econo Lodge in the Muslim quarter, with towel, bog roll, fan, and breakfast.
27th June 2009 TSh24,300 Martin Meredith "The State of Africa" book from "A Novel Idea" - unlike most of the parts of Africa I've travelled in so far, prices here are essentially the cover price converted into TSh (rather than some multiple of that).
30th June 2009 TSh15,000 Taxi from Econo Lodge to Ubungo bus station, taking ~20 minutes in bad traffic.  I'd been told it should be TSh12,000 but I couldn't find a driver who'd accept that.
30th June 2009 TSh28,000 Aircon luxury bus (Dar Express) from Ubungo bus station to Arusha, leaving at 8AM, taking 4 hours to reach Korogwe (site of our 30 minute lunch break), then a further 5 hours to Arusha (i.e. 9 hours 30 minutes in total).  It's possible that lunch was included in the ticket price but I wasn't hungry at the time.  I'd read that Royal was the best bus company but they said their buses weren't aircon.


Arusha

• Going anywhere near the clock tower will result in tons of tout hassle. 
• My hotel told me that it was dangerous to walk anywhere at night, but my safari company said the town was perfectly safe.
• Internet is available but is generally slow - the best of a bad lot was at New Safari Hotel, for TSh1,000 per hour.
• There are numerous safari companies here covering all price ranges, and it can be highly confusing trying to figure out what separates one from another.  The Tourist Information place has a list of accredited companies, plus a list of blacklisted companies, but they were both well out of date when I looked at them.  Things to be aware of include how many people you'll be travelling with (any more than 4 in total and the minibus will be uncomfortable), what food is provided, where you'll be able to charge camera batteries, if you'll get your own tent (if you're a solo traveller), and if the daily mileage is restricted (a tactic used by superbudget companies). Obviously it's also possible to get a bad guide with a good company (or vice versa), and there are factors out of your control that can make or break a safari, e.g. the other people in your group, and how cooperative the animals and the weather are. 
• I found the company I went with (Private Select Safaris) through a recommendation from a German backpacker I met in my hotel.  When I spoke to the owner, Mike, he was very welcoming and open about his company - he even suggested I drop in at his office later that day as a safari was coming back then and I would be able to ask the customers how it had been. He also said I was welcome to use the Internet in his office for free.  He subsequently had to delay the start date of the safari because one of the other customers was going to arrive late, but he paid for my extra night's accommodation.  
• I also visited Roika Safaris (slightly more expensive at $150 per day and the guy seemed uninterested in giving me any itinerary details) and Lasi Tours (offering $150 per day for a next-day departure, and seemed competent, but I wasn't able to do a next-day departure).
• Tipping is obviously a minefield, but we (as a group) decided on $15 to the guide per day and $10 to the cook per day, all paid at the end.
• Bear in mind that, unlike Masai Mara, in the Tanzanian parks you can ONLY drive on the existing trails, which may well mean you can't get close to some animals.  Hence a pair of binoculars is essential - don't necessarily expect your guide to have any.  
• Also be aware that the Serengeti is dusty - you'll no doubt be driving with the windows open in order to get some fresh air, but that will also let in a load of dust.  As such, be prepared to put on sunglasses and bandanas to keep the dust out of your eyes/nose/mouth.
• It's REALLY cold in, and on the rim of, Ngorongoro Crater, so make sure you have some winter gear if you're camping there.  You'll need a couple of layers just for the game drives.

30th June 2009 TSh20,000 Nightly rate for a private single ensuite room at Hotel Flamingo, with towel, bog roll, breakfast, and a generally excellent shower.
3rd July 2009 TSh1,108,800 (i.e. $140 per day) 6 day/5 night safari to Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and Serengeti National Parks, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area, with Private Select Safaris.  I had my own tent.  You can upgrade to a lodge option, but that means you'll do the driving/safaris with the camping people then split from them in the evenings - not particularly sociable.  The guide/driver was Dixon, who was quiet but could be prodded to reveal more information.  We also had a cook with us.  The vehicle was a Landcruiser with a front seat (containing Dixon and the cook), 2 single seats (containing me and the other solo traveller), and a back 3-seater (containing a couple).  The itinerary was as follows:
Day 1 Pick-up of all customers for a visit to the company office for final payments.  Then drive to Tarangire National Park, arriving at ~1PM.  4 hour safari including decent picnic lunch.  ~1 hour drive to Sun Bright Camp, which has a covered restaurant, a bar, showers, and toilets.  There are also power sockets.  Note that hot water in the morning is limited, so get in there early if you want some.  Dinner at camp.
Day 2 Breakfast at camp. Half-day safari at Lake Manyara National Park (just down the road) starting at ~9AM and lasting ~6 hours, including a packed lunch.  Dinner at camp.
Day 3 Breakfast at camp.  Drive to Seronera Visitor Centre in Serengeti National Park, taking 4 hours 45 minutes including a brief stop at a look-out over the Ngorongoro Crater.  Packed lunch.  Dixon learned from the ranger station that the stragglers from the wildebeest migration were closer to the Kenyan border than originally thought, so he took us to a camp closer to the wildebeest.  Drove to Soki Camp, about 3.5 hours from the visitor centre.  Camp has toilets and hot water, but no electricity.  Dinner at camp.
Day 4 Breakfast at camp.  Half-day safari.  Lunch back at camp.  Afternoon safari specifically to look for wildebeest.  Dinner at camp (still Soki).
Day 5 Breakfast at camp.  Half-day safari while driving to Seronera Visitor Centre.  Packed lunch.  Drive to Simba A camp on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater, arriving late afternoon.  Shower blocks don't seem to have hot water, and there's a mere handful of power sockets for the (literally) hundreds of people camping here, most of which seem to be used by the staff charging their cellphones.  Dinner at camp.
Day 6 Breakfast at camp.  Morning safari in Ngorongoro Crater.  Lunch at camp.  Return to Arusha, arriving early evening.
9th July 2009 TSh25,000 Nightly rate for a private double ensuite room at Hotel Flamingo, with towel, bog roll, breakfast, and an excellent shower.
10th July 2009 TSh700 Stamp for postcard to US
10th July 2009 TSh600 Stamp for postcard to Europe
12th July 2009 TSh28,000 Aircon luxury bus (Dar Express) from Arusha to Ubungo bus station in Dar es Salaam, leaving at 7AM, having a toilet break after 3 hours 45 minutes, stopping for a 30 minute lunch break at Korogwe after 5 hours, then a further 4 hours 30 minutes to Dar (i.e. 10 hours in total).


Dar es Salaam (again)
I couldn't find anywhere offering a sensible spread on Malawian kwacha (for my next destination), e.g. I saw 4 to buy, 8 to sell.
I also couldn't find a Portuguese phrase book (for my next but one destination - Mozambique), even though I could find a Scottish dictionary.
12th July 2009 TSh12,000 Taxi from Ubungo bus station to Econo Lodge in the Muslim quarter.
12th July 2009 TSh20,000 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at Econo Lodge in the Muslim quarter (see 26th June 2009 for further info).
16th July 2009 TSh4,000 Taxi from Econo Lodge to Scandinavian bus terminal.
16th July 2009 TSh30,000 Bus (Scandinavian) from their terminal close to the centre of town to Mbeya, leaving at 6:15AM and taking 13 hours including a 30 minute lunch break and several toilet breaks (note that it also stops at Ubungo bus station before leaving Dar).  It supposedly had aircon but it either didn't work or wasn't in use, however several windows were open.


Mbeya
Mbeya is the main portal for getting into Malawi from Tanzania.  From my research, I'd seen that the most popular scam here is to be sold a ticket supposedly taking you into Malawi (maybe even as far as Lilongwe), even though there are no buses that go further than the border.  However no-one actually tried that one on me.  Instead, I was told by numerous independent observers that the price to the border was TSh3,000, but I couldn't get any of the conductors to go below TSh3,500.
16th July 2009 TSh14,000 Nightly rate for a private ensuite room at New Millenium Inn, with towel, bog roll, TV, and plentiful hot water.
17th July 2009 TSh3,500 Minibus to the border with Malawi.  No idea if I was just unlucky with my choice of minibus, but this was a right palaver.  We left 45 minutes after the departure time I'd been told, then almost immediately stopped in another town for over 1 hour 30 minutes.  About an hour after leaving there, we stopped in another town and I was told I had to change to a different minibus.  We reached the border an hour later.  So only 2 hours of actual travel time in nearly 5 hours of the journey (including my initial unsuccessful attempts to get the price down to the "correct" price).  I then had to walk 1-2km to the actual border.