Get Around

The bus is the most common way to travel around in Tanzania. Most buses have a simple design, and the roads are poor, although 1st class air-con buses are available on the Dar-Moshi-Arusha route (Dar Expres s- ticket office on Libya Street downtown or office no. 45 at Ubungo). Nearly all buses go in and out of Dar es Salaam. The main bus station in Dar (where all buses go), Ubungo, is 8 km west of the city center. A number of the better “intercity buses” provide you with complimentary drinks and biscuits. Scandinavia Express is a good choice if you want to travel by bus, as their routes cover much of the country, although they have fallen on hard times of late. They operate their own terminal in downtown Dar es Salaam.

In Dar, minibuses called Dala-Dalas can be taken cheaply to most places within the city. The fare is written on the front next to the door – currently it’s usually TSH 250 for adults (2011) except for longer distances. The route of the bus is also stenciled on the front and sides of the bus, e.g. ‘Posta-Mwenge’ and there’s a colour coding system. Posta (outside the central post office on Azikiwe/Maktaba Street) is the main downtown daladala hub. Others are Kariakoo, Mwenge, Buguruni, Ubungo etc. Hop on the daladala, take a seat if there is one, and pay the conductor (‘konda’) when he shakes his pile of coins at you in a meaningful way. The konda shouts the names of the stops – if you don’t know where you are, or don’t know the name of your destination stop, it’ll be hard to know where to get off. If possible, it’s worth asking someone at your destination, since the stops sometimes have no signs at all – people ‘just know’ that certain street corners are the daladala stop and the names are not obvious (e.g. ‘Sudani’ on the Masaki-Posta line – near the Sudanese ambassador’s residence on Toure Drive). When you hear/see your stop and want to get off, shout ‘Shusha!’ (let me off), the konda will knock on the chassis twice, and the driver will immediately swerve to the side and stop. The daladalas don’t run very late; on the east side of town the latest ones are the Msasani and Mwenge routes.

There are also three-wheeled tuktuks/baby taxis/CNGs/bajajis that zoom around. They are cheaper than a taxi, and can get past traffic jams. Probably not the safest option but I haven’t heard of any bajaji-related problems. You can negotiate the fare in advance, but sometimes the driver doesn’t know your destination 8there’s no Dar es Salaam ‘knowledge’) and won’t know how much to charge. The drivers I’ve taken have generally quoted pretty fair prices (maybe with a reasonable ‘skin tax’ for white people) at the destination and if they’re trying to rip you off you can usually tell by the leer. It may be handy to know ‘right’ and ‘left’ in Swahili: kulia (right), kushoto (left), moja kwa moja (straight), simama (stop), asante kaka (thanks brother).

Private taxis are also a convenient choice, but be sure to negotiate the price before you use them. Fellow travelers might be able to offer advice about a reasonable fare. Some places (e.g. Dar Es Salaam Airport) have a strong taxi cartel and post fixed prices.

If you can afford it, flying around Tanzania is faster and safer. See “By plane” in the “Get In” section above. Even the busiest roads are in poor condition, and bus drivers are not known for their patience or great driving skills. Road accidents claim more lives in Tanzania than any other cause of death.