The currency of Tanzania is known as the Tanzanian shilling, denoted by the symbol “TSh” or by “/=” or “/-” following the number (ISO code:TZS). There are 5 notes and 4 coins:

• Notes – 10,000 (red); 5,000 (violet); 2,000 (brown); 1,000 (blue), and 500 (green) {500 have recently been changed to coins} denominations.
• Coins – 500, 200, 100 and 50 denominations.

Notes and coins vary in size and color. In descending size order, 10,000 is the largest note, and 500 is the smallest.

Tanzanian currency exchangers usually have a different exchange rate for different US$ denominations, larger and newer bills having a better exchange rate than older and smaller bills. The difference in exchange rate between larger and newer bills having a better exchange rate than older and smaller bills. The difference in exchange rate between $1/$5 bills and $50/$100 bills may exceed ten percent. Older US$100 notes are no longer accepted in Tanzania/you’ll have to carry over 40 notes around! bills and $50/$100 bills may exceed ten percent. Older US$100 notes are no longer accepted in Tanzania, and any note older than 2003 will most likely be refused everywhere. Also, it’s best to avoid attempting to exchange notes with pen marks or any writing on them. If you withdraw a large amount of money, in the range of US$400, you’ll have to carry over 40 notes around!

The 10 000 and 5000 notes can be difficult to break when shopping in small shops, a.k.a. dukas. In Tanzania, it’s usually the customer’s responsibility to provide exact change. But if they do agree to provide change, you could be left with several 1000 and 500 notes of very poor quality. However, you won’t have such problems in the large hotels and restaurants catering to foreigners.

In general, stores, restaurants, and hotels in Tanzania expect payment in Tanzanian shilling. Exceptions include payment for travel visas, entry fees to national parks (which must be paid in US dollars by non-residents), and payments for safaris and Kilimanjaro treks, which are generally priced in US dollars (though payment will be also accepted in other currencies). On Zanzibar, prices are generally in US dollars (including the ferry fare from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar), and non-residents are required to pay for hotels with foreign currency (although the hotel will change Tanzanian shilling for you).

Most hotels will exchange US dollars, euros and British pounds for Tanzanian shillings. Other currencies, such as Canadian or Australian dollars, may be accepted but at rates far below the going rate. ATMs are mostly located in the city center and on the Msasani Peninsula. For those wishing to withdraw money from bank accounts back home, in general, Equity Bank and Ecobank, ATMs work with Master card, PLUS, Cirrus, Union Pay, American Express, JCB, Diners club, Discover compatible cards. If you have a PIN code for your credit card, almost all Tanzanian banks with ATMs will allow cash advances on credit cards like Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Union Pay, JCB, Diners Club, Discover cards’ If the ATM reports your home balance in TSh, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that you’re a “shillionaire”. Equity bank and Ecobank have no ATM fees for overseas bank cards at their ATMs.

Traveler’s checks have become virtually impossible to cash in all banks in Tanzania. Since ATMs are much more prevalent, using credit cards to withdrawals from your personal accounts is much easier now days.

Credit cards can be used in big supermarkets, malls, large hotels, resorts, and with certain travel agents.

BY BUS AND MINI BUS:

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 Express – 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.

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 – 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, and Ubungo. 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 or 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. It’s probably not the safest option. You can negotiate the fare in advance, but sometimes the driver doesn’t know your destination (there’s no Dar es Salaam ‘knowledge’) and won’t know how much to charge. Drivers generally quote 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 travellers 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.

BY PLANE:

If you can afford it, flying around Tanzania is faster and safer. See Tanzania#By_plane 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.

BY CAR:

Car hire – rent a car for private use:

Car hire in Tanzania is affordable and there are many reliable 4WD jeeps like Landcruisers and Landrovers available for hire. 4WD cars are comfortable and can withstand all weather road conditions in Tanzania. When you want to travel comfortably anywhere in Tanzania, being rural areas or National parks, choose private travel in a Landcruiser or Landrover.

There are several local tour operators which have fleet of cars for hire in major airports like Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere Airport, Kilimanjaro International Airport, major cities and all towns which are peripheral to tourist destinations like Moshi, Mwanza, Arusha, and Karatu around Ngorongoro.

EAT:

• Produce is often of very high quality. Meat and milk can prove difficult for western taste and diets, so be sure that all meat is cooked through. At hotels, you won’t have any trouble, but if you venture into small villages, make sure that all water is filtered or boiled before drinking and all fruits and vegetables are peeled before eating.
• Local dishes include Mtori – cooked beef and bananas – and Mchicha, a vegetable stew with meat or fish in it.
• If there is anything that can be called Tanzania’s national dish, then Ugali would most likely win out. A polenta-style dish made with corn flour, it accompanies cooked meat and a variety of stews, and it’s eaten with your hands. Recipes vary from village to village, and everyone has their own way of making it. Many foreigners find it bland and unappealing, but it’s worth a try, and some upscale establishments serve it.
• Chai Maziwa (chai with milk) is a local favorite and well worth trying if you can handle the large amounts of sugar added to this drink.
• Street food is also cheap and plentiful. Barbecued maize on the cob is very nice, as are the chipped potatoes (fries), cooked over a roaring fire.
• Mandazi is a sweet doughnut-styled food that is mostly made fresh each morning. Great with coffee in the morning, it makes an ideal snack.
• Tanzania’s large South Asian community ensures that a great variety of restaurants offer cuisine from all parts of that region of the globe. All eateries near Hindu temples (particularly in Dar) are a good bet. Just watch where the local Indians go to eat, and you won’t be disappointed. Most of the food is cooked in large amounts of Ghee, clarified butter, which can be hard for some people to digest.
• Chips Mayai (chips cooked in an omelet) are served at nearly every African food stand in Tanzania and are considered a Tanzanian specialty. They’re quite good with pili pili (hot sauce).

DRINK:

• Konyagi is a wonderful gin-like beverage, sold only in Tanzania.
• Domestic beers are Kilimanjaro, Serengeti,Balimi, Pilsner, Kibo and Safari, which are western-style and very good. Imports include Tusker, Stella Artois, and Castle.
• Locally produced banana-beer is also available at times, but questionably safe to drink. Traditionally, you will drink this out of a hollowed gourd. First drink the guests, who then pass it to the elders. In some parts of Tanzania, fermented bamboo juice (Pombe) is the common tipple.
• Passion fruit, mango, and orange juices are available in many restaurants, and excellent when the fruits are in season.
• Soft drinks are widely available; Stoney Tangawizi (ginger ale – tangawizi means ‘ginger’, in Swahili) is one of the most popular.
• Mbege, a locally made drink made up of ripe bananas and finger millet, commonly in the northern Tanzania from the chagga community in the Kilimanjaro region.
• Other popular beverages are Fanta Orange, Fanta Passion, Fanta Pineapple, Pepsi, mirinda, Bitter Lemon, soda water, tonic water, and lassi (a sweet or salty yogurt drink).
• Northern Tanzania has a number of great coffee plantations. Although coffee does not have the same popularity in Tanzania as it has in Ethiopia, with a bit of searching you can find a decent cup of java, instead of the instant “Africa” coffee that is served in most restaurants. All large hotels in Dar make good coffee. If you want to brew your own cup, Msumbi Coffee Shop, +255 22 260 0380, Sea Cliff Village, sells Tanzanian coffee beans ground or whole, roasted on the premises.

Be sure to avoid touts. If you are travelling as a couple, a good idea is for one person to sit in a lobby or restaurant with the bags, while the other scopes out rooms. You are likely to get a cheaper price without the bags, and not be targeted by sneaky touts that will raise the price US$5-10 for you for their commission.