Pass The Passport

Places / Africa

Tanzania

Visited

At a glance

Region
Eastern Africa
Capital
Dodoma
Population
70.5 million (2025)
Area
945,087 km²
Languages
English, Swahili
Currency
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Drives on the
left
Calling code
+255
Visited: Tanzania

Country visited City visited Still to go Click a pin or country to read more. Zoom with + and −, a double-click or a pinch.

Before you go

Overview

Tanzania is located in East Africa. The capital city is Dodoma. It is also the centre of national politics. Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania and the former capital city.

The highest mountain in East Africa is Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania with a national park. Tanzanians witness the Great Wildebeest migration every year as they cross to search for freshwater and pastures.

Vasco da Gama a Portuguese explorer arrived at the Tanzanian coast in 1498. The German began to colonize and administer the mainland as the British colonized the Zanzibar in 1884. By 1916, the mainland was occupied by the British, Belgian and South Africans. The British were given an official mandate over Tanganyika in 1919 by the League of Nations. Tanganyika gained independence in 1961 with Julius Nyerere as the Prime Minister while Zanzibar gained independence in 1963. Tanganyika and Zanzibar combined their regions to become Tanzania in 1964. Multiparty politics was passed by the constitution in 1992.

Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania

As of 2018, it had a population of 56.32 million. It has an area of 945,087 km2.

The official languages are Swahili.

The education system comprises of seven years of primary schooling, four years of ordinary secondary level, two years of advanced secondary level and three of years of university.

The major religions are Christianity and Islam.

The country’s most popular sports are football, boxing and athletics.

It has a tropical climate. There are two rainy seasons, short rains from October to December and long rains beginning March to June. The coastal areas are hot and humid while in the northwest cold and temperate. The country’s main exports are tobacco, cashew nuts, coffee, tea, cotton, coconuts, fish fillets and Brazil nuts. It also exports gold.

Tanzania is bordered on the north by Uganda, on the northeast by Kenya, on the east by the Comoro Islands and the Indian Ocean, on the south by Mozambique and Malawi, on the southwest by Zambia and the west by Rwanda, Burundi and DRC.

Elephant, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

From the late 1970s, Tanzania’s economy took a turn for the worse. Tanzania aligned with China, seeking Chinese aid. The Chinese were quick to comply, but with the condition that all projects be completed by imported Chinese labour. From the mid 1980s, the regime financed itself by borrowing from the International Monetary Fund and underwent some reforms. From the mid 1980s Tanzania’s GDP per capita has grown and poverty has been reduced.

The Tanzania mainland is bounded by Uganda, Lake Victoria, and Kenya to the north, by the Indian Ocean to the east, by Mozambique, Lake Nyasa, Malawi, and Zambia to the south and southwest, and by Lake Tanganyika, Burundi, and Rwanda to the west.

History

Swahili city-states and Omani sultans controlled the coast and Zanzibar, before German and then British rule. Tanganyika and Zanzibar united in 1964 to form Tanzania.

Food & culture

Ugali, pilau rice, nyama choma and Zanzibar spices are central to the cuisine.

Wildlife

The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Selous (Nyerere) host the Big Five and the Great Migration.

Festivals & events

Sauti za Busara in Zanzibar and the Zanzibar International Film Festival are major events.

Things to see

Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Stone Town in Zanzibar and the Mafia and Pemba islands.

Interesting facts

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world.

City guides

Cities & towns I’ve visited

Famous hikes in Tanzania

Kilimanjaro

Distance
60 to 90 km depending on route
Time
5 to 9 days
Best time
January to March, or June to October

How to do it: You must climb with a licensed guide and crew, so book through a tour company. Take a longer route, like the seven-day Machame or eight-day Lemosho, to give yourself time to acclimatise and a better chance of reaching the summit.

See it on my bucket list

Run a marathon in Tanzania

Kilimanjaro Marathon

Moshi · usually February or March

Run in the foothills of Kilimanjaro. Many runners stay on to climb the mountain afterwards.

Dates move from year to year, so check the race website before you book.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Tanzania

4 of 7 visited. See every site I've been to.

My videos from Tanzania

  • Cheetahs hunting in the Serengeti
    Serengeti, Tanzania

  • Big cats of Africa: lions and cheetahs
    South Africa and the Serengeti, Tanzania

My photos from Tanzania

From 2 trips, newest first, so you can see which places each set of photos came from.

August 2019 Overlanding East Africa - Oasis Overland + Extras

Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Monduli, Ngorongoro, Bariadi, Stone Town, Zanzibar, Mjini, Moshi Rural

Whole trip gallery
  • The vast Ngorongoro Crater seen from the forested rim
  • Cheetahs crossing the dry grass of the Serengeti.
  • A male lion resting in the grass in the Serengeti.
  • A line of giraffes walking across the Serengeti plains.
  • A kori bustard striding through the grass in Ngorongoro Crater.
  • A family of vervet monkeys in the Serengeti.
  • An ornate balconied building in Stone Town, Zanzibar.
  • Looking down the green walls of Ngorongoro Crater.
  • A rooftop view over buildings and palm trees to a turquoise sea with boats.
  • Green forested hills seen between tall trees under a cloudy sky.
  • Two turtles resting at the edge of a round pond covered in green water plants.
  • A man giving a thumbs up while standing on the step of a yellow overland truck.

October 2008 Moshi

Moshi

Whole trip gallery
  • Four young men in fleeces standing together in the forest at the start of a Kilimanjaro trek.
  • Hikers resting by picnic benches on rocky moorland high on Mount Kilimanjaro.
  • A group of trekkers posing on a rocky trail with Kilimanjaro's snow-capped Kibo summit behind them.
  • Two hikers on a path through moss-covered rainforest on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro.
  • The Marangu Route park headquarters sign at Kilimanjaro National Park.
  • Trekkers with walking poles posing among dark volcanic rocks on Kilimanjaro.

Plan your trip to Tanzania

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Neighbours

Bucket List goals in Tanzania