Everyday practical information for Tanzania

Greetings, which really matter

You do not start a conversation in Tanzania by asking for something. Skipping the greeting is the commonest way a visitor comes across as rude without realising it.

• Say hello first, always, before a question, a price or a request.
• Jambo is the tourist greeting; mambo or habari is what people actually say. Answer poa or nzuri.
• Shikamoo is the respectful greeting to someone older, answered marahaba. Using it will visibly delight people.
• Asante for thank you, karibu for you are welcome, and karibu also means welcome, come in.
• Handshakes are common and lingering. Use the right hand.
• Pole pole means slowly and is both a mountain instruction and a national philosophy.

Manners

• Use the right hand for eating, giving and receiving.
• Ask before photographing people, and expect to be asked for money by someone posing. Both are fair.
• Do not photograph the Maasai without agreeing a price, which is a straightforward transaction rather than an insult.
• Public affection is not done, between any couple.
• Dress modestly away from beach resorts. Shorts on a man are acceptable in tourist areas and out of place in a village.

Language

• Swahili is the national language and English is widely spoken in tourism, government and cities.
• A dozen words of Swahili go further here than in almost any country. It is a phonetic, regular, welcoming language and people respond warmly to any attempt.
• Outside towns, English thins out fast.

Practical odds and ends

• Plugs are the British three-pin type G, with type D also found, at 230 V, 50 Hz.
• Power cuts are routine and generators run on schedules. Charge everything when you can.
• Swahili time is counted from sunrise, so "saa mbili" is 08:00 rather than 02:00. Confirm times in numbers with anyone local, not just as words.
• Bargaining is expected in markets and for taxis, not in shops or restaurants.
• Toilets outside hotels are often squat and rarely have paper. Carry tissue and hand gel.
• Tanzania is a poor country and you are visibly wealthy in it. Being asked for money is normal; giving to children in the street is discouraged by every local organisation, which prefer donations to schools and clinics.
• Zanzibar and the coast follow Ramadan closely. Eating and drinking in public in daylight is poor manners there during the month.