Home

Tanzania is the biggest country in East Africa, surrounded by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. To the east it touches the Indian Ocean. Talk: Most Tanzanians learn their local tribal language first. Then, in primary school, they learn Kiswahili. When they go to secondary school, they are taught English. As elsewhere, English is more commonly spoken in larger cities and tourist destinations. Weather: Tanzania's weather varies from humid and hot in low lying areas, such as Dar es Salaam, to hot during the day and cool at night in Arusha. There are no visible seasons, such as winter and summer -- only the dry and wet seasons. Tanzania has two rainy seasons: The short rains from late-October to late-December, a.k.a. the Mango Rains, and the long rains from March to May.

Culture: The music of Tanzania stretches from customary African music to the string-based taarab to a typical hip hop known as bongo flava. Famous taarab singer’s names are Abbasi Mzee, Culture Musical Club, Shakila of Black Star Musical Group. Religions: Current statistics on religion in Tanzania are unavailable because religious surveys were eliminated from government census reports after 1967. Religious leaders and sociologists estimate that the Christian and Muslim communities are equal, each accounting for 30 to 40 percent of the population, with the remainder consisting of practitioners of other faiths, indigenous religions, and atheists. Eat & Drink: 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 which meat or fish in it. Konyagi is a wonderful gin-like beverage, sold only in Tanzania.

Work: There is an ample variety of volunteer organizations sending volunteers and interns to Tanzania to do work in health care, orphanages, education, and development projects. Finding a paying job may be more of a scary task, taking more time and making use of local connections, but a job could be surely available when sought hard enough. Sleep: Sunrise and sunset are always the same time (about 7) at the equator. Be sure to avoid touts. If you are traveling 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. Learn: Various schools and volunteer programs offer courses ranging from Beginners Swahili to Economic Development. Dar es Salaam also has a well-established University, which has exchange programs with several universities in the US and other countries.