How to Reach Tanzania

By Air

Tanzania is easily accessible by air, sea and road. With four international airports - Dar es Salaam International Airport (located 15 km southwest of Dar es Salaam and taking approximately 25 minutes to reach by car from the city center), Zanzibar International Airport (located approximately 7 km from the center and taking almost 15 minutes to reach by car, Kilimanjaro International Airport ( 40 km from Arusha town and takes almost one hour to reach by car) and Mwanza Airport that caters mainly for cargo uplifts especially of frozen fish fillet for the European Union market - travelers can easily plan their visits to Tanzania.

Major world airlines like British Airways, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Kenya Airways, Emirates, Ethiopian Airlines, Gulf Air, Air India, Egypt Air, South African Airways, Oman Air, Yemen Air and Qatar Airways fly in and out of Dar es Salaam , Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar International airports. Air Tanzania, Precision Air and a number of domestic commercial operators fly to various destinations within and out of the country.

KLM has daily non-stop flights from Amsterdam to Kilimanjaro and Dar es Salaam International Airports. Swiss International Airlines operates four weekly flights from Geneva and Zurich to Dar es Salaam. British Airways also operates three weekly non-stop from Heathrow to Dar es Salaam . Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways, Egypt Air, Gulf Air, Emirates, Oman Air, Yemen Air and Qatar Airways link Tanzania with the Gulf, the Indian sub-continent and Far East, the People's Republic of China included.

By Railway

Tanzania is well served by two rail networks - the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC) which runs passenger and goods services along the central line between Dar es Salaam and terminal stations on both Lake Victoria (Mwanza) and Lake Tanganyika (Kigoma). Another link - Tanga Line, connects the northern coast port of Tanga with the northern regions of Kilimanjaro and Arusha.

The second rail network is the Tanzania Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA). This line, which was financed with a historical generous grant from the People's Republic of China, runs southwest from Dar es Salaam for a distance of 1,800 km through the world's largest and famous Selous Game Reserve and the mineral rich southern highlands. It then runs across the border with Zambia and continues to New Kapiri Mposhi where it is well connected to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia itself, Zimbabwe and South African Railway networks. Goods from Southern Africa utilize this railway by operating goods train services up to Kidatu where there is an Inland Rail Terminal liking with Tanzania Railways Corporation line.

By Road

Over 90% of passenger traffic and 80% of internal freight is carried by roads thus road network plays an important role in the socio-economic development of the country. The Tanzania National Roads Agency (TANROADS) is responsible for the management of the 35,000 kilometre trunk and regional roads network. The government, with the support of its development partners, has embarked on an extensive maintenance, rehabilitation and upgrading programme for all roads. The presence of Chinese construction engineers in this area is very conspicuous. Projects that have been completed include the construction of the longest bridge in Eastern, Central and Southern Africa - the Mkapa Bridge on Rufiji River along the Dar Es Salaam-Lindi-Mtwara Road and the 65-kilometre Wazo Hill-Bagamoyo road. The completion of these projects will improve living standards of people along their routes, improve access to areas of agricultural production and promote tourism. 

By Sea/Lakes

There are four major ports: Tanga, Dar es Salaam , Mtwara and Zanzibar. These ports are well equipped and form a very important gateway link to the world and to the land-locked countries of Uganda , Rwanda , Burundi , the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Malawi . Several private ferry boat operators serve the Dar es Salaam - Zanzibar route using range of crafts from sailing dhows to tourist-class twin-hull fast boats. The fastest boat takes 75 minutes on a calm day. Bookings can be made through most travel agents.