My Arrivals in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

I have arrived into Dar es Salaam three times in my life over two separate trips.  On my first visit, I flew in from Atlanta (via London and Dubai).  On that same trip, I went to Zanzibar by ferry – and returned from Stone Town by ferry into Dar es Salaam’s port.  Years later, I hiked Kilimanjaro and on the way out of Tanzania, our flight from the Kilimanjaro airport made a short stop in Dar es Salaam on our return flight to Amsterdam.  Of course, this last arrival is inconsequential and I will not talk about it in this post.  But the other two bits with a little on the hotel I stayed at in Dar will be the subject of this post.

Arriving in Dar es Salaam – the first time

The airport in Dar es Salaam is, as you may imagine, not too big so not much to say about arriving there after my 5-hr plus flight from Dubai.  I flew Emirates which meant service was good even though I was traveling in economy class.  Of course, before leaving the airport, I had to clear the typical points of immigration, baggage claim, and customs.

I had pre-obtained my visa at the Tanzanian embassy in Washington, D.C. via a via service my employer used.  That meant that I, at least, saved the messy line to get the visa at arrivals (where it was also very hot!).  The visa desk sat in the baggage claim area which was chaotic and very hot as well.  So, once I had my bag, I was ready to go through customs and out of the airport, on my way to my hotel.

Once outside, I found the driver our local office had sent for me – he was ready to take me to my hotel so that part of my arrival was smooth.  The airport was on the small side but the arrivals area was in the shade and convenient to parking so even if I had had to wait, it would have been comfortable and safe.

As we drove into the city from the airport, the areas we drove through looked industrial at first.  Eventually, we passed some residential areas that looked poor but didn’t seem to be shantytowns.  In fact, it was better than I had expected though I am not really sure I had a clear mental image of what to expect.

My Lodging

My hotel was outside of the city center near Oyster Bay and next to St. Peter’s Catholic Church – right by Ali Hassan Mwinyi Rd, a main drag.  There did not seem to be much around it except a church.  It seemed rather puzzling.  The hotel grounds were surrounded by a high wall and had a gate and guardhouse at the entrance.  It was kind of like a Residence Inn (it was part of the South African Protea chain, now affiliated with Marriott but not back then).

(Photo courtesy of St. Peter’s CC)

As I learned later, the hotel which was near Oyster Bay, was at the edge of a neighborhood of large houses where ex-pats and government officials live but, again, there was no commercial establishment in the immediate vicinity.  I also eventually learned we were not far from the new U.S Embassy built after the former embassy was destroyed by terrorist bombs in the 1990s (as was the Nairobi one).  This embassy was of significant size and very well secured.  A little further from the Embassy lay a restaurant and shopping area (Masaki) clearly targeted at ex-pats and people of money.  It was no different in a way to places we see in the U.S. and that surprised me especially the restaurant area near the Sea Cliff Hotel, where one can find a supermarket with Western products (if one needs stuff!).

The best though was a local shopping strip between my hotel and the embassy (Shoppers Plaza on Mwai Kibaki Rd.) which, though probably also geared to ex-pats, also seemed to have a local bent.  There was a great little bakery, a supermarket, and a homestyle eatery that was actually pretty good (though on my first visit there I was a little hesitant…).  It is where I had my first biriani – mmm!!

I did eat my breakfasts and many dinners in the hotel’s restaurant (I went into the office on a normal business schedule so did not explore much during the weekdays except the places mentioned beforehand).  The food at the hotel was very good and the staff attentive but also, I could tell, fairly green (not that they were messing up, just that they seem new at the hospitality business).  One big downside (especially after so many days staying at the hotel and eating at the restaurant):  the same playlist kept playing over and over with maybe 5-7 songs in it…  It was beginning to drive me nuts!

Returning to Dar from Zanzibar by ferry yields a mild scare…

My funnest experience was the day I arrived by ferry from Zanzibar and I accidentally skipped the path to customs (it’s all the same country but they make you go through customs on the way back from Zanzibar) and I missed my driver picking me up…  I waited for like 45 mins as it was getting dark and the crowd from the ferry left.  I was left alone with some local young guys and a taxi or two.  I didn’t have enough currency for a taxi ride to my hotel but I figured the hotel would have to help me out on the fare… when all of a sudden, my driver comes out from the customs area!  He had been waiting for me down there and had been calling folks from the local office to figure out what had happened to me.  A little bit of a moment for all of us (especially when the taxi driver I was about to use wanted one of his “friends” to ride with us – which I refused to very forcefully).

Anyone have any other insights for tourists or others who may be moving there?  What are some recommendations on places to live, dine, etc.?