Top places to visit in Dar es Salaam

• National Museum of Tanzania

  Museum · about 1.5 h · entry USD 7

  National history museum with the Olduvai hominid fossils, Shirazi and Zanzibari heritage and colonial-era exhibits.

• Village Museum (Makumbusho)

  Heritage · about 1.5 h · entry USD 7

  Open-air museum of traditional Tanzanian tribal dwellings with live music and dance on weekends.

• Kariakoo Market

  Market · about 1 h

  Sprawling, frenetic wholesale market district — the commercial heartbeat of Dar es Salaam.

• St Joseph's Cathedral

  Church · about 0.5 h

  German Gothic-style Catholic cathedral on the harbourfront, a striking colonial-era landmark.

• Askari Monument

  Heritage · about 0.3 h

  Bronze memorial to African soldiers of WWI at the symbolic centre of downtown Dar es Salaam.

• Bongoyo Island

  Beach · about 5 h · entry USD 15

  Marine-reserve island 30 minutes by boat from the Slipway with snorkelling, grilled fish and a quiet beach.

Things to do

• Bongoyo Island Snorkelling Day Trip Tour · 6 h · from USD 35 per person
• Dar es Salaam City Tour Cultural · 4 h · from USD 40 per person
• Kariakoo & Kivukoni Markets Walk Cultural · 3 h · from USD 25 per person
• Village Museum Cultural Tour Cultural · 2 h · from USD 15 per person

Day trips and tours

• Dar City Tour & Bongoyo Island 8 h · from USD 75

Where to stay in Dar es Salaam

• Masaki & Oyster Bay about TZS 180 per night

  Upscale peninsula with seafront hotels, restaurants and easy island-boat access.

• City Centre & Kivukoni about TZS 130 per night

  Downtown near the museums, ferry terminal and colonial landmarks.

Hotels

• Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro 5-star
• Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel 5-star
• Southern Sun Dar es Salaam 4-star
• Ramada Resort Dar es Salaam 4-star

Where to eat

• Addis in Dar Ethiopian · about TZS 30,000 per person
• Samaki Samaki Seafood, International, Sushi · about TZS 40,000 per person
• Karambezi Cafe Seafood, International · about TZS 45,000 per person

Getting around

• Ferry main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Minibus main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Ride Hail main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Tuktuk main way to get around

  Seeded from the curated primary_local_modes array; per-city parameters not yet researched.

• Walking

  Every city has walking. 2.5 km ceiling is a placeholder default, not a researched per-city figure -- Singapore is sheltered and air-conditioned, Bangkok often has no pavement.

Safety and scams to avoid

• Unmetered taxi overcharging

  Julius Nyerere Airport & city centre

  Taxi drivers quote inflated fares to tourists as there are no meters, especially from the airport.

  How to avoid it: Use the Bolt or Uber app, or agree the fare before getting in. Airport to city is roughly TZS 40,000-60,000.

More in Tanzania

• Zanzibar (Stone Town)
• Serengeti (Seronera)
• Ngorongoro (Karatu)
• Moshi (Kilimanjaro)
• Arusha