Things to do in Dar es Salaam
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Dar es Salaam
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Long dry season, best overall: driest, clearest seas, best safari and easiest Pugu hiking.
Short rains with sharp afternoon showers, green city, warm seas and good value outside Christmas and New Year.
Hot dry spell, hottest and most humid, calm seas and good snorkelling but plan shade and midday breaks.
Long rains, worst months with April worst: flooding, traffic chaos, rained out islands and slippery trails.
What's on
- Charity Goat Races September
On The Green, Msasani, raising money yearly for schools and charities.
- Saba Saba / Dar International Trade Fair late June to 7 July
Huge trade fair, city buzzing and traffic worse, Saba Saba Day is 7 July.
- Nane Nane 8 August
Farmers day national holiday with a festive long weekend feel.
- Karibu / Kilifair June
Tourism expo in Arusha, relevant if combining north and south.
- Sauti za Busara February
Music festival in Stone Town, Zanzibar, the region best festival trip extender by ferry.
Best things to do in Dar es Salaam
Kivukoni Fish Market
Dawn auction, landing boats and grills cooking the catch make this the best single hour in the city centre.
Village Museum
Open air traditional houses from across Tanzania that teach how homes and villages differ by region.
National Museum & House of Culture
Olduvai and Laetoli material plus Swahili coast and colonial history give the fastest grounding in Tanzania.
Kariakoo Market
Huge working bazaar for food, spices, coffee and fabric that shows what Dar actually buys every day.
Old Town waterfront walk: St Joseph's Cathedral, Azania Front Lutheran Church, Old Boma & Askari Monument
Guided walk linking the cathedral, Azania Front church, Old Boma and Askari Monument through Dar colonial layers.
Tingatinga Arts Cooperative
Watch painters work, commission a piece and buy direct for Dar signature Tingatinga art at fair prices.
Mwenge Woodcarvers Market
Makonde carvers work ebony in front of you, and watching the carving is half the visit before bargaining.
Coco Beach
Dar living room at weekends with families, football, music, street grills and sunset over the bay.
Where to stay in Dar es Salaam
Masaki & Oyster Bay, Msasani Peninsula
first trip, all-round base
Leafy peninsula with sea breezes, best restaurants and bars, Slipway and Sea Cliff anchors and island boats nearby.
Kivukoni / Posta / CBD waterfront
business, ferries and one-night transits
Harbourfront big hotels near the ferry, fish market and old town walk, but the CBD empties after business hours.
Upanga
mid-range value near the centre
Established residential district west of the CBD with good mid range hotels, serviced apartments and easier prices.
Mikocheni & Mbezi Beach
longer stays and families
Residential Mikocheni and the north beach strip offer serviced apartments, resorts, space and quiet over centrality.
Kigamboni
beach-first, city-second stay
Across the bridge with beach houses and lodges on South Beach, lovely for a final beach night but wrong for sightseeing.
Think twice about
- Kariakoo
Extreme crowding and traffic, constant pickpocket pressure, weak hotel security and a feel that changes after about 6pm.
- Ilala / Kisutu / bus-stand and dala-dala terminal streets
Rough edged after dark with dark streets and hustling, and few guarded lit hotel frontages.
- Ubungo
Main upcountry bus station area flagged for criminal activity, with no leisure reason to stay near it.
- Tandika, Temeke and the deep south / airport-road sprawl
Largely residential or industrial, long traffic choked rides from sights and almost no visitor infrastructure.
Best restaurants in Dar es Salaam
305 Karafuu
Garden restaurant for contemporary Tanzanian and seafood cooking, the local special occasion pick.
Karambezi Café
Ocean terrace for grilled fish, lobster or tuna at sunset, with live bands Friday to Sunday.
Addis in Dar
Proper Ethiopian injera and sharing platters with a strong vegetarian range for mixed groups.
Mamboz Corner
Cheap eats legend for nyama choma, mishkaki, gajjar chicken, lemon chicken and fresh naan.
Akemi Revolving Restaurant
Revolving restaurant above the CBD, book a window table for sunset and the harbour view dinner.
Epi d'Or
Lebanese cafe, restaurant and bakery, Dar best breakfast to lunch institution for bread and cakes.
Dar Fish Market
Newer seafood restaurant for very fresh fish simply done, a rising pick with strong early scores.
Bravo Coco Beach
Beach bar seafood with sand side tables and the Coco Beach view, best late afternoon into sunset.
Outdoor things to do in Dar es Salaam
Bongoyo Island
Uninhabited reserve island with white sand, clear water, snorkelling, bandas and grilled fish for lunch.
Mbudya Island
Bigger livelier island beach with more space, bandas, snorkelling hire and a fuller grilled seafood scene.
Bagamoyo
Sobering slave route town with Kaole ruins, old fort, early mission church and coral rag streets.
Mikumi National Park
Real one day safari by new railway with elephants, giraffe, zebra, buffalo, hippos and lions possible.
Nyerere National Park
Vast southern wilderness on the Rufiji with boat, walking and vehicle safaris and far fewer vehicles.
Pugu Hills Forest Reserve
Ancient coastal forest trails to a lake and city lookout, with colobus monkeys, birds and butterflies.
Lugalo Golf Club
Full 18 hole course rated as Dar main game, best played early before heat and humidity build.
Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club
Historic 9 hole course by the Serena for a quick central round and clubhouse stop.
Best hotels in Dar es Salaam
Sea Cliff Hotel
Peninsula grand resort with clifftop pool, gardens, two restaurants, casino and famous sunsets.
Coral Beach Hotel
Smaller boutique resort with private beach feel, pool and garden when Sea Cliff feels too big.
Hotel Slipway
Sleep inside the Slipway complex where Bongoyo and Mbudya island boats leave each morning.
Peninsula Hotel
Solid quieter four star on Haile Selassie Road near Coco Beach with a good gym.
Delta Hotels by Marriott Dar es Salaam
Modern chain reliability with Slipway area shopping and restaurants on site.
Sleepwalking in Oyster Bay
Budget Peninsula guesthouse style stay near Coco Beach with pool and shared lounge.
Triniti Oysterbay
Budget guesthouse stay near Coco Beach, book only on recent reviews as quality varies.
Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro
Flagship business hotel with harbour views, spa, pool, rooftop and ferry terminal a short walk away.
Is Dar es Salaam expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | TZS 120,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | TZS 340,000 a person |
| Splurge | TZS 750,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Bagamoyo: a few days ahead
- Mikumi National Park: a few days ahead
- Nyerere National Park: weeks ahead
- Lugalo Golf Club: a few days ahead
- Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club: a few days ahead
- Dar es Salaam Yacht Club: a few days ahead
- Azam Marine Ferry Terminal: a few days ahead
- 305 Karafuu: a few days ahead
- Peninsula hotels in June to October and over Christmas and New Year.
- 305 Karafuu and Akemi window tables days ahead for weekends.
- Mikumi by train and Nyerere safaris, Zanzibar ferries in peak season, and golf visitor slots via your hotel.
Is Dar es Salaam safe?
- Risk is opportunistic crime in crowded markets, dark streets, Toure Drive and Coco Beach, Ubungo and the South Beach ferry area.
- Choose guarded accommodation, keep bags in the boot and doors locked in traffic.
- Check the current advisory for your dates and avoid demonstrations and political gatherings entirely.
- Carry cash in small notes, drink bottled or filtered water, and use repellent and cover up at dusk for malaria.
Dar es Salaam travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Basing downtown for a holiday, and treating Coco Beach as a swimming beach day instead of going to Bongoyo or Mbudya.
- Visiting the National Museum without a guide, and departing Mbudya from White Sands at low tide.
- Unreviewed ultra cheap safari or private boat deals, and showing valuables or a camera in Kariakoo.
- Photographing government buildings, the port, bridges up close or officials.
Getting around Dar es Salaam: public transport and more
- Build itineraries geographically and expect 20 to 90 plus minutes Peninsula to CBD by traffic.
- Use Bolt or Uber by default, hotel or restaurant cars late at night, and DART buses by day on their corridors.
- Walk in Masaki and Oyster Bay by day only, never as night transport, and do not self drive as a visitor.
- Leave 3 to 4 hours before an international flight at peak traffic.
Who Dar es Salaam suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Dar es Salaam your trip
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