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Dar es Salaam
Quick facts
- Country: Tanzania
- Currency: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)
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Dar es Salaam, Tanzania — one of the real routes we help travelers book flights to.
Country
Tanzania
Currency
Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)
History
Dar es Salaam began as Mzizima, a small Swahili fishing village on the coast opposite Zanzibar. In 1865-66, Sultan Majid bin Said of Zanzibar started building a new town next to it, naming it Dar es Salaam — Arabic for "haven of peace" — intending it as a second capital, but the project stalled after his death in 1870. Growth resumed in 1887 when the German East Africa Company set up a trading post there, and in 1891 the Germans made it the administrative capital of German East Africa, later extending the Central Railway Line inland from the port. British forces took the city in 1916 during the First World War, and it remained the seat of government through independence in 1961. Tanzania's official capital moved to Dodoma in the 1970s, but most ministries and the bulk of the country's commercial and diplomatic activity stayed in Dar es Salaam, which is now East Africa's largest city with a population above 7 million.
Top Sites to Visit
National Museum of Tanzania
Houses hominid fossils from Louis Leakey's Olduvai Gorge excavations, exhibits on the slave trade and colonial period, and former president Julius Nyerere's Rolls-Royce.
Village Museum
An open-air museum on the Bagamoyo Road with life-size replica homesteads from about 16 of Tanzania's ethnic groups, plus live traditional music and dance performances.
Kariakoo Market
The city's largest and busiest market, including its only underground trading section, selling fresh produce, spices, textiles and household goods at negotiable prices.
Old Boma
A fort-like building constructed in 1866-67 that served as the seat of both the German and British colonial administrations, among the oldest surviving structures in the city.
Azania Front Lutheran Church
A red-roofed German mission church built around 1898-1902 on the waterfront, one of Dar es Salaam's best-known colonial-era landmarks.
The Slipway, Msasani Peninsula
A waterfront shopping and dining complex with craft stalls and Tanzanite jewelry vendors, and the departure point for boat trips to Bongoyo Island.
Bongoyo Island
An uninhabited marine reserve island a short boat ride from the Slipway, with beaches, snorkeling over an offshore wreck and a small seafood grill.
Activities
Walk the exhibits at the National Museum, including the Olduvai Gorge fossil finds
Spend a morning at the Village Museum watching traditional dance and craft demonstrations
Bargain for spices, kangas and produce at Kariakoo Market
Take the Azam Marine or Coastal fast ferry across to Zanzibar, a roughly 90-minute crossing
Catch a dhow or ferry from the Slipway out to Bongoyo Island for the day
Browse the carvers at Mwenge Woodcarvers Market on Bagamoyo Road, opposite the Village Museum
Watch the sunset over the Indian Ocean from the waterfront bars at the Slipway
Ride the DART bus rapid transit line to see the city's main commercial corridor without the traffic
Conferences & Sporting Events
Swahili Fashion Week — next running 4-6 December 2026
East and Central Africa's largest annual fashion event, held at Hotel Sea Cliff on the Msasani Peninsula, bringing together designers from Swahili-speaking countries and beyond.
Travel Tips
Tanzania's visa is normally issued on arrival for most nationalities for USD 50 (USD 100 for US citizens), but check current requirements before flying since policy changes periodically.
Carry Tanzanian shillings for taxis, dala-dalas and markets — small vendors often don't take US dollars, and dollar notes printed before 2006 are frequently refused everywhere.
Malaria risk is present year-round in Dar es Salaam; talk to a doctor about antimalarial medication before you travel, since some regimens need to start before arrival.
Travelers arriving from a yellow-fever-endemic country (or transiting one for 12+ hours) must show proof of yellow fever vaccination to enter Tanzania.
The DART bus rapid transit line cuts a 20km cross-town trip from up to three hours in traffic down to about 45 minutes and is the fastest way to move around during the day.
The fast ferry to Zanzibar departs from the Kigamboni/city-center terminal and takes about 90 minutes with operators like Azam Marine — book ahead in high season and go with a reputable operator, as service quality between companies varies.
How you'll pay
Card via Stripe
Card or mobile money via DPO
Card or mobile money via Pesapal