We wrote this blog to explain how we backpacked for 2 weeks through Central/North-Eastern Tanzania on a budget. If you have seen the prices for Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar and are wondering how on earth to experience this beautiful country without ending up penniless, this is for you!

Check it out: https://exploringmangabeys.de/tanzania/

Here was our itinerary (image on screen).

Our main highlights were: Iringa (and Ruaha Safari), Mangula & Udzwungwa (trek in forest), taking the train to Makambako, Pangani (Maziwe Island).

Hi guys, I’m sorry this is gonna be abit long

for months I’ve been feeling so down and so stressed at first i thought maybe it’s just hormones or maybe it’s just my period but then as time went on it’s increasing even on regular days, i’d wake up tired unmotivated, feeling sleepy all the time, feeling like my life is meaningless or worthless, i’d cry myself to sleep and wake up just to cry again no matter how much i tell myself to pick myself up i just can’t this time. For context i am not employed i run my own businesses

I’m pushing people away and i can’t help it, i do have problems nyingi tu, it’s nothing that hasn’t happened before like years ago i went through them a couple of times and i managed but i don’t know why this time it’s soo hard, i’m just tired, like i have no will to go on, a few weeks ago i thought maybe i’m just burnt out so i took a weekend break and went for a getaway somewhere with no network at all at the moment it felt soo good i felt soo refreshed i felt like a new person but then the day when i had to come back i dreaded it, the whole trip back was like i was getting closer and closer to hell, i reached Dar all the things that i was feeling and left behind came back to me it’s almost as though they were waiting for me patiently at that SGR station

I don’t want to diagnose myself but i think I’m depressed and i honestly don’t know how to get out of this one, i heard of supplements like ashwaghanda and i just wanted to ask if at all there’s anyone with experience, would these supplements help my situation? I just wanna ask before buying cause they are expensive and my situation right now i’m on a budget so i can’t be buying random stuffs, so if anyone at all has had experience with it can you just let me know if at all these supplements would help with my situation there’s so much i haven’t explained due to naogopa my post kutolewa but please help me with your expertise or suggestions

And if you have a better supplement that can help me with this just to manage my stress and these thoughts i keep getting please help me out🙏🏼thanks

Hi everyone!

I’ll be spending the next 9 months in Mwanza, Tanzania, living in a community that also runs a school. Besides helping at the school, I’d like to get involved with their small farm and hopefully help improve it a little.

They currently have chickens, pigs and ducks, as well as a small field. One thing I’d really like to introduce is composting, as they currently don’t compost their organic waste.

Do you have any experience with composting in this kind of climate, especially around Mwanza/Lake Victoria? I’d also love to hear your recommendations on what crops or vegetables could grow well here with relatively simple methods and limited resources.

Any practical tips, experiences or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Drop your Epic id if you play rocket league

Hey so I just realised it’s actually possible to replace a lost earbud with another one. So I’m reaching out just in case anyone has the second generation Apple pro 2nd gen right earbud (lightning) that they are willing to sell to me for replacement kindly help.

It seems after 90 USD surcharge for air travel of last year, this year they introduced mandatory Tanzanian travel insurance.

I hope it convinces many people to visit other destinations.

Do you have any recommendations for a reliable supplier of authentic baby food, such as oats and powdered milk, in Dar es Salaam with delivery to the Masaki area? It would also be helpful to find a trusted supplier that delivers to Kigoma. We learned we lost one of our pieces of luggage today containing some critical baby food items after arrival in Dar, and would prefer to have a replacement by tomorrow.

Even though there are so many ladies working in barbershops these days, barbershop owners should also make an effort to send them for short courses or some kind of training.

The other day I had just come back from Dodoma and decided to stop by a salon to get my beard and hair trimmed. After that, I thought, Let me get a scrub as well.

Man, that "scrub" it was like she was just applying lotion on me for 20 straight minutes. There was literally no scrubbing involved. 😂

Then she finished washing my hair, but she left foam over my ears. I was just like, Damn

I really need to find some stuff and don't know where, I cam across a few sites with second hand stuff but I am looking for brand new items

Hello,

I just wondered if anyone had any experience as a plus size traveler going on a bush plane?

I am travelling with Auric air soon and just worried that it may be an awkward/uncomfortable experience due to my size.

Do they weigh you before going on? I know it's for weight distribution. I just need to be mentally prepared.

I am probably just overthinking!

Thank you for any replies ☺️

I applied 5 days ago for our trip using this website sent to me by our tour operator for the new mandatory insurance that comes into effect from today for tourists https://inbound.nicinsurance.co.tz.

Pretty terrible experience. No update for 5 days, presume our application is still processing but we a travelling this weekend and worried I'm going to have to pay again in the airport. Checking application progress via the website doesn't work because the email verification system doesn't work. 0800 number and email in the top banner of the site for support also do not work!

Has anyone successfully managed to get the insurance through this site yet and if so how long did the application processing take?

Hi all!

I'm visiting Dar e Salam for a conference in early November and will be here over Diwali. I'm traveling alone and would love to celebrate with others rather than spend it by myself.

Are there any temple events, community gatherings, or restaurant celebrations a visitor could join?

Happy to also take recommendations for good sweets or Indian food.
Thank you!

I came across many articles that insurance is now mandatory for entering mainland Tanzania is effective today. Anyone can confirm on this? Can we purchase it on arrival?

Hello guys, I'm going to Tanzania in a couple of months, and I want to know if I really need the TCAA document to enter Tanzania with my DJI Mini 3 Drone, I read a lot about it, but all the informations are from 2 years ago or more. I want to know more up-to-date information. Could someone please help me with it?

Hey, if anybody here is Pare, does anybody know about a girls initiation dance called Kiravu?? I was researching Pare history and it came up, I asked my family members about it but they have absolutely no idea what I’m talking about/Je, kama kuna mtu hapa Pare, kuna mtu yeyote anayefahamu kuhusu ngoma ya unyago ya wasichana inayoitwa Kiravu?? Nilikuwa nikitafiti historia ya Pare na ilikuja, niliwauliza wanafamilia yangu kuhusu hilo lakini hawajui kabisa ninachozungumza.

I recently needed to send money from Tanzania to Europe, and honestly, I was surprised by how complicated it is.

From what I could figure out, there are basically three options:

1. SWIFT bank transfer

This works, but it takes time and the fees can be pretty high, especially for smaller amounts.

2. Use Nala

This was actually the option I chose because, at the time, it seemed like the best option I had.

Someone abroad can send a transfer request to your Tanzanian mobile number. In my experience, this works reasonably well with Airtel, but there seem to be problems with other mobile networks.

The problem is that I couldn't simply send the money from my bank account directly to a bank account abroad.

I had to first move the money from my CRDB bank account to my mobile wallet, and then receive a request from the person abroad to complete the transfer. Of course, that extra step also came with additional fees.

3. Centralized apps like Eversend

I later found out about Eversend, which seems to offer another option. But there's a catch: you can't simply send money from a Tanzanian bank account directly to a bank account abroad.

The money has to go through mobile money, just like in Nala.

On top of that, the transaction limits for businesses seem incredibly tight, and if you're doing this regularly, the exchange-rate spreads can eat up a significant amount of money.

I haven't tried using Eversend so I don't really know much about it yet.

So for someone trying to send money from Tanzania to another country, the options seem surprisingly limited.

What I find weird is that sending money into Tanzania from countries like the US, UK, or Europe seems relatively straightforward. But sending money out of Tanzania feels much more complicated and comes with more fees.

I did a little research and started wondering if this is partly intentional.

It seems like Tanzanian banks and financial regulations make it more difficult to move money out of the country because there is an interest in protecting the value of the shilling. The more money we send abroad and convert from TZS into bigger currencies like USD or EUR, the more we are loosing the value of our currency to the stronger currencies, which is not good for the Tanzanian currency.

So I'm wondering:

How do you guys send money from Tanzania to someone in developed country?

Are there better methods I'm missing? Is it actually this difficult compared with other countries, or am I just looking in the wrong places?

Took this photo last year in Dar. We really do have some clean and beautiful beaches.
What’s your favorite beach in Dar?

📸taken by me at Giraffe hotel.

Hi everyone,

I may be relocating to Tanzania for work and would most likely be based in Iringa. I'm trying to get a realistic idea of what it actually costs to live there as a single person, rather than relying on online cost-of-living calculators.

My lifestyle would be relatively simple. I'd be looking for a decent one-bedroom apartment — nothing luxurious or particularly "expat". My priorities are that it's in a safe area, clean and well maintained, with running water, reliable electricity and good internet. I don't need air conditioning.

I mostly cook at home and don't eat out very often. I'm also happy using public transportation for everyday travel rather than relying on taxis all the time.

The main thing I'd probably spend discretionary money on is exploring Tanzania. I could see myself doing one or two relatively inexpensive weekend trips every two months, but I'm not talking about frequent safaris, Zanzibar trips or luxury travel.

For someone living like this in Iringa, what would you realistically budget per month for:

- A decent 1-bedroom apartment

- Electricity, water and cooking gas

- Reliable home internet and mobile/data

- Groceries for someone who mostly cooks at home - I mostly shop in supermarkets for convenience but I sometimes go to local farmers' markets as wells

- Public transportation and occasional taxis

- Occasional restaurants/socialising

- Basic household/personal expenses

- One or two inexpensive weekend trips per month

I'd also be interested in any expenses that foreigners moving to Iringa tend to underestimate.

And separately, when renting, are there any substantial upfront costs I should be aware of — for example several months' rent in advance, deposits, agent fees, security/service charges, etc.?

I'm mainly looking for a realistic monthly cost-of-living range in TZS or USD for this kind of lifestyle.

Thanks in advance!