OK.. so my first trip to Africa will be this Oct to Tanzania. A few newbie questions for the travel experts:

I'm flying into Dar and have to overnight before meeting up with my hunting partner and taking a charter into the Selous. He is handling all the arrangements with the outfitter so I'm a bit on my own as far as "meet and greet" is concerned when I arrive. I'm planning to stay at the Sea Cliff.

Is there such a thing as a cab stand to get a cab to the hotel? or do I need to pre-arrange transportation with the hotel?

Do I need local cash when I leave the airport? or does the old Visa card work pretty much everywhere including with a cab? If cash is needed how much in local currency is a good amount for a cab ride and one evening's dinner/drinks?

If I leave my Tuffpak with the hotel to store for ~14 days until I return (I'll be overnighting at the end of the trip before departing), how much can I expect to be charged for this storage?

When returning to the airport on day 2 to meet the charter, what is the deal with two rifles in soft cases and ammo, now that the Tuffpak is back at the hotel? Is there anything I need to do to avoid setting off a security response?

Thanks for your input
Mike

Mike,

We have been going to Tanzania for years, and they way we do it is very simple.

Ask your PH to arrange everything for you

From having someone meet you at the airport with your gun import permit, to taking you to your hotel and paying for it.

US$ is fine to use in Dar.

I suggest you take some cash with you for any small purchases you wish to make.

Enjoy your safari.

make sure you stop by the wood carvers shops to pick up some souvenirs. have a great hunt.

This may be an obvious comment if you have done any international travel, but make sure you contact your VISA provider to ensure that they do not block its use while in Tanzania. Most credit and debit card companies require prior notification for the card's use if outside of the realm of your normal purchases. Have a great trip.

Mrjulian:

Am somewhat taken aback to hear you say you will be on your own without "meet and greet" especially when there HAS to be someone to receive you with the VERY RELEVANT FIREARM/AMMO import permits, or did I read you wrongly?

Assuming you are travelling WITHOUT guns and that he has left you in the "lurch", so to speak,
there is a registered Taxi Bay at the main exit from the arrivals but if you have a confirmed booking with Sea Cliff, you can ask them to provide their shuttle.

As far as the storage of baggage for approx. 2 weeks with the hotel goes, if you are their registered guest I would pretty much guess that they would provide that service on a complimentary basis.

The Visa Card does not work everywhere and I would suggest you change a couple of $100 at the Bureau de Change right opposite the arrivals exit - their rate is pretty good - and certainly better than what you would get from the hotel.

Taxi from Airport to Sea Cliff is about 60,000 Tanzanian shilling which equate to approx. $36 at today's rate ($1 = TZS 1635).

Dinner & drinks? .... depends what you eat and how much you drink but for one man I would guess $50 would cover you.

Departure with soft cases and ammo on the charter is not a problem as long as the scopes can be detached; ammo travels in the hold with the guns and quite likely you will be on your own. (why not travel with the Tuffpak all the way at no extra charge?)

If you have been left to fend for yourself from hotel to Terminal 1 as well I would suggest you start kicking ass from now.

P.S. You require Firearm/Ammo Export permits (with a remaining ammo count) to cover your final departure as well.

Mike,

Your safari operator should be handling all this for you. Contact him ASAP.

Mark

One other note. We were there in June last year. On the return the plan was to charter out early in the morning, go to the seacliff for rest, lunch etc then back to the commercial airport for an 11:00 pm flight. Traffic in Dar was 2.5 hours each way. Late at night on arrival it was ok, When we go again, I will have the outfitter book us near the airport; the Seacliff is nice but not worth the trip

quote:

Originally posted by bradhe:
.... When we go again, I will have the outfitter book us near the airport; the Seacliff is nice but not worth the trip

There are no hotels worthy of mention near the airport - closest is the centre of town.

However, if you want to overcome the traffic which I agree is horrendous at peak hours (morning and evening) I suggest you look at booking your flight with KLM which arrives around 22:00hrs or set your day of arrival and departure for Sunday (zero traffic).

Thank you all for the input... sounds like I have some calls to make...

quote:

Originally posted by fujotupu:

quote:

Originally posted by bradhe:
.... When we go again, I will have the outfitter book us near the airport; the Seacliff is nice but not worth the trip

There are no hotels worthy of mention near the airport - closest is the centre of town.

However, if you want to overcome the traffic which I agree is horrendous at peak hours (morning and evening) I suggest you look at booking your flight with KLM which arrives around 22:00hrs or set your day of arrival and departure for Sunday (zero traffic).

Be careful with KLM if you are bringing firearms. We did not get our guns last year until the following day. We had plenty of time connecting in Amsterdam and all of the other luggage made it just fine. Since then I have heard the same from other travelers and our PH said it had become a common occurrence for clients guns to be delayed in Amsterdam. I would rather put up with traffic than not have the guns show up.

I would never book with an Outfitter that made
me travel, overnight, or do anything when I arrived in the country.

I would be sure that He was there to meet you at the airport!

PM sent--