Dar es Salaam has a major international airport with scheduled flights from many destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Regular frequent and modern ferries run from Dar es Salaam to the island of Zanzibar.

By air

Tanzania's largest international airport is in the city - Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere DAR.

It is located approximately 10 km west of the city centre.

International flights

The most common connections to Dar es Salaam are:

• Air Tanzania - Accra, Bujumbura, Dubai, Entebbe, Guangzhou, Harare, Johannesburg, Kinshasa, Lagos, Lubumbashi, Lusaka, Moroni, Mumbai, Nairobi, Ndola
• Air Zimbabwe - Harare
• Airlink - Johannesburg
• Egyptair - Cairo
• Emirates - Dubai
• Ethiopian Airlines - Addis Ababa
• Flydubai - Dubai
• Kenya Airways - Nairobi
• KLM - Amsterdam
• LAM Mozambique Airlines - Maputo
• Malawi Airlines - Blantyre, Lilongwe
• Oman Air - Muscat
• Precision Air - Anjouan, Moroni, Nairobi
• Qatar Airways - Doha
• Rwandair - Kigali
• Skyward Express - Mombasa, Nairobi
• South African Airways - Johannesburg
• Turkish Airlines - Istanbul
• Uganda Airlines - Entebbe
• Zambia Airways - Lusaka

Domestic flights

A very frequent service heading to domestic destinations. There are a huge number of airlines operating in Tanzania, most of which meet basic international standards.

Prices for domestic flights are low and, for example, a one-way flight between Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam costs from 30 usd.

• Zanzibar - Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Flightlink, Auric Air, As Salaam Air, Coastal Aviation
• Arusha - Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Flightlink, Auric Air, As Salaam Air, Coastal Aviation
• Kilimanjaro - Air Tanzania, Precision Air
• Pemba - Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Flightlink, Auric Air, As Salaam Air, Coastal Aviation
• Dodoma - Air Tanzania
• Mwanza - Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Flightlink
• Mbeya - Air Tanzania, Precision Air
• and many more

Compare prices via skyscanner.com

Ferries to Zanzibar

Regular ferries currently operate from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar only.

All regular ferries leave from the port right in the modern city centre.

• Port location on the map

Regular routes and where to buy a ticket

There is currently only one regular service from Dar es Salaam:

• Zanzibar - port right in the centre of Stone Town, see location on map
  • Sailing time - 90 to 120 minutes for fast catamarans / 7 hours for the slow car ferry
  • Price - from 35 usd one way
  • ZanFast Ferries - green and white fast modern catamarans sailing 4 times a day + 4 times a week night slow ferry
  • Azam Marine - red and white fast modern catamarans sailing 4x daily + 1x daily night slow ferry
  • FlyingHorse - red and white fast older catamarans sailing 1x daily

Tickets for all three companies can be purchased at several offices near the marina.

You usually don't need to buy your ticket very far in advance, just a few hours before your trip.

You can only pay cash in US dollars or Tanzanian shillings.

Online ticket purchases are not possible with FlyingHorse, which does not even have a functional website.

For other companies, tickets can be purchased online through the following channels:

• ZanFast Ferries - only via directferries.com
• Azam Marine - only through the official website azammarine.com

Boarding the ship - how check-in works

The boat terminals in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam are very similar.

Facilities are simple and include only a waiting area with seats. There is neither a toilet nor any shops.

There is a ticket check before entering the port area. If you have bought your ticket online, just show it on your mobile phone - no need to print the ticket.

There is then an immigration check, despite the fact that Zanzibar and mainland Tanzania are one country.

After that, you have to put all your luggage in the scanner, just like at the airport. However, there is no need to dispose of electronics or liquids.

The actual boarding process is standard after the shipping company staff opens the gate.

Cruise - ship's equipment

The fast catamarans that sail between Zanzibar and the mainland during the day are modern, clean and very safe.

These boats meet all international standards and look more modern than many boats in Europe, for example in Greece.

Both Azam Marine and ZanFast Ferries have spacious indoor air-conditioned decks with comfortable seats and outdoor decks under the open sky.

There is no specific seat marked on the ticket, so you can sit wherever you want.

There is a small snack shop inside the ship (you can only pay with cash) and also standard modern toilets.

By train

Tanzania has two railway companies, each using a different railway station in Dar es Salaam.

Detailed information about travelling by train is described in the article Transport in Tanzania.

• TRC - the main carrier operating both modern fast trains and slow old narrow gauge trains
  • SGR trains (fast and modern) - Dodoma direction
  • MGR trains (slow and older) - Arusha, Moshi, Tanga, Dodoma, Tabora, Mwanza, Mpanda, Kigoma
  • Timetables and online booking - trc.co.tz
  • Tickets can only be purchased with a local Tanzanian phone number, even when purchased locally at the ticket office
  • Tickets for SGR trains tend to sell out 3-5 days in advance as standard!
  • The main station is right in the city centre - location on the map

• Tazara Railway - Tanzanian-Zambian carrier operating older slow trains towards the southwest
  • towards Mbeya and the Zambian border
  • Official website - tazarasite.com
  • Tickets can only be purchased locally at the ticket office, ideally at least 3 days in advance
  • The main station is about 8 km west of the centre - location on map

Long distance buses

Long-distance bus services are quite frequent in Tanzania, but it is difficult to find up-to-date information online and it is virtually impossible to buy a ticket online without a Tanzanian phone number.

I describe detailed information on bus travel in my article Transportation in Tanzania.

There is only one station for long-distance buses in Dar es Salaam, and it is very far from the city centre!

The new Magufuli terminal replaced the Ubungo bus station in 2020. It is located on the highway 23 km from the city centre - see location on the map.