Dar es Salaam

Description: Dar es Salaam is a major African city with more than 3 million people. Unless you have a particular reason for spending some time in Dar, we feel it just doesn’t fit in well with most itineraries. Due to the timing of flights, we do occasionally recommend overnights in Dar. The best bet for a half-day in Dar is to head to Mwenge where there is some good souvenir shopping, especially wood carvings. And near there is the Makumbusho Village Museum where you can find a collection of authentic homes from 18 Tanzanian tribes. You can get a short tour and a broad overview of village life in Tanzania. There are also some decent beach hotels in/near Dar es Salaam, but for anything more than a 1 or 2 night visit, these are mostly outshined by nearby Zanzibar, which is where most people go. Near Dar, just a couple hours north, is Bagamoyo. This is a laid-back large village that has several very nice beach hotels.

Accommodations

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Heritage Motel

$$
Harbour View Suites
Holiday Inn Dar es Salaam City Centre
Hotel Slipway
Peacock Hotel
The Retreat Dar es Salaam
Hotel Sea Cliff
Southern Sun

$$$
Amani Beach Hotel
Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, The Kilimanjaro
Mövenpick Royal Palm Hotel

Joy S. (USA)

August 8, 2025

“From the moment I met Brian at a local travel show, I knew that Access  2  Tanzania was the tour operator for us. His extensive experience in Tanzania and involvement with Project Zawadi immediately instilled a sense of trust

The planning process was easy. You listened to our preferences, immediately responded to all of our questions, and provided us with valuable travel advice. The accommodations were beautiful, comfortable, and offered outstanding hospitality.

Our guide, Elly, was amazing! His professionalism and expertise allowed us to experience all of the wildlife at the five national parks we visited. In addition, he provided us insight into the traditions and customs of Moshi and the Maasai. By the end of our tour, Elly felt like a member of the family.”