Total Amount Spent in Tanzania: 1,281,150 Shillings + $489 ($1,445.08)
Exchange Rate: $1 = 1340 Shillings
Number of Days Spent in Tanzania: 11 (May 24 – June 3, 2009)
Average Per Day Spending: 116,468 Shillings + $44.45 ($131.37)
BREAKDOWN BY CATEGORY
- Transportation: 788,300 Shillings + $70
- Accommodations: 99,000 + $240
- Food: 177,950 Shillings
- Activities: $26
- Communication: 7,000 Shillings
- Shopping: 205,000 Shillings
- Laundry: 10,200 Shillings
- Visas: $150
FURTHER EXPLANATIONS
- Our overall costs as well as the transportation costs are greatly inflated by the fact that we bought plane tickets from Dar Es Salaam to Kampala at a cost of 592,900 shillings for the two of us (or about $220 each).
- On Zanzibar and in other tourist locales, prices for hotel rooms, transportation, tours, etc. are given in USD. Local law apparently says that tourists must pay in USD, but we found this not to be true. Everyone would take shillings, though you wouldn’t get the best exchange rate, making it better to pay in USD if you had them.
- We went a bit wild (for us) buying souvenirs on Zanzibar, especially knowing that we were heading straight to Uganda, where we could hand off all our stuff to Jeff’s parents who were meeting us there. There’s a lot of great things to be had—paintings, lovely fabric, sandals, jewelry, and more. Be ready to bargain. The vendors will often start at double what they’re actually willing to take.
SAMPLE PRICES
- Visa Fees: $100 for U.S. passport holders, $50 for E.U. passport holders (available at border)
- Bed in a first-class cabin on train from Mbeya to Dar: 32,400 Shillings each
- Fast Ferry from Dar to Zanzibar: 49,000 Shillings or $35 per person
- Spice Tour on Zanzibar: $13 per person
- Obama Kanga: 5,000 shillings
- Tinga Tinga Painting: 20,000 shillings
- Dinner for two at the night market on Zanzibar: 8,000 shillings
- Lunch at a local restaurant on Zanzibar: 9,000 shillings