Tanzania pre-travel information

This information is intended as a guideline only. It is accurate to the best of our knowledge. Please note that we are providing links to external websites as guidelines only, Karell Travel is not responsible for the content thereof.

Visa Information
Entry visas for Tanzania can be obtained in the following ways:
 
  • Upon arrival (U.S. / Canadian Citizens)
  • From Tanzanian Diplomatic Missions of your country of residence
  • Online prior to departure at https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/
  • At border posts with Kenya (including Namanga and Migori/Tarime)
 
Visas are valid for a period not exceeding 3 months. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the travel date and must have a clean and full visa page for endorsement.
 
Visa Fees
  • Ordinary or Single Journey entry visa US $ 50 per person (although this is a single entry visa, it can remain valid for re-entry from Kenya)
  • USA & Irish nationals only: Ordinary or Single Journey entry visa US $ 100 per person
  • Multiple entry visas US $ 100 per person
  • Please note the East Africa Community Tourist Visa is not applicable to Tanzania
  • Nationals of certain countries require a referred visa for entry into Tanzania. These are required to be applied for and approved before travel. Please see the full list of countries here http://www.tanzaniaconsul.com/visa.html
 
Border crossing between Masai Mara & Serengeti
All passengers traveling between the two parks using either the Tarime – Migori or Kisumu-Musoma connection are required to carry with them a printed copy of their visas.
 
Note: The above-quoted fees are subject to change.
 
For further information including countries that require visas, please visit http://www.tanzaniaconsul.com/visa.html
Tanzania E-Visa Application Guide
International guests arriving into Tanzania are required to apply for a visa online prior to departure for Tanzanian via https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/
 
To simplify the process, we have created the below step-by-step guide to completing the eVisa application.
 
Before you complete the form, please make sure that you have the following documents:
  1. Passport photo (jpeg/png format under 300KB)
  2. Photo of the bio date page of your passport (jpeg/png format under 300KB)
  3. Return international flight ticket (PDF format)
 
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Go to https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/
  2. In the New Application section, click Apply For A New Visa.
  3. Complete the required information. Click Start New Application.
  4. You will receive your application ID (you will also receive this via email to the email address that you submitted on the previous page – please keep this and remember your security question and answer as you will need it to log in to the system to track the progress of your application). Click Proceed To Next Step.
  5. Complete the required fields in the Personal Information section. Click Save and Continue.
  6. Complete the required fields in the Contact Information section. Click Save and Continue.
  7. Complete the required fields in the Passport Information section. Click Save and Continue.
  8. Complete the required fields in the Travel Information section.
Note:
  • In the Local Host section, please select/input the following:
Host – Company/ Organization
(Your travel consultant will provide the specific information for your itinerary)
  • In the Accommodation section, please select Hotel and use the name of the first hotel in your itinerary as the Physical Address
  • Guests arriving via the Masai Mara – Serengeti scheduled flight, please select Road in the Port Type section and then select Sirari for the Port of Entry.
  • Guests arriving from Kenya via the Namanga border crossing, please select Road in the Port Type section and then select Namanga for the Port of Entry.
  • Click Save and Continue.
 
9. If you are traveling with minors (under the age of 18 years) please submit their details in the Are You Being Accompanied By Any Minors section. Click Save and Continue.
10. Upload your Passport Photo, Passport Bio Data Page photo, and Return Tickets PDF. Click Save and Continue.
11. Review your submitted information in the Declaration section, editing if and where necessary.
Click the box named Please indicate that you have read and understood the information provided above. Click Save and Continue.
12. Make payment online using a valid Visa/Mastercard
13. Your visa application will take a minimum of 10 days to process. Please check the status of your application via https://eservices.immigration.go.tz/visa/ by selecting Continue Application and logging in using your Application ID, Email Address, Security Question, and Security Answer used when you made the initial application.
 
Important Information
  1. The eVisa process should take a minimum of 10 days, however, we recommend completing the application as far in advance as six to four weeks before travel in order to ensure you receive your visa on time.
  2. American citizens are unable to apply for a Single Entry visa. Instead, they are to apply for a Multiple Entry visa by selecting Multiple Entry visa in the Travel Information section. All other nationalities who require a visa are to select Ordinary Visa in the Travel Information section.
  3. Children under the age of 18 years require a visa for Tanzania. Please ensure that an eVisa application is submitted for each child traveling to Tanzania.
 
eVisa Customer Care: info@immigration.go.tz
Entry & Pre-Departure Requirements
BEFORE ARRIVAL – All Travelers
ON ARRIVAL – All Travelers
  • Temperature screening on arrival.
  • The symptomatic travelers will be isolated for treatment at designated health facilities
  • For surveillance purposes, Port Heath Officials may at any time perform COVID-19 Rapid tests free of charge, for randomly selected travelers.
  • Test results are available approximately 15 minutes after sample collection. Travelers who receive a positive result on their Rapid Antigen test will be required to undergo a mandatory Real-Time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, at a cost of USD50 per person per test in Mainland Tanzania, and USD 100 in Zanzibar. In the event of a positive RT-PCR test result:
  • The symptomatic travellers will be isolated for treatment at designated health facilities
 
 
BEFORE DEPARTURE FROM TANZANIA
  • Departing passengers whose airline or destination country requires a negative COVID-19 test certificate, require testing prior to departure. This can be facilitated by Government laboratories in cities and various safari destinations.
  • Passengers whose airline or destination country do not require a negative COVID-19 test certificate are able to leave Tanzania without testing.
Medical Suggestions
Tanzania
Passengers arriving from Yellow Fever endemic countries are required to present a valid yellow fever vaccination certificate.
 
While official advice states that yellow fever vaccinations are not required when travelling from Tanzania to Kenya, we can confirm that on occasion, travellers arriving to Kenya from Tanzania are checked for Yellow Fever vaccinations.
 
We are in regular communication with Kenyan Port Health authorities and are working with them to receive clarification on this matter, however, for the time being our advice remains unchanged and we request that guests be vaccinated for Yellow Fever when travelling from Tanzania to Kenya.
Electricity & Plugs
All electrical appliances in East Africa run on between 220V – 240v (in the U.S. we run on 110v). Although adapters are generally available at hotels, we highly recommend taking your own adapter. Most modern electronics (smartphones, tablets, laptops etc) have dual voltage capability and can be safely used with a plug adapter. Any devices that do not support dual voltage should only be used with a voltage converter adapter.
For Tanzania you need Type D / G Adapters
Packing Suggestions
As a general guideline, comfortable, casual wash-and-wear clothes are recommended.
If you are going on safari, the less you take the better as most lodges and hotels do offer laundry service if you are staying at least two days.
Muted colors such as stone, khaki, beige or brown are recommended when you are on safari.
Game drives in the early morning and evenings can be quite cold, especially in winter, so you should pack accordingly.
The key is to dress in layers in the early morning and strip down layer by layer as it gets warmer as the sun rises. Vice versa for evening game drives.
General Clothing
  • Light-weight shirts/blouses with long sleeves as protection from the sun and mosquitoes
  • T-shirts
  • Shorts
  • Jeans or safari trousers
  • Pajamas
  • Socks
  • Underwear
  • Light-weight waterproof jacket
  • Comfortable walking shoes/sneakers
  • Comfortable walking sandals or flip flops for warmer days
  • Wide-brimmed hat with under-chin tie to prevent it from flying away
  • Swimsuit
  • Warm windproof jacket (winter)
  • Fleece (winter)
  • Warm turtle neck shirt (winter)
  • Beanie (winter)
 Gloves (winter) Warm scarf (winter)

Gorilla Trekking Clothing/Equipment

  • Good quality, water-proof hiking boots
  • Gardening gloves
  • Lightweight waterproof windbreaker
  • Moisture-wicking socks
  • Long waterproof hiking pants

General Equipment & Accessories

  • Sunglasses
  • Spare prescription eye glasses/contact lenses
  • Binoculars
  • Cameras and related paraphernalia, like lenses, etc and plenty of memory cards and spare batteries
  • Small powerful flashlight and extra batteries

  • Light pack-able backpack or tote to carry equipment and stuff on game vehicles
  • Chargers for cell phones, iPad, cameras, computers and you may want to invest in a mini travel charger
  • First aid kit (Band-aids, pain relievers, eye drops, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, tissues, chapstick, any prescription medications etc)
Gratuities

Tipping is completely discretionary. If you have received good service, and would like to show your appreciation by tipping, we have enclosed a brief guideline to assist you.

Transfer Driver: $5 USD per person

City Touring  Driver/Guides: $10-$15.00 USD per person for half day tours / $20-$25 USD per person for full day tours

General Lodge  Staff: $25 USD per person per day

Safari Guide: $20-25 USD per person per day

Restaurants: 10-15% is customary on meal accounts if you are satisfied with the service

 

Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is strongly recommended.
 
A travel insurance quote can only be provided once your initial deposit has been made.
 
Cost of coverage depends on the cost of your trip, your state of residence and age. It is normally about 10% of the cost of your trip, although it is higher for older passengers.
 
We recommend that you purchase a travel protection plan to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. These plans predominantly provide cover related to medical issues. It is not ‘cancel for any reason’ coverage. Travel protection plans usually include coverage for Trip Cancellation, Trip Interruption, Emergency Medical and Emergency Evacuation/Repatriation, Trip Delay, Baggage Delay and more.
 
Please Note: To be eligible for the waiver of pre-existing medical condition exclusion, the protection plan must be purchased within 14 days from the time you make your initial trip deposit. However, the plan can be purchased any time prior to departure.
Luggage

Valuables

Valuable items such as medications, eye glasses, sunglasses, wallets, passports, computers, iPads, cell phones, cameras, binoculars, jewelry etc should be packed in your carry on luggage. We recommend placing a TSA-approved lock on all checked baggage out of an abundance of caution.

 

Luggage Weight 

Luggage restrictions vary between airlines. Please check with your travel consultant with regard to weight restrictions and quantity / size of bags permitted.

 

Light Aircraft Flight Restrictions

If your journey contains flights on light aircraft you will be subject to restrictions due to the capacity of the aircraft. You must have a soft-sided duffel bag in order for it to fit in the luggage pod. Hard suitcases are strictly prohibited.

Light aircraft baggage weight allowances typically range from 33 lbs- 44 lbs per person, your consultant will ensure you are notified of the specific requirements of your itinerary. Additional luggage weight allowance can be purchased at a surcharge, subject to availability.

 

Passenger Weight

For safety reasons, all light aircraft passengers must provide their personal weight prior to travel to ensure the aircraft is safely loaded within its weight restrictions.