Zanzibar Good value
Forodhani Gardens night market in Stone Town for grilled seafood and Zanzibar pizza — agree prices before ordering. Try urojo soup and fresh spice-infused curries.
Budget travel in Tanzania
What a visitor's money does in Tanzania: every guide rated from very cheap to very expensive, cheapest first, then the things that cost travellers money without buying anything — the ATM, the taxi, the SIM.
Expensive average across 2 guides · 5 is very cheap
Money
Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) · 1 EUR = 3,066 TZS · 1 USD = 2,636 TZS
Park fees are quoted and often payable in dollars by card, and cards are now mandatory at the main gates. Exchange shillings in Arusha for tips and village purchases. Bring dollar notes issued after 2013 — older ones are refused outright.
ATMs
Avoid: relying on anything inside the parks — there are no machines at all
Use: CRDB, NMB, Exim (all in Arusha)
Draw all your cash in Arusha before leaving. Park fees are card-only at the gates, but tips, village purchases and anything unexpected are cash.
Getting around
From the airport: Kilimanjaro airport to Arusha $50–60 by shuttle
City by city, cheapest first
Serengeti & Ngorongoro Very expensive
Almost all eating is at your camp and included. In Arusha, nyama choma with ugali is the meal to have, and Kilimanjaro beer with it.
The cost rating is this site's own, for a visitor, from the guides' authors and the corrections readers send in. The general rules — the conversion prompt, shoulder season, the airport taxi — are in budget travel tips.
