What not to do when planning a Tanzania safari

Don’t wait till the last minute, as every sane person  tell you, traveling to Tanzania takes money , time and careful planning.Waiting till the 11th hour will bite you hard, It’s a chaos like no other when you have to start the basics only a few weeks away from taking a safari. Simple questions like when do you take your malaria and typhoid pills,should you use travelers cheques, cash, or atm card. A mistake that many people make till it starts becoming overwhelming and frustrating, Traveling to Tanzania is a trip of a life time and so just like a running a marathon you need preparation and a game plan, so dont wait start today.

Don't fly all the way to Tanzania, and then try to book a safari and accommodation once you get here. Stories from ultimate backpackers have listed this way of traveling among the best and cheapest way to go on an African safari. This might work for some, but hell for most people, not only do you have to pass the language barrier wall once you get to Tanzania, but also the touts in the street coming to you from every direction each one claiming to have  "The best deal"  and so what might sound like a good idea at first,might become more of a hustle than you ever bargained for.

Don't send your hard earned money to some company without doing your research. There are millions of so called agencies and tour companies that claim they can plan a safari or trekking mountains Kilimanjaro/Meru. But  unlike many other business transactions, there's a great possibility of being scammed in several ways,one is either that company doesn't exist or two the company is able to  provide the service but not at the quality of the services you paid for. Some companies are legitimate and probably provide the best services at an affordable rate more than others but a little research on your part may go a long way to make sure you know who you are dealing with and a peace of mind.

Don’t just agree to the cheapest price. Just remember that if it sounds too good to be true ..."It probably is”. You should put under consideration questions about the quality, safety and experience,knowing how safe you are, how your next meal is cooked and by whom, is your truck well equipped for that safari or if your guides have the experience they claim to have should be the main factor rather than saving a few dollars here and there.There are thousands of stories from tourists that can probably write a book about how to go about this but please look at your budget  and  how adventurous you are in such matters then make the choice you are more comfortable with.

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4 Main Tourist Complaints about Arusha Accommodations

Arusha City, Tanzania  is becoming the tourist hub of east Africa, serving hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. Because of this tourist boom hundreds of hotel accommodations, lodges, B&B's and restaurants are popping up daily to serve this growing population of adventuresome foreigners.  All this expansion by entrepreneurial locals have led to some interesting difficulties when dealing and interacting with these diverse cultures.And here are the top four main complaints.

1. Language barriers are the first and foremost complaint among tourists that have visited Arusha City, Tanzania.  Yes tourists know that English is not the national language of the land but with Arusha City's worldwide reputation as the capital safari hub of Tanzania, tourists expect locals to speak enough English in hotels, lodges and B&B's to communicate effectively with their guests.

2. Unreliable and high internet prices.  Most travelers, especially first timers, expect to be able to communicate with their home countries using their portable devices.  These folks are happy to pay a little extra for this luxury but find it almost impossible because of  to hefty add-on fees or impractical due to the possibility of paying for the service and not being able to use it at all.

3. Power outages are a frequent occurence in under developed countries and as such is another huge problem for those folks caught unaware.  First of all most tourists understand that they are visiting Africa and so they are prepared for the unknown, it's part of the adventure.  The power plants and infrastructure  dated technology lives alot of room for improvement.  Random blackouts are a common occurance, and even though these problems are not the fault of the business owner and entirely out of their control, quality accommodations should at least have a backup generator to combat the problem.

4. Excessive credit card charges at stores,accommodations and restaurants in Tanzania WILL lead to steep and unexpected fees that wreak havoc on your account.  A majority of tourists come from cultures where carrying $500 in their pocket is essentially unheard of and are in the habit of swiping their credit cards for every purchase.It's a problem that most third world countries are trying to combat and businesses can only do so much to which to their credit are giving it their all.Some accommodation have chosen not to take credit cards to avoid costing their clients those hefty fees and will take you an atm for less charges.


So take a deep breath,relax and do your research,ask questions before booking your accommodation just remember you always get what you pay for, and sometimes paying more does not guarantee the best but also cheap can be very expensive.

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Is Arusha Tanzania 2012 tourism season a disaster?

     Arusha city known around the world as the capital safari hub of Tanzania,some even say for the whole of E.Africa,is on a nervous  breakdown this tourism season, perhaps more nervous than it has been in at least a decade. Arusha city has enjoyed a steady increase in tourism due to marketing efforts by the entrepreneurs who took upon themselves to establish an infrastructure to accommodate tourism far beyond Tanzania's wildest dreams.The work of establishing reliable tour companies,training guides,exposing Tanzania's beauty,improving mt Kilimanjaro and safari experiences,improving quality in hospitality and extensive marketing across the world is what got this industry booming to where it's at today with estimated almost a million tourists visited Tanzania last year.
     Then came 2012,the global financial crisis is putting a dent on the economy of this little tourist city.With thousands of tour companies local and abroad scrambling for clients,accommodation/hotels/bnb's/special lodgings trying to compete in this tough market with millions of Tsh high interest loans on stake and high operating cost,one can only hope things will change in the next week or two or it might be a disaster to most businesses which depend highly on tourism.It's almost mid July and August is supposed to be busier but most decision makers are almost ready to throw the white flag and surrender,they are exhausted,deep in debt, frustrated and the only thing keeping them going is the hope that things might change and  hoping it does sooner than next month.
Time will tell,but as always we welcome you to our country,our city and our culture.Tanzania tourism will prevail,and this too shall pass.Wishing all the hoteliers/tour operators the best  on these trying times.

Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha tourist choice accommodation.for all your accommodation and conference needs visit us at www.tumainicottage.com or call us at 784-588-698 and 715-588-698 or for United States call 317-987-1066 and 210-268-4166

Arusha accommodation 2013 head to head competition updates

It's only April and hotels,lodges,bnb's are already head to head despite the fact it's actually a low season travel in Tanzania.The word of the day is competition!!,competition!!!!competition!!!!,with accommodations being built in an unbelievable speed on a daily basis, it's hard to know who is who anymore in this Arusha lucrative business.For some it may seem like the old establishments that used to be so popular just 10 years ago dont even exist any more,the new hoteliers are working hard 24/7 in revamping their menu's,buildings,concierge service and specials like Tanzania has never seen before.Now the question is who actually comes out the winner of all this? The guests of course have hit the jackpot in this market getting the best quality services,good and affordable accommodation for their money.
All in all Arusha is moving in the right direction hospitality wise and it's only the smartest,patient and innovative hoteliers who will eventually survive this roller coaster market.May the best hotel win it all.

Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha tourist account accommodation of choice,visit www.tumainicottage.com Arusha call us at 784-588-698 and 715-588-698  for United States call 317-987-1066