Tanzania FAQs

For Answers to General Questions about our programs, please click here and for questions specific to the Tanzania program, please read on

Section 1: Planning for Tanzania Travel

Q1. What languages do I need to speak to be able to participate in your volunteer Tanzania program?
Q2. When is the best time to participate in your programs?
Q3. When do the programs begin?
Q4. Where can I read about Tanzania?
Q5. What is the Weather like in Tanzania?

Section 2: Traveling and Visa Issues

Q6.  What kind of visa do I need? Do I need a work permit?
Q7. How much do I need to pay for a Tanzanian visa and how do I get one?
Q8. What Airport Should I Fly to?

Section 3: Fees and Money

Q9. How much money should I bring for my personal expenses in Tanzania?
Q10. What Does my payment cover?

Section 4: Living In Tanzania

Q11. What language program is offered in Tanzania, is it Language and Culture or Survival Spanish and how long will it take?
Q12. How much time must I spend in your programs in Tanzania?
Q13. What are the living conditions like in Tanzania?
Q14. What is the food like in Tanzania?

Section 1: Planning for Tanzania Travel

Q1. What languages do I need to speak to be able to participate in your volunteer Tanzania program?

Ans. The language of business in Tanzania is English. Swahili is the national and most spoken language. Some members of your host household will speak English and you should be ok if you have a working knowledge of English even if it is not your first language.

Q2. When is the best time to participate in your programs?

Ans. Any time is just as good. This varies from country to country. For Tanzania, October?January is the season favored by those going on safaris because of the spectacular wildebeest migration witnessed in the Serengeti -Maasai Mara wildlife habitat and the weather is warm and beautiful.

Q3. When do the programs begin?

Ans. Beginning dates are First (1st) and Third (3rd) Thursday of each month.

Q4. Where can I read more about Tanzania?

Ans. You can click here to go to the Tanzania Country Profile Page, where you can read more about Tanzania.

Q5. What is the Weather in Tanzania like?

Ans. Moshi area and most of the Northern and Eastern Tanzania has two rainfall seasons; October ? December and March-May. June through September is the cold season, the rest of the year being generally warm and January to March being hot. Temperatures vary across the country and over the year being cooler up country and in the mainland and warmer along the coast. Temperatures average between 10 Celsius (50 F) to 27 Celsius (81 F) in Arusha/Moshi and between 25 Celsius (77 F) to 39 Celsius (102 F) in Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam. There is sunshine throughout the year and summer and spring clothes are worn most of the year.

Section 2: Traveling and Visa Issues

Q6.  What kind of visa do I need? Do I need a work permit?

Ans. You will need a tourist visa since you are categorized as a tourist because you do not get paid for any services you provide while in the country. For the same reason you do not need a work visa. A non-tourist visa is unnecessary, difficult to obtain and twice as expensive as the tourist visa.

Q7. How much do I need to pay for a Tanzania visa and how do I get one?

Ans. We provide all our participating applicants with all this information. Any traveler in East Africa can stay on a tourist visa for 3 months at $50 US dollars. You can get the tourist visa at the Tanzanian or Tanzanian embassy in your country. Tanzanian visas should be obtained before arrival in Tanzania.

Q8. What Airport should I fly to?

Ans. If you are going to Arusha, you should fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, Tanzania. The conventional airport name is Arusha, Kilimanjaro and the Airport Code is JRO. If you are going to Zanzibar, you should fly to Zanzibar International Airport in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The conventional airport name is Zanzibar and the Airport Code is ZNZ.

Section 3: Fees and Money

Q9. How much money should I bring for my personal expenses in Tanzania?

Ans. The amount of money you bring depend on you. Most participants can live on USD 25 per week for out of pocket expenses. A weekend out will cost you between $ 250 and $500.

Q10. What do the fees cover?

Ans. Please go to the Tanzania Program Fees page to find out what the fee does and/or does not cover.

Section 4: Living in Tanzania

Q11. What Language is offered in the Tanzania Language and Culture Experience program, will I need an extra week to participate?

Ans. Swahili Language is offered in Tanzania. Although this program only offered in combination with other programs, it is a separate program that takes one week. There is no overlap between the programs

Q12. How much time do I need to spend in Tanzania?

Ans. You can spend 1 to 24 weeks. If you want to take the language and culture program and/or any adventure program where trips and tours take more than 7 days, you will need at least 2 weeks.

Q13. What are the living conditions like in Tanzania?

Ans. Host families who are carefully selected from among respected members of society provide accommodation. Alternative accommodation can be arranged at extra cost. Living conditions are average for developing countries but vary from house to house. There will be electricity most of the time. Portable tap/faucet water will most likely be available in the house or on site, just outside the house. Flash toilets will be there in at least 70% of the households.

Q14. What is the food like in Tanzania?

Ans. East African foods include chapatti ? more like tortilla made from wheat flour; rice and beans, a mash of plantains, meats - chicken, beef, goat, sheep; tea; coffee; pilaf rice, etc. Vegetarian foods can be arranged.