For anyone who is planning a similar journey in the near future, here are a few helpful Tanzanian facts and figures.
On the road
Our route:
Kilometers:
Diesel:
Diesel costs:
Diesel Price:
Traffic police:
Rusumu Falls, Kibondo, Kahama, Manyoni, Dodoma, Mafinga, Mbeya, Ipinda.
1706
We had no problems getting diesel.
480.923,00 TZS (181,21 EUR)
2.468,00 TZS (0,93 EUR) in Kibondo and 2.330,00 TZS (0,88 EUR) in Dodoma.
The traffic police are well known for screwing tourists. We were stopped at several checkpoints and asked where we were going. At one checkpoint we had to hand over the carnet and our passports which seemed very odd. Nothing happened, he took a strole round the van looking at it and our documents. As he got to the front of the van again he took a good long look at our comesa disk and then asked us the usual questions, like where are you from? and where are you going? I was convinced something would occur to him but he wished us a safe journey and let us go.
Later we were stopped again because we hadn't slowed down at a zebra crossing. We were well within the speed limit and nobody was standing near the crossing but you have to slow down anyway.
It's difficult to know whether or not you're actually in what is considered to be a built up area or not. Speed limit signs are often miles in front of a settlement and miles after you've driven through and are still waiting for end of the speed limit sign, the next Limit sign crops up. Sometimes a speed limit sign occurs in the middle of the bush a kilometer befor you get to a zebra crossing.
The traffic police are everywhere. In every single village we passed through. They usually sit in the shade by the roadside under a tree or a in a hut and can be recognized far off by their white uniforms or pick up trucks at the beginning and end of the village.
On our last day our luck ran out and we were stopped for speeding. They had green uniforms. We were sent over to join a queue of vehicles parked to one side. At length a woman with a ticket machine came and showed us a picture of our van on her mobile with a 50 speed limit sign in the voreground and a large red 80 on the display. Probably an alibaba app. She took my driving licence and returned a few minutes later.
I was then sent over to a very smart sergeant who grined (I knew what was coming) and explained that normally it would cost 30.000,00 schillings or 20.000,00 without a ticket. It wasn't worth the discussion. I gave him the 20.000,00 (7,54 Euros) and he gave me my licence. Had I been stubborn he would have found something wrong with the van that would have been more expensive and more of a delay.
Accomodation
Nights:
Total costs overnight:
Average costs overnight:
4 (11.09.18 – 14.09.18), 1 a hotel room and 3 inside the van in pension, hotel, or lodge courtyards.
90.000.00 TZS (33,91 EUR)
22.500,00 TZS (8,48 EUR)
Money
Exchange rate:
ATM:
1,00 EUR = 2.654,00 TZS
ATMs seem to be in all towns.
Shopping
Eating out:
Food:
Bits and bobs:
57.000,00 TZS (21,48 EUR)
9.000,00 TZS (3,39 EUR)
24.000,00 TZS (9,04 EUR) brake fluid and sandals
10.000,00 TZS (3,77 EUR) red wine from a vineyard south of Dodoma
Other costs
Tanzanian Visa:
Customs duties:
Speeding fine:
50,00 USD each, 100,00 together (84,75 EUR)
25,00 USD (21,19 EUR) probably for road tax
20.000,00 TZS (7,54 EUR)
Total costs Tanzania
Diesel:
Accomodation:
Shopping:
Other costs:
Total:
181,21 EUR
33,91 EUR
37,68 EUR
113,48 EUR
366,28 EUR
In conclusion
I do regret missing out Lake Tanganyika as I've said elsewhere, so I won't go into that again here. I'm glad the van caused no problems and relieved to be out of Tanzania, I didn't enjoy it but of course we were just driving through and didn't give it much of a chance.
- Thankyou Tanzania