If Dar es Salaam's (Dar's) busy central streets and colourful, exotic markets
assault your senses, don't worry. Sip a Serengeti beer as you watch traditional wooden
dhow sailing boats glide past sleek modern hydrofoils from a
harbourside cafe. Better still, escape to a palm tree-fringed Indian Ocean
beach. When you've acclimatised, delve into Kariakoo market,
stroll around the Botanical Gardens or learn more about Dar's history at
the Village Museum.
Background
Formerly known as Mzizima (healthy place), Dar es Salaam (or Dar to the locals) means
'abode of peace'. Tanzania's largest city is a major
Indian Ocean port, set on a large, natural harbour with a narrow entrance. Dar grew
in importance in the late 1880s when the German East Africa Company established
operations there. Now high-rise office blocks jostle with red-tiled colonial
buildings – many built by the Germans – in the city
centre. Long-term sea trading relations have brought many Arabic and Indian
shops and restaurants. Outside the centre, newer neighbourhoods sprawl. Escape the
traffic and wander along leafy avenues, particularly near the Botanical
Gardens. There are good beaches to the north and south of the
city.
First-time visit
See history, including two-million-year-old exhibits from Olduvai Gorge, at
the National Museum. Wander through the lush tropical flora at the
Botanical Gardens then shop for crafts at the Nyumba ya Sanaa arts
centre. You'll gain insight into tribal Tanzania at its Village
Museum. The swaying palm trees on the white sands of South Beach, are
just a ferry ride away on the Kigamboni peninsula.
Return visit
See the early morning action at Kivukoni fish market. Take a trip to
Bagamoyo, once the capital of German East Africa, and see the
13th-century Kaole Islamic ruins. Watch wooden dhow sailing boats
being built there and unwind on its beach. Pop over to exotic Zanzibar to
snorkel, dive, or join a spice tour. You're expected to haggle over
everything from textiles to tropical fruit at Dar es Salaam's huge
Kariakoo Market.
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