Dar-es-Salaam City Tour Half Day Excursion

The Dar-es-Salaam City Tour Half-Day Excursion explores Dar-es-Salaam, located on the Indian Ocean coast and Tanzania’s largest city and logistics hub. It is affectionately known as ‘Dar,’ but it is not the country’s capital – that title belongs to Dodoma.

Dar es Salaam is primarily a port city in southern Tanzania, located on a large natural harbor.  “Dar-es-Salaam” means “haven of peace”, but you’ll find with almost 3 million people calling the city home, it’s not exactly tranquil.

Visitors to Dar-es-Salaam are usually en route to Tanzania’s fantastic southern national parks, including the Selous and Ruaha, or catching a ferry to the exotic Zanzibar archipelago.

Dar-es-salaam City Tour Half Day Excursion offers a vibrant glimpse into Tanzania’s bustling commercial hub, blending history, culture, and local life with visits to spots like the Kivukoni Fish Market, Botanical Gardens, National Museum, Askari Monument, and cultural markets such as Mwenge, often with authentic rides on bajajs, showcasing the city’s harbor, colonial past, and modern energy.

Typical Itinerary Highlights:
✓ Kivukoni Fish Market: Experience the oldest fish market, bustling with daily catches.
✓ Botanical Gardens: Explore diverse indigenous plants established by German colonizers.
✓ National Museum & Village Museum: Discover Tanzanian history, archaeology (like Olduvai Gorge fossils), and traditional cultures.
✓ Azania Front Lutheran Church & Askari Monument: See colonial-era architecture and historical markers.
✓ Mwenge Woodcarvers Market: Shop for local crafts and art
✓ Coco Beach: Enjoy coastal vibes and local snacks.
✓ Uhuru Torch Monument (Mnazi Mmoja Park): See a replica of the monument symbolizing freedom

We meet and greet you at your hotel, pier, or your residence, then drive you to the city center, where our half-day Dar-es-Salaam city tour begins. The tour starts from the Botanical Garden. The gardens were established by the Germans in 1906. After World War I, the British continued to maintain the garden.

Today, the Botanical Gardens feature a wonderful selection of indigenous plants, including purple bougainvillea, blue jacaranda, scarlet flame trees, and red hibiscus, as well as the coco-de-mer palm tree, native to Seychelles. Then drive to the National Museum, close to the Statehouse.

In the museum, you will find Dr. Leakey’s discoveries from Olduvai Gorge, including the skull of Nutcracker Man (Zinjanthropus boisei) and other human fossils. The Museum has many items used by various tribes in Tanzania in the olden days, including tribal ornaments, headdresses, witchcraft paraphernalia, and traditional musical instruments collected from across Tanzania.

Visit the famous Kivukoni Fish Market. This is the busiest fish market in Dar-es-Salaam where most fishermen come after their fishing expedition to sell their catch wholesale. You will see red snapper, lobster, prawns, squid, barracuda, and shellfish fresh from the Indian Ocean. You can buy corrie shells found along the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean.

The next visit is Nyumba ya Sanaa (in Swahili, “House of Art”), also known as the Mwalimu Nyerere Cultural Centre or Julius Nyerere Cultural Centre, a cultural center, art workshop, and shop established to promote local art and craftsmanship, mostly made by women and people with disabilities.

We drive to the Slipway Waterfront, northward on a magnificent Msasani Peninsula Bay. It offers an interesting mix of leisure, entertainment, shops, restaurants with different tastes, and craft markets. Here you can buy woodcarvings, local garments, ornaments, and many other items displayed at market stalls and shops.

Later, head to Makumbusho Village. The Makumbusho Village Museum displays traditional Tanzanian homes, representing 18 ethnic tribes. You will be taken on a tour through the homes, which include furnished huts, meeting places, and cattle pens, and can view artists and craftsmen weaving, carving, and painting.

You also get to visit Mwenge Art Gallery, located along Old Bagamoyo Road at Mwenge Suburban, close to Mlimani City Shopping Center. This is the area where local people sell their art and crafts. The gallery offers a wide selection of beautiful pottery, paintings, jewelry, and carvings. Drive to the very colorful Kariakoo Market with exotic fresh produce and local textiles in the center via the University of Dar-Es-Salaam.

The University of Dar es Salaam is well-known for Mlimani’s short visit to the market before driving to Mnazi Mmoja Park, a Beautiful park near the city center with a symbolic Uhuru Torch Monument, built to celebrate the country’s Independence in 1961.

The Dar-es-Salaam City Tour Half-Day Excursion explores Dar-es-Salaam – located on the Indian Ocean coast, Tanzania’s largest city and logistics hub. It is affectionately known as ‘Dar,’ but it is not the country’s capital – that title belongs to Dodoma.

Dar es Salaam is primarily a port city in southern Tanzania, located on a large natural harbor.  “Dar-es-Salaam” means “haven of peace”, but you’ll find with almost 3 million people calling the city home, it’s not exactly tranquil.

Visitors to Dar-es-Salaam are usually en route to Tanzania’s fantastic southern national parks, including the Selous and Ruaha, or catching a ferry to the exotic Zanzibar archipelago.

* Highlights of Dar es Salaam, also called “Haven of Peace
* Lively and colorful markets of Dar es Salaam city, including Kariakoo
* Dar-es-Salaam is Tanzania’s largest & richest city, a historic port town
* Discover Tanzania’s largest and richest city on this in-depth half-day tour
* In-depth and comprehensive tour of Dar-es-Salaam with an expert guide
* Rich Swahili culture from a blend of Arab & Bantu influences of Dar es Salaam city

0830 Hours: We meet and greet you at your hotel, pier, or at your residence, then drive you to the city center, where our half-day Dar-es-Salaam city tour begins. The tour starts from the Botanical Garden. The gardens were established by the Germans in 1906. After World War I, the British continued to maintain the garden.

Today, the Botanical Gardens feature a wonderful selection of indigenous plants, including purple bougainvillea, blue jacaranda, scarlet flame trees, and red hibiscus, as well as the coco-de-mer palm tree, native to Seychelles.

Then drive to the National Museum, close to the Statehouse. In the museum, you will find Dr. Leakey’s findings from Olduvai Gorge, including the skull of Nutcracker man (Zinjanthropus bosei) and other human fossils.

The Museum has many items used by various tribes in Tanzania in the olden days, including a collection of tribal ornaments, headdresses, witchcraft paraphernalia, and traditional musical instruments collected from across Tanzania.

Visit the famous Kivukoni Fish Market. This is the busiest fish market in Dar-es-Salaam where most fishermen come after their fishing expedition to sell their catch wholesale. You will see red snapper, lobster, prawns, squid, barracuda, and shellfish fresh from the Indian Ocean.

You can buy corrie shells found along the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean. The next visit is Nyumba ya Sanaa (in Swahili, “House of Art”), also known as the Mwalimu Nyerere Cultural Centre or Julius Nyerere Cultural Centre, a cultural center, art workshop, and shop established to promote local art and craftsmanship, mostly made by women and people with disabilities.

We drive to the Slipway Waterfront, northward on a magnificent Msasani Peninsula Bay. It offers an interesting mix of leisure, entertainment, shops, restaurants with different tastes, and craft markets. Here you can buy woodcarvings, local garments, ornaments, and many other items displayed at market stalls and shops.

1300 Hours: Head to Makumbusho Village. The Makumbusho Village Museum displays traditional Tanzanian homes, representing 18 ethnic tribes. You will be taken on a tour through the homes, which include furnished huts, meeting places, and cattle pens, and can view artists and craftsmen weaving, carving, and painting.

You also get to visit Mwenge Art Gallery, located along Old Bagamoyo Road at Mwenge Suburban, close to Mlimani City Shopping Center. This is the area where local people sell their art and crafts. The gallery offers a wide selection of beautiful pottery, paintings, jewelry, and carvings.

Drive to the very colorful Kariakoo Market with exotic fresh produce and local textiles in the center via the University of Dar-Es-Salaam.

The University of Dar es Salaam is well-known for Mlimani’s short visit to the market before driving to Mnazi Mmoja Park, a Beautiful park near the city center with a symbolic Uhuru Torch Monument, built to celebrate the country’s Independence in 1961.

Dar-es-Salaam City Tour Half-Day Excursion Rates Include:

✓ Shopping time
✓ Walking and driving
✓ Mineral water during tour
✓ Professional English-speaking guides
✓ Dar-es-Salaam City Tour Half-Day Excursion
✓ All entry fees, guide fees, service charges, and taxes & Pickup from your hotel in Dar-es-Salaam City and drop-off at your hotel

Notes

* This tour focuses on Dar-es-Salaam’s Top attractions, which include: Nyumba ya Sanaa, Tingatinga paintings, The National Museum, Kariakoo market, Fish Market, etc

Dar-es-Salaam City Tour Half-Day Excursion Rates Do Not Include:

* Drinks
* Lunch
* Laundry
* Tips or gratuity
* Travelers Insurance
* Communication charges
* Visas, international airfares, and airport taxes; meals
* Sightseeing not included in the package; optional activities
* Personal expenses such as transfers to/ from the airport (supplement airport transfer cost applies for tours starting from the airport)

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