Dar es Salaam is the largest tourist and richest city in Tanzania. Dar es Salaam is an important economic center and one of the fastest-growing cities on earth.
Dar es Salaam city is amazing. It rose from a small fishing village to now a modern city, major port, center for business, and culture in East Africa. Are you interested to know what things you can do in or around Dar es Salaam?
Here you’ll find a lot of exciting activities you can explore when you visit the city of Dar Es Salaam. I’m going to share with you my research on some of the best things you can do in one of the most bustling cities in East Africa.
- Explore the Kivukoni Fish Market
- Pay a visit to Dar es Salaam National Museum
- Explore the Bustling Kariakoo Market
- Go for a Historical Tour in Bagamoyo
- Explore Tanzanian Cultures in the Village Museum
- Visit Mwenge Woodcarvers Market
- Explore Mbudya Island Beach
- Go Shopping at Slipway Shopping Center
- Visit the Coco Beach
- Pay a Visit to Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society
To help you find out more, I’m going to share in detail about the above-listed activities for the remaining part of this article. Please, keep reading. But you may want to at least have some basics about Dar es Salaam itself. So, let me first share what Dar es Salaam is about.
Quick Interesting Fun Facts About Dar Es Salaam
- Dar es Salaam is the largest city and the former capital of Tanzania.
- The name Dar es Salaam is derived from the Arabic word romanized “Dar as-Salam” meaning “Place of Peace”.
- Dar es Salaam is the only region that is also an entire a city in Tanzania.
- It’s also the largest city in East Africa and the seventh-largest in Africa.
- This is a cosmopolitan city. Here you’ll find a range of influences, from Arabic to Asian elements along with the native Tanzanian culture.
If you’re planning a trip to Dar es Salaam or any place around Dar es Salaam here are 10 of the best things you can do.
1. Explore the Kivukoni Fish Market
Kivukoni Fish Market is often called the Magogoni Fish Market by most people. Kivukoni fish market is a perfect place to experience the Tanzanian buzzing daily life.
The area is very busy comprising of people who come to buy and sell fishes and other items.
The market is divided into two main sections, comprising eight zones, one of which is the auction. In the other sections, fish are cleaned, cooked, and resold at marked-up prices. The market is a nice, colorful, and interesting place to visit.
The best time to visit the Kivukoni Fish Market is in the morning. If you arrive there in the morning, you’re guaranteed to spot the beautiful view of some fishing boats offloading their night catch.
Do you love seafood? If you do, then this is a real place for you. The market is famous for having different kinds of seafood available at the lowest prices.
You would want to try some of the most special seafood from octopus, squid, shrimp, prawns, and other kinds of delicious fish delicacies.
If you’d want to purchase some of the catch, remember to drive a very hard bargain.
The Kivukoni Fish Market is also a good place to taste other local dishes like chapati, ugali, and wali “maharage”. You will get these local delicacies in restaurants located around the market.
The restaurants around the Kivukoni Fish Market will offer you a fantastic view of the ocean with some fishermen doing what they do best.
Pro Tip: Leave all valuables at the place you’re staying and take cash, your mobile phone, and ofcourse your camera.
2. Visit The Dar Es Salaam National Museum
Dar es Salaam National Museum is a site that preserves and show exhibits about the history and natural environment of Tanzania. It’s the oldest museum in the country.
The museum was first established in 1934 by the then governor of Tanganyika, Harold MacMichael but it came to be opened to the public in 1940.
Here you’ll learn about the whole history of human evolution, the history during colonial rule, including the slave trade in East Africa, and after political independence.
The museum is located on Shaaban Robert street, opposite the Institute of Finance and Management (IFM).
Here you’ll find the rock arts, contemporary arts, the cradle of humankind, a library for adults, a library for children, marine life, and so much more sections.
If you’re interested to explore the history of Tanzania even earlier before the 6th century, this is a place for you.
I recommend getting a guide who will be clearly assisting you to gain more about the actual information.
I’ve visited the museum on more than one occasion in Dar es Salaam. It’s a nice place to visit and spend some 1 to 2 hours if you’re in or around the city.
In the museum, you’ll find a copy of the famous fossil discoveries of Zinjanthropus from Olduvai Gorge. The work of Dr. Luis and Mary Leakey is well presented in details and images.
You’ll enjoy browsing the library’s archives because the libraries are equipped with tablets.
From the library head to the artifact sections and explore the available interesting history. See on your front are cars from the bombing of the 1998 US embassy. Go see a bed that was actually used by Sheikh Hussein of Kilwa in the 18th century.
Have you ever heard about the first plane that tried to fly from Cairo to Cape town but sadly crashed in Tanzania? Then, here you’ll find its propeller.
So, if you’re in or around Dar es Salaam, visiting the Dar es Salaam national museum is a great deal.
3. Explore The Bustling Kariakoo Market
The market site a former base of the British paramilitary World War I Carrier Corps. That’s where the name Kariakoo came from, the “Carrier Corps”.
Kariakoo host an interesting history you’ll want to hear when you visit the place.
Did you know that Kariakoo was a village during pre-colonial times? It changed in the late 19th century from the village that was raided by slave traders to a shamba of Sultan of Zanzibar.
Then, Schoeller, the German businessman bought the shamba and rented the land to the Africans. In 1914 the German administration bought Kariakoo from Schoeller.
The German colonial rule turned Kariakoo into a formal African township and the market was established but the advent of WWI delayed its opening.
In 1916 the British took over Dar es Salaam and made Kariakoo as their base for the Carrier Corps. In 1923 the market finally began to operate and after political independence in the 1970s, the Government of Tanzania substantially restructured the market. The modern three-story concrete structure dates from 1974, a landmark of the area.
Kariakoo market is now the largest and chaotic market and a major contributor to Dar es Salaam’s economy.
This is a place for any traveler to go when s/he is in or around Dar es Salaam. There you’ll explore the disorienting array of products. The market is packed to the brim with fresh produce, fabrics, clothes, plastics, kitchenware, trinkets, and electronics.
The market is also commonly known as a place to buy items at the lowest price in the country. But bargain hard and beware of pickpockets you’re at the market.
The market is well served by railway and road transport system and it’s close to the Julius Nyerere International Airport. Also, Kariakoo hosts the Tanzania Postal Bank on Msimbazi street.
If you’re looking for what to do in Dar es Salaam, you can include the Kariakoo market in your list.
4. Go For a Historical Tour In Bagamoyo
Bagamoyo is a town in Tanzania with an important history and active art scene in Tanzania. Bagamoyo tells that history is standing still. The town is recently a UNESCO world heritage site.
During the slave trade, the town was used as a holding point for slaves who were brought from the interior waiting to be transported to Zanzibar direct to Arabs. That is why the name Bagamoyo is derived from the Swahili word “Bwagamoyo” to mean “lay down your heart”.
Here you’ll see fortress and slave prison. Most travelers visit Bagamoyo to see the entrance portal of the homes which often display intricate carving with Arabic influence.
Bagamoyo town was then used to be the entry point for explorers and traders wanting to go inland for their adventures. David Livingstone, Richard Burton, John Speke, Henry Morton Stanley passed here for their trip to the inland.
When you get there, I recommend seeing the first Catholic Church in East Africa.
During the German colonial period, Bagamoyo was used as the economic and administrative capital of German East Africa. Go see the Old Boma historical site the best places for many travelers who visit Bagamoyo town.
Also, you can visit the Bagamoyo museum to get the narrative history of East Africa. This is a specialty museum that is found in Bagamoyo. A museum is divided into three sections. They include slavery, missionary, and Bagamoyo history. So, visiting Bagamoyo town is a nice way to explore a lot about history.
Have you ever heard about Kaole village? This is a small village 3 km south of Bagamoyo along an unsealed coast road. This is a place where ruins meet the beach. Here you’ll see the Kaole ruins. The ruin of the mosque dates to the 13th century.
Also, in Kaole village you’ll be excited to see a crocodile farm. The crocodiles range from babies to 50 years old in a concrete basin. The crocodiles here are grown for their skin and meat.
Among the other things you can do when visiting Bagamoyo is to explore the art centers. Here excitingly you’ll enjoy seeing local culture being taught to many foreign students. The centers include the art market and a baobab art workshop.
Are you a beachcomber? If the answer is yes, taking time to the pristine beaches of Bagamoyo is a great deal. It’s a nice place for snorkeling and relaxing or peddling. You’ll also be excited to see traditional dhow sailboats.
These are nice places you can buy nice paintings, jewelry, pottery, carvings, and more. So, if you’re looking at what you can do in or around Dar es Salaam, think of exploring the historical town of Bagamoyo.
5. Explore Tanzanian Cultures in the Village Museum
At the heart of Dar es Salaam, is located the Village Museum the homes of Tanzania’s tribes. The museum is also termed as the Makumbusho Village Museum.
In Swahili, it’s called Kijiji cha Makumbusho to mean “the village of reminders”. It’ll take you to remember the actual living conditions and structures of Tanzanian societies. Everything here gives the traditional sense unlike the English museum with its classical muse associations.
My friend has paid several visits to the Village museum because she was studying in Dar es Salaam. She one day told the no one interested in the cultural tour would want to miss out on this museum.
The museum was established in 1996 aiming at demonstrating and preserving the traditional cultures of Tanzania.
You’ll see authentically constructed traditional habitats and crafts from a few of the dominant tribes of Tanzania. The tribes include:
- Bena
- Chagga
- Fipa
- Gogo
- Haya
- Hehe
- Iraqw
- Kwere
- Makua
- Mwera
- Ngoni
- Nyakyusa
- Sukuma
- Yao
- Zanaki
- Zaramo
There you’ll be excited to learn about the lifestyle and traditions of the many tribes in Tanzania. You’ll see the traditional huts they lived in and the tools they used. If you’re not going to make it into rural Tanzania, the Village museum offers a nice alternative.
You just walk from one hut to the next and taking a look inside. They are interesting and show creative traditional architecture. Some almost appear like heaps of grass but you’ll find even interior sections including their decorations and furnishing.
Some of the tools you’ll see include stoves, spears, bows, arrows, and cooking and drinking equipment.
To get a feel of the Tanzanian culture, try using some of the tools, or take a photo, or even do both. It’s allowed.
You’ll find cards next to the houses and tools explaining the use, history, and customs of their people. But I’d recommend that get someone to guide you. S/he will assist to give you more explanation about them.
To buy some souvenirs as gifts to take home is another thing that most travelers do when they visit the museum. They are available in the shops near the main gate. They include hand-made jewelry and clothes.
There’s also a restaurant next to the museum offering nice local food and beers as well as soft drinks to sample just to keep you excited.
To give more pleasure, the museum also lays on traditional dance and music performances during the afternoons. Here the urban Tanzanian children and teens learn about the cultural heritage of their rural families.
So, if you’re in or around Dar es Salaam, passing by the Village Museum is a nice idea.
6. Visit Mwenge Woodcarvers Market
Mwenge Woodcarvers Market gathers over 200 artisans hard at work creating a wide array of unique sculptures and crafts. It’s a nice place to buy cultural items from Tanzanian artists.
There you’ll find different ceremonial masks collected from all over Africa. The sellers can provide you the details regarding the masks’ place of origin, age, and use.
Also, you’ll find other various artistic pieces such as fabrics, sandals, beaded necklaces, and more. The artists here make crafts in the traditional orderly fashion while mixing them with modern elements.
You’ll see most masks are colorfully painted in red, black, orange, brown, and white. The quality and complexity of the masks reflect the importance of the ritual it was used in.
You’ll be excited to find some masks which portray the intermediate world between human and animals. If you ask the seller, s/he will tell you that it means the mask wearer can communicate with both humans and animals.
The most interesting part of this market is that the sellers here don’t hassle customers. You’ll be encouraged to get into their store, but you won’t be pestered to but anything.
Another special thing about this market is that you’ll actually see the artists working on the sculptures. Also, you’ll find so many businesswomen and they are charming.
Many artists sell the same items. Remember to bargain very tough for the prices may go to even 70% lower. Don’t buy quickly at the first shop you go, walk around to other shops and once you get a price are comfortable with, buy.
Speaking some Swahili is also helpful. Some basic words I recommend to have include:
- “Mambo?” or “habari yako?” (how are you?)
- “Nzuri?” or “poa” (fine)
- “Karibu” (welcome)
- “Shilingi ngapi?” (how much?)
- “Ndiyo” (yes), “hapana” (no)
- “Asante!” (Thank you), “Asante Sana” (thank you very much)
- “Kwa heri” (goodbye)
So, are you in or around Dar es Salaam and looking for what to do? Visiting the Mwenge woodcarvers’ market is highly recommendable.
7. Explore Mbudya Island Beach
About a 20 minutes motorboat north of the Dar es Salaam you find Mbudya, an uninhabited island. This is one of the four islands of Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve.
Mbudya is known as the best refreshing gateway for people looking to escape the busiest Dar es Salaam. It’s therefore a popular day trip for both tourists and Tanzanians.
Your trip to Mbudya will start on the beach, next to a stretch of tourist hotels on a hired boat. Here the average cost per person to get to and from the island is 10,000 TSHS. Then once you get onto the island, you’ll be required to pay a fee for reserve.
After sometimes you may then want to seat in the shade. To seat in the Banda, you’ll also be asked to pay to rent a Banda.
All the cost you incur is value for money there. The beach is clean with pristine white sand. The water is mostly calm and crystal clear where you can even see the base of the ocean.
You can enjoy swimming, hiking, and sunbathing.
And if you like, the staff on the island can organize snorkeling gear for you to explore coral and aquatic life. You’ll see a lot of exciting marine life ranging from dazzling coral walls, sea turtles, manta rays, to colored tropical fishes.
The water temperature is perfect to cool you off in the intensive heat.
I’d advise you to take your own food and drink. Anyway, you can buy food from there but just order it early because expect it to take long.
Make your trip full of fun and exciting to remember on the island. And when you’re done, call the owner of the boat to pick you ready to leave.
8. Go Shopping at Slipway Shopping Center
Your stay in or around Dar es Salaam isn’t complete without visiting Slipway. This is a palm-lined Swahili-inspired shopping complex on the waterfront.
The center is located at Oyster Bay in Dar es Salaam. The slipway shopping center is a very quiet and tourist place with maximum security. You can enjoy a romantic evening there!
Are you also looking for a perfect sunset spot? Then Slipway shopping center is a place for you to be. Watch the sunset by the beachfront. This place is like shopping with air condition.
The craft market is great. Here you’ll find items from colorful clothing to local artwork, sculptures, masks, and hand-made bags.
There are also shops where you can buy cheap souvenirs and more Tanzanite stones. This is a perfect place to buy cheap touristy gifts. The prices are better than other markets in Dar es Salaam.
I visited the Slipway shopping center twice to buy gifts to take home.
There are also nice restaurants where you can enjoy some dishes before or after shopping.
But before I forget … Slipway is also the best place for a nightlife circuit in the coastal areas. After shopping, you can chill and enjoy the live music wafts from some of the waterfront venues.
If you’re in or around Dar es Salaam take time to pass by Slipway shopping center. The place is highly recommended!
9. Visit the Coco Beach
Coco beach is the most famous beach in Dar es Salaam located in Oyster Bay. The beach is famous for being frequented by locals and hosting several holiday beach-parties.
You may find you’re the only tourist here mingling with the locals. Some will want to serenade you for a few shillings, just move on with a no, thank you. It’s OK!
The beach gets busiest during the weekend when you’ll find it is fully packed by beachcombers.
Here you’ll find restaurants and food stands. Chilling to taste local cassava fry, mishikaki, and chips and have drinks at the restaurants is highly recommendable here.
If you want to get into the water, there are shops renting beach equipment you can buy like floaters. But the downside of the beach’s fame isn’t clean or safe. You may find litter scattered here and there.
Also, the beach has toilet and bathroom facilities, and a secure parking space (all for pay).
Coco beach is also a pet place for joggers, especially during the evening hours. If you’re interested you can jog or walk on the beach
If you’re lucky, you can see the Maasai guys jumping high to contest that they feel the pop music from the DJs.
During the special holidays, you can even enjoy partying on this beach. But just a piece of advice, mind your own security in everything you do here.
Are you also interested to take another trip to nearby beaches? Here you can also find boats that offer transport to a nearby island. Most of them leave in the morning and return later on the same day.
So, if you’re in or around Dar es Salaam, spend some time to socialize with locals on the Coco beach,
10. Pay a Visit to Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society
The Tanzanian Tingatinga painting style was founded in the late 1960s by Edward Said Tingatinga. The art here began as a simple idea: using recycled, low-cost materials like Masonite squares, ceramic fragments, and bicycle paint.
After he died in 1972, the remaining painters established the art style as a cultural identity of Tanzania. They organized themselves as a cooperative, the “Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society” (TACS).
The aim of the cooperative is to continue the art of painting in its founder’s sense. On 28th July 1990 TACS was registered.
Today, almost 100 talented artists are working in a cooperative including women. Here you’ll find both paintings in actual Tingatinga’s style and international style to promote the art sales and earn living.
Here you’ll be excited to find the unique paintings that you can’t find anywhere else. The paintings here are popular with tourists due to the ease of transporting them.
The artworks here are very affordable and prices are negotiable. The painting you buy from here is guaranteed to offer the wow factor to your space. I passed there last year with my niece and we each got something we loved.
Looking at their paintings is pleasurable. So, buying some Tingatinga items as your next holiday souvenir is a great idea to have. You are allowed to even take photos of the paintings and the painters at work if you like.
The good thing is that you actually see artists working. If you pass by and buy their paintings is not only a way to support them directly but also enriching your house. So, if you’re in Dar es Salaam, kill some time to visit the place.
Conclusion
Generally, there are a lot of things to do in or around Dar es Salaam. But in this article, I’ve just shared the most exciting and fun ones.
Therefore, feel free to at least visit some of the activities that suit your interest and the nature of your trip.