Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

Very useful, but could do with some more information

Customer Rating:

I recently visited Kenya and Tanzania and purchased Rough Guides for each country. The Rough Guide to Tanzania had a good list of hotels and provided enough information for us to choose where to stay and make our reservations from the United States. It also gave good tips about safety precautions, and the maps which we used (Karatu, Moshi and Stone Town) turned out to be quite accurate. There was also a good list of restaurants for these cities which made our trip considerably easier. The book also contains a good amount of information about the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. One topic where I found the Rough Guide to be lacking is the description of Kilimanjaro routes. It had some information about the Marangu and Machame routes, but almost nothing about the others. It would have also been useful for them to mention that credit cards are rarely accepted and that we get horrible rates for Travelers' checks - the best rates are obtained only for US Dollars in cash. Overall though, I was quite glad I purchased the Rough Guide, and our trip was made considerably easier and more interesting due to this book.

Great Information, Out of Date

Customer Rating:

I just spent three weeks in Tanzania on vacation, and visited Dar Es Salaam, Arusha and the northern Safari circuit, and Zanzibar with the Rough Guide as my primary guide. I also hiked Kilimanjaro on a prearranged trip, without using the guidebook. The major strength of the book is that it is written from the viewpoint on traveling that I share, that when traveling you should try to experience the country from as much of a local perspective as possible and avoid the tourist traps that isolate you from the actual country. In this respect it served very well, covering methods to tour the country (such as by daladala and local dhows) that were only occasionally used by tourists. Its recommendations were generally pretty good, although I didn't see too much difference between the highly recommended special picks and the standard listings for hotels and restaurants. His general suggestions for areas to go to and things to do I thought were very good, however. The main issue with the book is that it was sometimes very out of date. Even though it was just published in 2006 I ran across some places that we were counting on from the book that had closed (DDC in Kariakoo (Dar Es Salaam) and the cultural tourism in Gezaloule). Also the inflation from the prices in the book was between 0 and 75%, so it was difficult to know for sure when you were being ripped off and when the prices had just increased. Another issue with the book is that sometimes the author made it sound easier than it was to get around without knowing some kiswahili (the local language). Until we had a rudimentary grasp of the language it was sometimes tough to follow the directions. Generally a good book that I would recommend to anyone that really wants to see the country, but verify your plans with locals when you're there.

Left me in a lurch more than once...

Customer Rating:

I just got back from a three week business trip to Tanzania, and I have to say that this guide was worse than useless-- it was dangerous. On three seperate occasions I took taxis to the most highly recommended restaurants in the guide only to find myself in dangerously isolated areas with businesses that in no way shape or form resembled their reviews. If you are going to visit specific places listed in the guide I recommend you have your taxi wait until you can check out the inside for yourself. The map of Arusha is not accurate. I walked with a single female traveler who needed to buy a bus ticket in Arusha, and its a good thing I was with her because the map was off on its location by about 8 blocks-- and the real location was in one of the most dangerous parts of town. In Dar es Salaam the one location listed as being able to offer cash advances for Mastercards with no pin does not offer such a service as I found out after spending the last of my shillings on a taxi to get there. I had more experiences like this using the guide than I have room to list here. This guide was good for giving me a sense of orientation before I left, but was so out of date and just plain wrong that I would very strongly warn against using it in country. They claim the author has lived in Tanzania for years, but I do not see how this can be true. I saw so many other tourists in Tanzania using this book, so I know that many of you will buy it-- but please be careful and take ALL specific information with a very large dose of skepticism. Be careful.

Terrific resource	Customer Rating:
I got this book as a gift and hardly opened it before getting on the plane to Tanzania. Once there, however, we used it many times a day and found it to be accurate, comprehensive, and engaging. A great guidebook.

THE best guide on Tanzani, according to locals

Customer Rating:

That says it all. We attracted lots of attention by being the first to show up in Tanzania toting the new edition. The locals all agreed it was the most comprehensive & accurate guide available, & were really impressed by some of the things we knew from reading it. We had several offers to buy it when we left but wanted to keep it as a souvenir. Be aware that the author included information on a FEW things that were planned but never opened. Nonetheless, it's an outstanding guide with good maps & lovely photos.