A Visit to Tanzania – Mr. Thijs – Transport Service
At Smiles Rent A Car Services, we are often delighted to have clients from around the world. In our short but wonderful 5 years of operation we have served more passengers than any other car rental service in Tanzania - combined.
What follows below is an account from one of our recent client who was kind enough to write about his experience not only with us but his entire trip to Tanzania! We hope it entertains you as much as it educates.
We fly from Brussels via Istanbul to the capital of Tanzania: Dar es Salaam. It is about 10 hours flying with a transfer and we arrive in the middle of the night. We arrange our visa on the spot and collect our suitcases. Just with the suitcases through the scan and we enter Africa! And there is Kasseem. Our driver from Smiles Cars who takes us to the mainland from place to place. The first destination is the Ramada Resort Dar. At a distance of 15 kilometers north of Dar es Salaam we find this beautiful hotel of the Ramada hotel group. We will enjoy two nights there and recover from the journey. But the hotel is perfect for a beach holiday as an alternative to Zanzibar, where we have been.
Visa Tanzania
First about the visa. You can request this in advance through the Tanzanian consulate, but it can also be done on the spot. Certainly also because we arrive in the middle of the night it is fairly quiet, but sometimes it can be quite busy. Upon arrival you will receive a form that you have to fill in. Then it is checked and your fingerprints are taken. You have to hand in the forms and then you have to pay an amount of 50 dollars. On some sites it says that you can only pay with bills of 50 or 100 dollars, but that is not the case. If you pay properly, you can use all 10, 20, 50 and 100 notes. Then your passports are taken and the visa is prepared for you. After waiting a few minutes we get our passports back with a visa from Tanzania! Our journey can begin!
Smiles Cars is a transport company in Dar es Salaam. You can rent cars with or without a driver. In consultation everything is possible so this is the ideal start of our trip. We are picked up by Kassim, our friendly and good English-speaking driver. He had not counted on four people so we were crammed in a small car with the suitcases on his lap. Welcome to Africa! The next rides were also driven with a nice jeep, once they knew we had a lot of luggage! The driver was obviously on time and brought us to our destination in the dark. On the way to the hotel we drive through the city. We see that it is more modern than expected, but once out of town the corrugated iron houses appear. The real Africa appears and even near our luxurious Ramada Resort Dar. For more information about Smiles Cars or for reservations for a safe, cozy and good transfer or car, go to https://smilescars.co.tz/.
Dar es Salaam City
Stay at Ramada Resort Dar
We check in at the Ramada Resort Dar around 4:00 in the morning local time. We are quite tired so after we have the key cards we go to our room. We see a beautiful room with lovely soft beds, something we did not always have for the rest of our trip. Unique in Tanzania. Besides the good beds and a television there is a large balcony with a seat. The view is in the interior but if you are lucky you get a room that has a view of the beautiful Indian Ocean. The bathrooms are neat with a rain shower, hot water and a sink with separate toilet. The room is clean and has air conditioning. That is why there is no mosquito net. There is room service and you get bottled water every day. Since we arrived late we go to breakfast a bit later. Breakfast is a buffet and of good quality. Good smoked salmon for example, but also many local juices, snacks and fruit. For the first time I tried juice from a Baobab fruit and that was delicious. You can choose fresh eggs and of course fresh orange juice can not be missed.
After breakfast we will see the rest of the hotel. The swimming pool is one of the highlights of the hotel. It is located between the beach and the hotel and is quite large. The water is perfect for a refreshing dip during the hot days. There are plenty of sunbeds with nice soft cushions. So you can enjoy the sun. You also walk into Jangwani Beach, the beach that the hotel is proud of. The beautiful bright colors of the Indian Ocean complete the picture. A tropical destination with a fantastic hotel. The wind blows wonderfully through the palms and gives a little refreshment in the heat. At the pool bar you can order drinks and there is a place where you can order snacks such as pizzas. There are no rooms on the top floor of the hotel, but there is also a large Fitness Center with a beautiful view of the surroundings. In addition, there is a kind of sky-bar where events can be held. Here you have beautiful sea views. A beautiful location for your conference or business meeting, but also a wedding. Getting married on the beach, beautiful right?
In the evening after a day of enjoyment we go out for dinner in the hotel restaurant. Sometimes there is a buffet but of course you can also À la Carte food. Besides a nice bar with many different drinks, the restaurant is large and you have a sea view. One serves local dishes with Asian touches. The starters are the right portions and freshly prepared. As a main course I choose the fresh “Catch of the day”. A so-called Red Snapper. I got a nice big fish that was perfectly prepared and with delicious side dishes. The risotto, pastas and chicken dishes are also of good quality. The desserts are tasty, sweet and delicious. So keep a spot over. In the entire hotel you can use the free Wi-Fi. You can park there and there is a concierge who can arrange everything for you, from transfers to excursions. The employees are friendly, cheerful and very helpful. For more information or to book your stay in this hotel, please go to https://www.ramadaresortdar.com/.
Beautiful Swahili Coast.
Practical information about Tanzania
– Visa prior to commencement via the consulate, or on site on arrival. We advise the latter.
– Vaccinations are recommended and you should use Malaria pills.
– Flights are direct with KLM or, for example, via Istanbul with Turkish. A flight with a transfer is often cheaper but check if you have time for your transfer!
– Currency is the Tanzanian Shilling. You also need to bring Dollars for a visa.
