1

Hi,
Although you still have something to do in Zanzibar during this time of the year but apart from it there is a number of places to go and things to do while in Dar es salaam, its only a matter of arrangements, with few weekends you will have you can opt to go to Mikumi national park for one night two days (eg leave Dar for mikumi early in the morning of Saturday approx 4.5hrs drive have a full day game drive in the park with picnic lunch followed by dinner and overnight there, another day tour on Sunday and drive back to Dar in the evening) or you can arrange for Saadani national park, Bagamoyo historical town, day trips to kigamboni and Dar es salaam zoo and also kilwa.
I did this during my stay in Dar and had a wonderful time, i will be ready to provide you with more information and assistance whenever you like.
All the best.

2

Hi, all the above looks good but still take a trip to Zanzibar, it would be a shame not to visit this beautiful island when your in Dar for a whole month.
I've never visited during the rains but have been on the mainland and it's not that bad, rains mostly at night.
As for getting there it's really easy, just go down to the port the day before and buy a ticket (Asam is the best ferry), the crossing doesn't take long (about 2 hours depending on the sea) and costs about $50 if I remember(might be less than that). Plenty of places to stay and you should get a deal at this time of year, but when in Stone Town I stay at Zenji hotel. You can walk there from the ferry, just turn left when you come out, down the end of the road, then turn right, Zenji is about 200m on the right. You can book with them on hostel bookers.
Alcotteer

3

Good idea alcotteer,
Think it will real depend on the rains of the year but yes it worth to be paid a visit, Azam fast ferries are the best and safest transport in the area, the first class ticket is 15 and 20$ depending on the ferry.
The parks and other historical sites i mentioned above will also be interesting as they will give a good history of the country as well as wonderful pictures of wildlife for the life time.

4

Thanks very much for your insights !

So it's still worth paying a visit to a national park to see wildlife and go to zanzibar for beaches ?

Can I arrange transportation another way than driving to go to Mikumi NP ? Any recommendation about a company or how to arrange for that, cuz I'd LOVE to be able to see wildlife ? Anyway to do a balloon tour over the NP ?

In addition, is Dar Es Salam or even Tanzania safe for a woman on her own ? Shall I bring my big camera gear or it's not safe ?

5

Yes, it is still worth paying a visit to the national park to see wildlife and wonders of Tanzania and go to Zanzibar for beaches, you can arrange for a scheduled return flights from Dar es salaam to mikumi, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Selous game reserve etc and also Zanzibar this will only depend on your time and budget, balloon safari can also be done at 450$.
Dar es salaam and even Tanzania is safe for a woman solo traveler, in the city its only a matter of which street you are going to stay especially during the night but in the parks it is much safer. If you are thinking of doing a wildlife photo safari it is much better to bring your big camera so as to have nice and wonderful pictures, safety is as i told you before.
When are you coming down to Dar es salaam? i will advice you on what and where you can make an affordable accurate programs while you are here, meeting you for few minutes will not be a problem to me and we can have a private conversation at clemermichael@yahoo.com

6

Rain or no rain, I say definitely go to Zanzibar. The architecture and feel of the town will be a great subject for photography. I got to go off the beaten path and also explore the forest/park on the eastern side of the island. Pretty neat. As others mentioned, the ferry is pretty easy and the approach to Stone Town is also great for photos of the town's "skyline". Enjoy it!

7

Thanks to all of you for quick reply, I'll enjoy my time there !

8

Maybe you can also ntry to go from dar es salaam to Zanzibar in a sailing Catamaran.
You will not regreat the bring diving equipement on board and they will leave from dar at any time you want to.

You will go to zanzibar in a very special way and see much more of what is zanzibar and the 50 islands around!

9

I am a woman, I traveled there on my own last year without many safety issues. Well, there were safety issues as far as the traffic and roads went, but not specifically because of my gender. Are you comfortable traveling alone in general?

I'd hesitate to bring a really big and obvious camera if you're trekking around on your own. In Dar during the day I felt pretty safe (the ferry terminal can be a completely hectic gauntlet though) but in the evenings I didn't feel as safe as I had in the more central areas of Tanz. I would have felt less so with a large camera in the city. If you are on safari, in a NP and the like, large cameras are common and easy to watch over.

I was in Zanzibar during Ramadan so pretty much everyone was out after dark and it felt very safe to me, very welcoming. I wasn't concerned about safety as much while there as I was in Dar.