Money in Tanzania

Two currencies, and bring clean dollars

Tanzania runs on two currencies at once and a visitor needs both. The Tanzanian shilling is everyday money — markets, local restaurants, transport, small shops. The US dollar is the safari economy's currency: national park fees, lodges, Kilimanjaro packages and most tourist services are quoted and payable in dollars, and that is not a convenience for foreigners but how the sector is priced. The critical detail, and the one that catches people out at park gates and bank counters alike, is that older US notes are frequently refused. Bring bills issued from 2006 onward, unmarked and undamaged — worn, torn or pre-2006 notes are turned away routinely and there is no arguing the point. Bring a mix of denominations too: larger notes tend to get a better exchange rate, while small ones are what you actually need for tips and incidentals. Exchange at banks or licensed bureaux in the cities rather than at hotel desks, and never on the street.

Cards at lodges, cash everywhere else

Visa and Mastercard work at upmarket safari lodges, international hotels and some city restaurants, and that is roughly the extent of card acceptance. Contactless and phone payments are available at a small number of modern terminals in the largest city and should not be relied on anywhere. Outside that narrow tourist layer — local restaurants, markets, transport, smaller guesthouses, fuel stations and a great deal of Zanzibar — cash is the only option, in shillings. The practical rule is to carry enough of both currencies for the day ahead, and to assume that the further you get from a city or a lodge the more completely cash rules. Card surcharges at lodges are common and worth asking about at booking rather than at checkout.

ATMs in towns, none in the parks

Cash machines are available in the main towns and cities — the coastal capital, the safari gateway towns, the lake cities and Zanzibar's main town — and most accept foreign Visa and Mastercard, dispensing shillings. Per-transaction limits apply and are modest by European standards, so several withdrawals may be needed for a large sum, with fees at both ends each time. What matters more is where they are not: there are no ATMs in the national parks, on Kilimanjaro, or across most rural areas. Draw what you need before leaving town, and treat the last city on your route as the last machine. As anywhere, decline the offer to be charged in your home currency and take shillings — that conversion is priced in the machine's favour.

Mobile money, and what it is good for

Tanzania has a mature mobile-money system and locals use it for almost everything, from groceries to utility bills. The dominant service is M-Pesa, run through one of the main mobile networks, with competing services from the other operators; a visitor can set one up with a local SIM card bought at the airport or in town, which requires a passport. It is genuinely useful for small vendors, local restaurants and some transport, and it saves carrying large amounts of cash around a city. What it will not do is pay for your safari: park gates, lodges and climbing operators want dollars or card, not mobile money. Treat it as a convenience for daily life rather than a substitute for the cash you need for the trip itself.