Tanzania

Is Tanzania safe to visit?

For an organised safari, a Kilimanjaro climb or a Zanzibar beach week, Tanzania is usually fine, but it needs more care than it did two years ago. The US advisoryUS travel advisoryThe US State Department's rating of each country from Level 1 (exercise normal precautions) to Level 4 (do not travel).More in the glossary has stood at Level 3, "reconsider travel", since just after the October 2025 election, when security forces opened fire on protesters. Robbery is a real risk in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, the roads and ferries are dangerous, and malaria is present almost everywhere. We score Tanzania 54, above Kenya and South Africa.

What happened after the 2025 election

President Samia Suluhu Hassan was declared re-elected on 29 October 2025 with more than 97% of the vote. The Global Peace IndexGlobal Peace IndexAn annual ranking of 163 countries by how peaceful they are, based on conflict, crime, militarisation and political instability.More in the glossary says protests broke out across the country and security forces used live ammunition, with reports suggesting hundreds may have been killed. The government imposed a six-day security crackdown and internet blackout, banned protests and charged at least 240 people with treason. Tanzania fell 20 places to 98th on the 2026 index, its largest one-year drop.

For visitors, the practical effects are specific. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary warns that more protests are possible, often called on public holidays, and that anti-foreigner rhetoric has increased. It is illegal to photograph or film protests. Security services may ask to check your phone for content about the unrest, and people have been detained over social media posts. During the 2025 unrest there were fuel and cash shortages. Keep a paper list of key phone numbers in case the internet goes down again.

Terrorism is a smaller concern. The FCDO says attacks cannot be ruled out and advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the border with Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, where Islamic State-linked fighters operate. The US also names the Mtwara region in the south.

Crime in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar

The latest UNODC homicide rateHomicide rateThe number of people killed on purpose each year for every 100,000 residents. It is the most comparable crime figure between countries.More in the glossary is 3.3 per 100,000, for 2024, moderate for the region. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary's warnings are more useful than the number. In Dar es Salaam, tourists have been robbed in the city centre, on the Masaki and Oysterbay peninsula, at Coco Beach and along Toure Drive. Some have been "express kidnapped", held and forced to withdraw cash, after getting into unlicensed taxis or being befriended by strangers.

In Zanzibar, incidents happen in Stone Town, at hotels and on beaches. Bag-snatchers work from cars and motorbikes, so walk facing the traffic and carry bags away from the road. The FCDO also reports rapes and sexual assaults of foreigners at beach resorts.

Roads and ferries

Road travel is the largest physical risk. WHO estimatesWHO road-death estimateThe World Health Organization's estimate of road traffic deaths per 100,000 people in a country, adjusted for deaths that police statistics miss.More in the glossary 15.8 road deaths per 100,000 people in 2021, about half its 2019 estimate of 31.1 but still above Rwanda's 11.6. Police counts are much lower, and Tanzania had not published a 2025 total by January 2026. The crashes that make the news are often buses and lorries: a collision near Same killed 42 people in June 2025, and a lorry with failed brakes killed 28 in Mbeya the same month.

Dala dalas, boda bodas and bajajis are poorly maintained and rarely insured, according to the FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary. Park tracks become impassable in heavy rain. On the water, ferry disasters have killed hundreds of people in recent years between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar, between the islands, and in the Lake Zone. Do not board a boat that looks overloaded, and know where the life jackets are.

Malaria and medical care

CDC recommends malaria tablets for most of Tanzania, including Zanzibar. The FCDOFCDO travel adviceThe UK government's travel advice for each country, which can advise against all travel or all but essential travel to specific areas.More in the glossary also lists dengue, cholera and mpox, and CDC has a polio notice that applies to Tanzania. Rabid dogs are common. Medical care is limited outside Dar es Salaam, so serious injuries on safari or on Kilimanjaro often mean medical evacuation; carry insurance that covers it and high-altitude trekking.

How to stay safe in Tanzania

• Book safaris and climbs through operators on the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators list, never through touts.
• Arrange taxis through your hotel and check the driver's ID.
• Do not drive outside towns at night, and do not stop for people in plain clothes flagging you down.
• Stay away from rallies and do not post about politics while in the country.
• Dress modestly in Stone Town and away from resorts.
• Call 112 in an emergency.

How we scored it

Health (45) reflects malaria and limited care, petty crime (45) the robbery warnings, and conflict (48) the Level 3 advisory and the post-election crackdown. Road safety (52) uses WHO's 2021 estimate of 15.8 deaths per 100,000. Violent crime (63) sits in the lower half of its band despite a 2024 UNODC rate of 3.3, because both governments warn of armed robbery.