What Currency Is Used on a Tanzania Safari?
Understanding what currency to use on a Tanzania safari is one of those practical planning details that makes an enormous difference to how smoothly and how confidently you move through every financial transaction during your trip from settling your lodge bill to tipping your guide to buying a carved wooden elephant at a roadside market. Tanzania’s currency situation is straightforward once you understand the basic principles, and arriving with the right combination of cash and cards in the right denominations makes the whole experience considerably more relaxed. Here is your complete and honest guide that will help you to know what currency is used on a Tanzania safari when you are planning and preparing your safari to different Tanzania destinations.
The Official Currency; The Tanzanian Shilling.
The official currency of Tanzania is the Tanzanian shilling, abbreviated as TZS or simply written as Tsh. The exchange rate fluctuates but in recent years has broadly ranged between 2,500 and 2,700 shillings to one US dollar. Local shillings are the money that is used in day-to-day business in Tanzania eating out in local restaurants, shopping at local markets, and traveling within local towns, not in formal safaris. The currency can be obtained from local banks, authorized money changing centers, and through automated teller machines in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and other large towns. Airport exchange counters at Kilimanjaro International Airport and Julius Nyerere International Airport provide immediate post-arrival access to local currency but typically offer less competitive rates than bureau de change offices in town. If you are heading directly from the airport to a safari camp without stopping in town, exchanging a modest amount at the airport for immediate incidental expenses and obtaining the majority of your shillings at a town bureau de change on your return is a sensible approach.
US Dollars; The main Safari Currency.
While the Tanzanian shilling is the official currency, US dollars function as the main and then most used currency across Tanzania’s formal safari industry and are more widely used than shillings for the significant financial transactions of any safari trip. National Park fees are quoted and paid in US dollars. Safari package costs, lodge bills, internal charter flight costs, and most premium service charges are all denominated in US dollars. Tipping guides, drivers, and camp staff is universally done in US dollars. And most shops, lodges, and tourism-related businesses in safari gateway towns accept US dollars directly for payment.
The quality of your US dollar notes matters significantly in Tanzania and is one of the most frequently cited practical frustrations among first-time safari visitors who arrive unprepared for it. Banks, lodges, exchange offices, and individual recipients across Tanzania consistently and firmly reject damaged, torn, heavily written-on, or pre-2006 series US dollar bills. Clean, undamaged notes from the 2006 series onward particularly the larger 2013 redesigned bills are accepted without question. Older notes and damaged bills cause genuine practical inconvenience, so ensure that every US dollar bill you bring to Tanzania is in excellent physical condition before departure.
Euros and British Pounds.
While US dollars are by far the most widely accepted foreign currency across Tanzania’s safari industry, euros and British pounds are accepted at most international lodges and larger tourism businesses, typically converted at the lodge’s internal exchange rate which may be slightly less favorable than bank rates. For travelers from Europe who find it more convenient to carry euros rather than converting to US dollars before travel, this is a workable approach for lodge bill settlement though US dollars remain preferable for guide tips, market purchases, and smaller transactions where euro acceptance is less consistent.
ATMs and Card Payments.
ATMs are readily available in Arusha, Dar es Salaam, and Moshi, dispensing Tanzanian shillings from your home country bank account at generally competitive rates. ATMs become increasingly scarce and unreliable in smaller towns and completely absent in the national parks themselves, which means planning your cash requirements carefully before departing from major towns is essential. Assume no ATM access once you enter the national park system and carry sufficient cash in both US dollars and shillings for the full safari portion of your trip.
Credit and debit card payments are accepted at most international lodges, upmarket Arusha restaurants, and larger retail establishments. Visa and Mastercard are the most widely accepted American Express is less reliably taken. Make sure you inform your bank of your planned travel to Tanzania before traveling so that there will be no problems with security blockages. Foreign transaction charges usually apply to transactions made abroad using the card.
Zanzibar Currency Considerations.
For travelers extending their Tanzania safari with a Zanzibar beach stay, the same currency principles apply Tanzanian shillings for local transactions, US dollars for tourism industry payments, and credit cards at most hotels and restaurants. Zanzibar additionally requires all incoming visitors to purchase mandatory travel insurance from the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation on arrival at a current cost of $44 USD, payable in US dollars cash or by card.
Tipping; What to Carry and How Much.
Tipping is an important and expected practice across Tanzania’s safari industry and should be planned for in advance with specific denomination bills. For safari guides and driver-guides the widely accepted standard is $15 to $25 per person per day for shared safaris and $20 to $30 for private vehicle safaris. Camp staff communal tips of $10 to $15 per person per night are deposited in the lodge staff tip box at departure. Prepare individual tips with specific bills before your final game drive day rather than managing a pile of notes at the last moment.
Practical Summary.
Bring US dollars in clean undamaged condition from 2006 or later series as your main safari currency. Include a small number of Tanzanian shillings to purchase items locally. Use your credit card to settle lodge bills and as an emergency backup. Organize all monetary needs before visiting the national parks. The monetary situation in Tanzania can be handled quite well.