Eastern Africa · Capital Dodoma
Each opens that government's own advisory for Tanzania — the authoritative version, updated far faster than this page.
Tanzania's parks and Zanzibar are the draw and both are generally straightforward. Crime affecting visitors is mostly opportunistic theft, concentrated in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Stone Town.
The real preparation is medical: malaria is present nationwide below 1,800m, yellow fever certification is required from many arrivals, and Kilimanjaro puts unacclimatised people above 5,800m.
Each region is coloured by the advice that applies to most of it, drawn by hand from the wording of all five government advisories. Numbered markers flag localised warnings — usually a border strip or remote interior — that cover only a small part of an otherwise lower-risk region.
A numbered marker warns about the small area described in its note — the rest of that region carries the base advice. Mapped by hand from the official wording in July 2026; always check the current advisory before you book.
Each pillar is scored 0–100 against every other country. Longer bar = more risk.
Biggest factor here: road & transport. Road deaths per 100,000 people - the risk travellers most underestimate.
The things worth knowing before you land.
Average daytime high and nightly low for Dodoma, over 2010-2019. Bars are rainfall; the colour band is how hot the days get.
Mildest and driest around February to September.
Patterns reported repeatedly by travellers and local police. None of this is about individual businesses — it's about set-ups you can learn to spot in seconds.
A very low price for a climb, achieved by cutting days, oxygen, medical checks and porter pay. Summit failure rates and medical incidents rise sharply.
How to avoid it: Book operators registered with the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators and, for porter welfare, KPAP. Ask directly what medical equipment is carried.
Sources Kilimanjaro Porters Assistance Project Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
Unofficial guides attach themselves to you, then demand payment; spice and Prison Island tours are sold at multiples of the standard price with entrance fees not included as promised.
How to avoid it: Book through your accommodation. Ask explicitly which entrance fees are included and get it in writing.
Sources Zanzibar Commission for Tourism
Fares several times the going rate quoted at arrivals, with claims that no alternatives exist.
How to avoid it: Arrange the transfer with your accommodation in advance, or use a ride-hailing app in Dar es Salaam.
Sources Tanzania Tourist Board
Specific places that come up again and again — either in government advisories or in traveller reports. Everywhere else in Tanzania is not automatically fine, but these are the areas worth a plan.
Altitude sickness causes deaths most years. Route length is the single biggest safety variable.
Snatch theft from vehicles in traffic and robbery on empty beaches.
Includes the northern safari circuit and all of Zanzibar.
Kilimanjaro's summit is higher than most people have ever been and altitude sickness is the main reason climbs fail — and occasionally kill. Choose a longer route: seven or eight days has a much better summit and safety record than five.
Operators must carry oxygen, a pulse oximeter and a stretcher, and guides should check you twice daily. Cheap operators cut exactly these things, and porter welfare is a good proxy for how an operator treats safety.
Zanzibar is conservative and predominantly Muslim. Beachwear is for the beach and resort only; cover shoulders and knees in Stone Town and villages. This is a legal as well as a social matter during Ramadan.
Vaccinations, malaria and outbreaks. This atlas does not give medical advice — it is personal, it changes, and it is the one thing worth getting from a doctor. Both national services publish current advice for Tanzania:
Check the official advisory before you book. This page reflects data as of August 2026. Advisories change without warning, and only your own government's advice affects your travel insurance.