FAQ for Volunteers going to Tanzania.

Yes, this is no problem. Travellers Africa can even help to arrange for a safari but of course you
have the option of arranging your own. Most volunteers do choose to go on a safari during their
stay with us as it is a once in a lifetime experience to observe Africa’s most interesting animals
in their natural habitats. We encourage you to enjoy Tanzania’s National Parks. You can opt to
go for a few days or a week. Feedback from volunteers say those 4 days is enough to get the full
experience.
You are also encouraged to visit the historic island, Zanzibar. The cultural heritage is a complex
mix of the Middle East meets Africa. You’ll enjoy their paradise – like beaches and unique
cuisine. You can take direct flights from Arusha to Zanzibar for roughly $240 – round trip. You
can also travel by bus to Dar Es-Salaam then take the ferry to Zanzibar. This route is cheaper but
more time consuming. If you prefer to book a tour for Zanzibar, we can also help you arrange
this.

We are situated in northern Tanzania in Arusha Region.  Arusha is surrounded by some of
Africa’s most famous landscapes and national parks. Situated below Mount Meru on the
eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a mild climate and is close to
Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and
Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru.
Arusha balances well the ‘city life’ with the ‘small town’ feel and that makes it even more
attractive in the eyes of tourists and travelers from all parts of the world. The city is surrounded
by farm estates growing coffee, wheat and maize. These farm estates are being maintained by
the Arusha and Meru tribes since the 18th century. Arusha is referred as the safari capital of
East Africa and way to most big National parks such as Serengeti National parks, Ngorongoro
conservation area with rim of crater. Therefore the main starting point for safaris in Tanzania is
in Arusha. It is a vibrant town renowned for its streets filled with tourist vehicles, the Maasai
warriors and the famous Central Market. Amazing!

This program is a year program which gives volunteer to opportunity to choose to participate
from 2 weeks minimum and 12 months maximum. Any longer stays will be applied directly
depending on condition and visa.
You will be obliged to apply ASAP as there’s always space limited.

Arrival will be in Sunday! Upon arrival into Kilimanjaro International Airport volunteers will be
picked up by a representative of the local project team and transported to their assigned
accommodation where they will join a short welcome session. On Monday volunteers will wake
up 6:30am takes breakfast and attend the full orientation session where a representative from
the local team will fill you in on local and regional customs, traveling, rules and
recommendations, and of course, what to expect from your volunteering experience in
Tanzania. This is a great opportunity to get to know your hosts, meet your fellow volunteers,
ask any final questions you may have, and perhaps even start to make those safari trip
plans……!

The meals will be expected more Tanzania food which will be given as three meals a day.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner both vegetarians and non vegetarians. All volunteers will sleep in
Home stays and hostels if you want but preferably will be in home stays in order to learn
African culture at a point. Tanzania is praised for being safe country in Africa.  Therefore your
expect to enjoy your next experience while volunteering in Africa.
Breakfast will include tea, coffee, bread, honey,jam, margarine, peanut butter, and fruits which
are seasonal.

We have three Options for your Accommodations in Overseas
 Our Local Host families
 Our Hostel
 Our volunteer House
Yes our volunteers will be taken to different home stays families or to their hostel place where their
room and their full board will be as all volunteers who opted to volunteer in one of our destination will
be living with our local host families as each volunteer through his/her fees paid to us will contribute
only $90 per week as this is the cheap fee contribution of helping volunteers as all volunteers will expect

simple nutritious meals. I.e in Tanzania the common staples are ugali (thick cornmeal), rice, potatoes
and noodles. Beans, eggplant and meat may be served for dinner. For breakfast, tea is served every
morning, along with eggs, toast, porridge or fruit. During Mealtimes a volunteer will get to know her/his
family members.
Each family is different – some have small number of children and other have more teenager children,
most houses in rural areas have pit latrines while in town area most houses have flush toilets. In some
houses, there will be a “house girl or boy” – usually a teenager who lives with the family and takes care
of household chores and cooking in exchange for food and shelter. Most rural houses are not in a format
of self container house as in rural areas most houses in some places have no electricity or water nearby;
therefore it may be common to eat or read by candlelight.
You will have your own private room, Breakfast and dinner will be eaten with your family. – This is one
the best ways to get to know them. Some families speak English, but there will definitely be pienty of
opportunities to practice your Swahili. Really this will help building a cultural bridge between African
youth and other world Youth Continents cultural Bridge.
Home stays will be your New home in Africa for the wholly time of your program as Volunteers will meet
up their new African Mothers, Fathers, Sisters and brothers during their Program Duration

Yes Travellers Africa encourages people to come with a friend, partner, or as a group. Whether
you are all interested in volunteering at the same placement, or have different areas of interest,
we can ensure you are placed in the same accommodation, at minimum, where you can
exchange experiences and ideas during your free time. Groups may apply and we will find
projects that require the manpower that your group number, and resources, requires.

The Government of Tanzania requires that all volunteers purchase a volunteer visa, which costs
USD$230. It is also required that every visitor to Tanzania purchase a tourist visa, upon entry.
The cost of the tourist visa is based on your country of origin.

We recommend that you schedule an appointment with your medical physician or local travel
health clinic for up to date advice regarding vaccinations and health preparations at least six
weeks prior to your departure. If you are able, take your vaccination record with you so that
they can advise you about recommended boosters. Ensure that your doctor provides you with
enough prescription renewals to last a little longer than your itinerary requires allowing for
unexpected delays in your return. The government of Tanzania has required that all travelers
entering the country be prepared to present their certificate of vaccination for Yellow Fever,
until very recently. Unfortunately, not all immigration officers are aware of this change in
policy, so you may be refused entry if you are unable to present this certificate. We recommend
that you invest in this one vaccination to ensure that your adventure is not interrupted.

Medical Care: Medical care is widely available in Arusha and our ground staff will be on hand to
assist you in locating suitable health care, should the need arise. Please note that most of the
local facilities and practices are likely not as you are accustomed to. We recommend that you
schedule a medical assessment and dental exam prior to your departure as preventative
measures. This is not to cause alarm but only to suggest that you be proactive in preventing
unnecessary interruptions to your efforts and experience in Arusha.

Our hostel is a local home that we hope will feel like your home away from home! Our
volunteers share dorm style rooms with each guest having their own bunk bed. There are
common areas where you can relax, mingle and watch movies. The meals are a combination of
local and international foods that you will likely recognize and each meal will offer a vegetarian
option.

The hostel will provide vegetarian options in their menu plan. Locally, vegetarian lifestyles are
rarely chosen but are often practiced due to economic limitations. There are many restaurants
that cater to tourists and provide vegetarian food choices. More local eateries will offer non-
meat options, however their cooking practices may not mean that there has been no contact
with utensils and cooking equipment that has been in contact with meat.

It is not necessary for you to speak the local language (Kiswahili), although we will help you to
learn some of the local greetings, which will help you in your interactions and catch the interest
of local people. In fact, it is your fluency in English that is truly needed to help our projects
teach English to its people.

Generally the only requirement for volunteers is to be fluent in English. However, in most of the
medical and health placements, volunteers must be qualified or training in a relevant medical
field.

Placing a volunteer into an accurate project or placement requires our program staff to
consider a number of factors such as.

•  The program you for which you have applied.
•  The projects and work that will be available at the time of your trip.
•  Your skills, interests and qualifications

These holidays do not affect the volunteer programs, and over the Christmas and New Year€™s
holidays period the programs continue to run.

• 1 Jan : New Year’s Day.
•  12 Jan: Zanzibar Revolution.
• 20 Mar : Birth of the Prophet – Varies Good Friday – Varies Easter Monday.
• 26 Apr : Union Day.
• 1 May : International Labour Day.
• 7 Jul : Saba Saba (Industry’s Day).
• 8 Aug : Nane Nane (Farmer’s Day).
• 1 Sep : Eid al-Fitr (Ramadhan)
• 14 Oct : Nyerere Day
• 8 – 9 Dec : Eid al – Adha
• 9 Dec : Independence and Republic Day.
• 25 Dec : Christmas Day
• 26 Dec : Boxing Day

Absolutely! Many volunteers arrive with articles donated by friends and family, which is greatly
appreciated, however bringing along money is generally more useful and contributes best to
the specific needs of the project, as well as the overall community. Bringing donated articles
can prove challenging for people travelling, due to luggage restrictions.

We encourage our volunteers to experience as much as they can during their time in Arusha,
and Africa. We recommend that you use your free time to take day and short overnight trips.
We also recommend that you allow some time following your volunteer commitment for some
longer experiences, such as going on safari and other adventures that require more time. We
can help you to organize your expeditions while you are staying with us. We discourage people
from booking their trips prior to arrival as we can connect them with tour operators who will
offer better prices to our volunteers, or we can arrange things with our own staff, which makes
it more personal.

Giving up not only your time but also money to volunteer is a huge commitment. A lot of
people struggle to understand the concept of paying to volunteer. Simply put, our projects are
often struggling to pay the staff and provide basic services, such as food and water, to the
people that they support. Your fees contribute to the operating costs of the hostel, such as
rent, staff wages, security and meals. A portion of the fees that you pay are used to help us
support the projects. You may find comfort knowing that almost every cent that you pay
supports this community in some way, be it the staff, the projects or the local shops and food
vendors.