Tanzania

Tanzania: Zanzibar Power Blackout Ends after 3 Months

Date: March 10th, 2010 |

After three months without electrical power, the archipelago of Zanzibar finally got its supply restored so hotels, restaurants, factories and other businesses are able to operate again without running generators. The lights went off Dec. 10 when the undersea cable that brings power from the mainland failed. Local authorities are hoping that this repair will [read more]

Tanzania: Police Shoot Robbers Targeting Safari Lodge

Date: December 9th, 2009 |

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Police shot dead five men they said were planning to rob a luxury tourist lodge near the Gurmeti Reserve west of Serengeti National park on the Kenyan border Dec. 1. Police acted on a tip and laid an ambush for the armed men. A police official called the incident “very rare,” but another armed [read more]

Tanzania: ATM Scams Still Prevalent Despite Arrests

Date: August 13th, 2009 |

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The U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam continues to receive reports of ATM, debit and credit card fraud, particularly in U.S. dollar-denominated accounts. Police arrested two Bulgarian nationals in Dar es Salaam as suspects but the problem is so prevalent that the Embassy advises Americans to carefully consider the risks of using ATMs throughout the [read more]

Zanzibar: Power Outage to Last Three Months

Date: June 11th, 2008 |

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A power outage that began May 22 on the island of Zanzibar will likely take three months to repair, leaving island businesses and residents without electricity unless they have generators to produce it. The blackout occurred when the national grid collapsed and sent a power surge through the undersea conduit that carries power from Dar [read more]

Tanzania: Cholera Outbreak in Zanzibar and Mainland Tanzania

Date: May 23rd, 2006 |

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Heavy rains that followed a long drought brought relief but also washed waste into water catchment areas, sparking a cholera outbreak on the mainland and in the Zanzibar archipelago. Since March, 22 people have died in Zanzibar and 15 on the mainland. The disease is transmitted via contaminated water and is tied to poor sanitation. [read more]

Tanzania: Zanzibar Power Blackout to Last Until Feb. 20

Date: January 20th, 2010 |

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The archipelago of Zanzibar, now in its peak tourist season, has been without electrical power since Dec. 10 when the undersea cable that carries power from the mainland failed. The government now vows to have electricity flowing again by Feb. 20, but that doesn’t help travelers who will be there between now and then. [read more]

Zanzibar: Possible Election Violence on Pemba Island

Date: August 20th, 2009 |

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The U.S. State Department warned against nonessential travel to Pemba Island of Zanzibar until mid December because of possible violence related to voter registration for next year’s general election. The number of security forces has been increased on Pemba, particularly in the districts of Wete and Micheweni, where civil unrest has occurred since voter registration [read more]

East Africa: Single Tourist Visa Will Cover Five Countries

Date: April 1st, 2009 |

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Five countries in East Africa have agreed to issue a single tourist visa for travel throughout the region. The new visa will allow tourists to move freely among the member countries of the East African Community: Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The group is setting a common code of conduct for tour operators, establishing [read more]

Tanzania: Tourists Shot by Bandits

Date: March 28th, 2007 |

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Two American tourists and their guide were shot by bandits at Tengeru in the Arusha region March 20, an area that saw a similar incident on February 20 when four Czech Republic nationals and a visitor from Hong Kong were robbed but uninjured. The bandits are believed to have come from Somalia and Tanzanian troops [read more]

Tanzania: Two Routes Up Mt. Kilimanjaro Closed for Safety Reasons

Date: April 25th, 2006 |

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Authorities have closed two routes up Mt. Kilimanjaro that lead to Arrow Glacier, a spot where three Americans were killed by falling rocks in January. Park officials determined that the likelihood of similar slides in the area was too great to keep the trails open. Scientists have warned that global warming is melting Kilimanjaro’s snow [read more]