Location: Dar es Salaam
Top Things to do in Dar es Salaam
What to do and see in Dar es Salaam, Dar Es Salaam Region: The Best Museums
Nestled along a natural harbor on the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam is a multicultural city, home to African Tanzanians, Arabic and South Asian communities, British and German expatriates, Catholics, Lutherans and Muslims. This diversity in people is reflected in the culture: the city boasts international cuisine ranging from traditional Tanzanian barbecue and Zanzibari food to Thai, Chinese and American restaurants. Its vibrant music scene has witnessed a rise in Bongo Flava, a form of hip hop.
Restaurants in Dar es Salaam
1. TIC Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 1 reviews
TIC gallery puts all your needs under one roof, unmatched in quality and variety, you are sure to find what you desire under one roof for all things Tanzanian. The wide range of items includes woodcarvings, sculptures, beautiful local kikoy fabric, paintings, coffees, spices, books, clothing, bags, glassware and many other accessories have been sourced from all over East Africa.
2. The Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage (DARCH)
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By marcia_tee - Washington DC, United States
The Dar es Salaam Centre for Architectural Heritage (DARCH) is the best place to go to get information about the history of the city, the buildings, and the city's urban planning. We walked in off of the street and the two people working were so nice and prepared to give us a free tour. This was one of the best tours of the city that we had been on. The young man showing us around was very knowledgeable and helpful! He would tell us the history of something and walk away and give us time to take pictures and read things on our own. Once we were done, he would walk up to us and then we would take us to another area of the building. I liked that he did this and did not rush us through the center or pressured us to hurry up. I would recommend anyone staying in Dar es Salaam to visit DARCH to learn about the history of the city, and the attempts to preserve the original buildings. There is a lot new construction (new hotels and apartment buildings) going on in the area that is changing the original landscape of the area.
3. Art Garage
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
Reviewed By Msmith1989
If you are visiting Dar and have an extra hour visit this place!! A great range of beautiful and creative crafts all made by people with disabilities. Whether you want a small Tanzanian memorabilia, a large garden ornament or anything in between, Art Garage has a wonderful collection of hand welded crafts from recycled bits and bobs. Very welcoming staff members too, altogether a great experience!!
4. Chuma Art Workshop
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 51 reviews
Wonder Workshop was home of 30 plus physically disabled men and women from all over Tanzania. For more than 11 years it was committed to training and empowering the artisans with skills like welding, carpentry, paper and bead making. In October 2017, Wonder Workshop was officially closed as it ran out of Business. Chuma Art Worskshop is a story of hope to the Artisans who were still very passionate about the authentic detailing, sculpture and designing the weldedart pieces. Chuma values the quality of the items we design, every piece of scrap metal was intentionally placed to compliment every other that completes the whole sculpture or functional item. Four Brave Artisans, found Chuma Art Workshop in December 2017, and it been growing ever since. Out BIGGEST DREAM is that we are able to improve living standards of as many physically disabled artists as we can reach. By reading and sharing this articale you are helping us achieve this dream and we thank you! Also Welcome to our Work
5. Tingatinga Arts Cooperative Society
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 50 reviews
Reviewed By DrJamieB19 - Philadelphia, United States
I traveled with my adult son and teen daughter and we each found something we loved at the Tingatinga Arts cooperative. Adamson's #007 had authentic wood carvings, ceremonial knives, and portraits, and the stalls on both sides had collectables as well. We went three times and would have stayed longer (and shopped more) if they had a place to eat and relax.
6. Village Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 186 reviews
Traditional dance, farming methods and homesteads are on display at this open-air living museum.
Reviewed By SanaH2017N - Toronto, Canada
We're visiting from Canada! Wow-what an extraordinary experience my husband and I had at the Village museum! We paid extra for the tour guide which was very beneficial. Our tour guide shared an immense history knowledge on the Tanzanian culture. It's a cute village setup they have, you get to see how the local Tanzanian's used to live before the civilization. We paid extra for the local dance by the awesome group, which was pretty cool! They did an epic job with the setup of the village.
7. Nyumba ya Sanaa
8. National Museum
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 348 reviews
This natural history museum exhibits numerous bones and other fossilized remains, including a cast of one family’s footprint trail left in volcanic ash over 3.5 million years ago.
Reviewed By cybertroner - Vyazma, Russia
I think it is a bad idea to visit a country and skip its national museum, so I decided to go there and didn't regret! The museum is small, but very nice. There was an employee, who agreed to show everything for me and another foreigner just for 4$ per person. His english was perfect and he explained us many pictures and photos and without him the museum wouldn't be so good! I learned a lot about history of Tanzania, about slavery, ivory trade and getting the independence. I even have seen David Livingstone's belongings! And one of the most ancient human remains (3 mlns years old). The museum has interesting collection of african art and good exposition about natural history. Certainly must visit!
