Useful apps for Tanzania: transport, maps, translation

Set the phone up in this order: connectivity first, then maps, then transport, then money. Without a working data plan or offline maps, the rest of the list is useless once you leave Dar es Salaam or Arusha.

Connectivity. Buy a local SIM at the airport or a Vodacom, Airtel, Yas (Tigo) or Halotel shop — registration takes a passport and fingerprints. Vodacom has the widest coverage in the national parks, which matters on the northern circuit. An eSIM on an unlocked phone is the faster option if you land late or want to keep your home number live. See Tanzania SIM and eSIM for the full comparison.

Maps. Google Maps covers Tanzanian cities and main highways well, but rural roads, park tracks and lodge access roads are incomplete. Download the offline map for each region before you travel, and treat any route outside a major town as approximate. Ask your driver or lodge for the last stretch rather than trusting the pin.

Transport. Bolt and Uber both operate in Dar es Salaam and Arusha, with app pricing that avoids the negotiation that street taxis require. Outside those cities, ride-hailing is unreliable or absent: use a hotel-arranged transfer or a driver you have booked through WhatsApp. For intercity travel, buses are booked in person or through operators rather than a single national app; your lodge or a local agent usually handles it.

Money. Mobile money is how much of Tanzania pays for small things. M-Pesa (Vodacom), Mixx by Yas and Airtel Money all need a registered local SIM; load cash at an agent, then pay by phone. Cards are accepted at larger hotels and some restaurants, but surcharges are common, so keep cash for fuel stops, markets and tips. See Tanzania ATM and credit cards and Tanzania currency for the cash side.

Translation. Swahili is the everyday language; English is widely used in tourism, hotels and on safari, so most visitors manage without a translation app. A downloaded Swahili pack is still useful for markets, bus stations and upcountry towns. See Tanzania English spoken for where English gets you and where it does not.

Download offline maps for every region on your route before you leave home — Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Zanzibar included.

Save your driver's and lodge's WhatsApp numbers before you land; that is how changes get communicated.

Turn on travel notifications in your banking app so a card block does not strand you in a park.

Keep a small cash float even with mobile money: agents and networks can be down in remote areas.

Screenshot your bookings, e-visa and insurance confirmation — you may not have signal at a gate.