The Rough Guide to Tanzania 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

Jens Finke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2006

The Rough Guide to Tanzania is the definitive guide to one of Africa’s most beautiful destinations. A 24-page, full-colour section introduces Tanzania’s highlights, from the volcanic landscapes of the Ngorongoro Crater to the Indian Ocean beaches of Zanzibar. In addition there are two, full-colour, 4-page inserts:‘A Year in Celebration’ and ‘National Parks’. The guide includes a new ‘author’s pick’ section of the very best hotels and restaurants, plus up-to-date listings of all the top lodges, safari companies and bars, in every price range. From climbing Mount Kilimanjoro to arranging a Serengeti safari, this guide has all the practical advice you will need. There is an extensive chapter on learning and speaking Kiswahili, plus reliable coverage of Tanzania’s history, politics, environment, wildlife and music. The guide comes complete with maps and town plans for every region.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jens Finke has been travelling around East Africa since 1988. He is author of the Rough Guide to Zanzibar and a long-term contributor to the Rough Guide to Kenya.

Product Details

• Paperback: 800 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 2nd edition (May 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843535319
• ISBN-13: 978-1843535317
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,196,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #90 in Books > History > Africa > Tanzania

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Left me in a lurch more than once..., June 20, 2007

By 

N. Williams (CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Tanzania 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I just got back from a three week business trip to Tanzania, and I have to say that this guide was worse than useless-- it was dangerous. On three seperate occasions I took taxis to the most highly recommended restaurants in the guide only to find myself in dangerously isolated areas with businesses that in no way shape or form resembled their reviews. If you are going to visit specific places listed in the guide I recommend you have your taxi wait until you can check out the inside for yourself.

The map of Arusha is not accurate. I walked with a single female traveler who needed to buy a bus ticket in Arusha, and its a good thing I was with her because the map was off on its location by about 8 blocks-- and the real location was in one of the most dangerous parts of town. In Dar es Salaam the one location listed as being able to offer cash advances for Mastercards with no pin does not offer such a service as I found out after spending the last of my shillings on a taxi to get there. I had more experiences like this using the guide than I have room to list here.

This guide was good for giving me a sense of orientation before I left, but was so out of date and just plain wrong that I would very strongly warn against using it in country. They claim the author has lived in Tanzania for years, but I do not see how this can be true. I saw so many other tourists in Tanzania using this book, so I know that many of you will buy it-- but please be careful and take ALL specific information with a very large dose of skepticism. Be careful.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE best guide on Tanzani, according to locals, July 4, 2006

By 

m&m (Denver, CO, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Tanzania 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

That says it all. We attracted lots of attention by being the first to show up in Tanzania toting the new edition. The locals all agreed it was the most comprehensive & accurate guide available, & were really impressed by some of the things we knew from reading it. We had several offers to buy it when we left but wanted to keep it as a souvenir.
Be aware that the author included information on a FEW things that were planned but never opened. Nonetheless, it's an outstanding guide with good maps & lovely photos.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not very precise, July 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Tanzania 1 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I just bought this book to replace my old lonely planet, expecing to find new information on Tanzani. I have not traveled around Tanzania with this book in hand, so would like to leave the judgement on practicalities to those who have, but after quickly skimming it, I noticed the book contains quite a few factual mistakes. For instance the author says that Dar-es-Salaam is predominantly muslim, which is is completely wrong - Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim and possibly Bagamoyo but in Dar-es-Salaam the Christian-Muslim ratio is fifty-fifty at most, or he advises to bring cigarets for present if you are invited to a Tanzanian family (smoking population is really small, so it is not a common present), etc. A number of new but prominent shops/restaurants that were open since or before 2002 are also not there - Dar-es-Salaam is a quickly growing and changing city, so if the book is published in 2003 and misses new opening of 2002, it is not very up-to-date info. Swahili vocabulary/phrases section contains a number of basic mistakes (some phrases don't make sense). I wonder why such a widely used guidebook would not have someone who knows Swahili to check such basic things, which leaves me a bit sceptical about accuracy of other information.