Before I went to Dar es Salaam, I had this rough idea that it resembled Mombasa — with Arabic-style architecture and a large population of people with Arab ancestry, owing to the history of coastal towns in East Africa. But lo and behold, it was the complete opposite of what I imagined. Rising skyscrapers, contemporary architecture, solid infrastructure, and bustling streets filled with the latest technology set the scene in Dar es Salaam. I’d honestly compare it to Nairobi.
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I came to Dar es Salaam to volunteer at a special-needs children’s village for two and a half weeks. At the time, this was the longest period I’d ever spent outside Kenya, so I was beyond excited for the experience.
I traveled overland from Kenya, and the journey alone felt like an adventure. First, I took the train from Nairobi to Mombasa — about five hours — then continued by bus from Mombasa to Dar es Salaam, a roughly twelve-hour ride. All in all, it took close to 17 hours to get there. This route is both shorter and cheaper than taking a bus directly from Nairobi through Arusha, so it made the most sense for me.
On the stretch between Tanga and Dar es Salaam, I had a near-miss I’ll never forget. The bus stopped in an isolated area for a quick break — just ten minutes to grab refreshments and use the restroom. I, unfortunately, took my sweet time. When I finally looked up, I saw the bus pulling away without me. I’ve never run so fast in my life. Of course, there was no way I could outrun a bus, and panic quickly set in — especially since we were still about seven hours from Dar es Salaam and I didn’t even have my phone. Luckily, the woman who had been seated next to me noticed I was missing and alerted the driver, who brought the bus to a sudden stop. Disaster narrowly avoided.
One of the first things that stood out to me upon arriving in Dar es Salaam was the Mwendo Kasi bus system. Watching the buses glide along their own designated lanes, efficiently picking up and dropping off passengers on a strict schedule, was fascinating. The system felt organized, reliable, and incredibly convenient — something I couldn’t help but wish we had back home in Kenya.
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My destination was at a place called Mwembe Mtengu in Toangoma. Now this place was on the other side of the city called Kigamboni, which is separated by water, so that meant I had to take the ferry. Since I arrived late in the evening, I decided to have a lay-over in the city. The next day I took the “Mwendo Kasi” bus to the ferry terminal. The system here at the ferry is also very different from what I’m used to back home. First you purchase a card, then you load money into it and every time you want to use the ferry you just swipe at the terminal then board the ferry, amazing! What a progressive city Dar es Saalam is.
Once I had crossed to the other side, I still had another one hour bus ride to reach my destination. I was relying on my offline google maps (as always) and directions given to me by my host. I was extremely nervous to meet the people at the village, considering I was traveling all alone in a new country and was about to live with strangers for the next few weeks. I’m always eager to have new experiences and see where it leads, so the spirit of adventure in me kept me going.
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Everything went great and I was warmly welcomed into the children’s village. It goes by the name Human Dreams Children’s Village. The place had a huge compound with several houses built close to one another resembling a village, hence the name children’s village. The place was also beautifully structured and well maintained you’d think it’s a resort of some sort on a first glance.
I’d say the Tanzanians are very polite and friendly, and everyone I came across was very excited to know I’m from Kenya- their neighboring country. They would refer to me as ‘ndugu” which means kinsman, so that made me feel less of an outsider. The first question most people would ask me is who I was supporting to become Kenya’s next president. It was a bit surprising that Tanzanians were that invested in Kenyan politics, it made me feel like I should also be more invested in my country’s political affairs- not that I’m not, just a little bit.
My duties at the children’s village were to feed the kids, play with them and occasionally take them on walks etc. The kids needed special care and utmost attention, so it took some time to learn how to properly care for them. They had caretakers of their own and we would refer to them as ‘’mamas’’. I would work in close hand with the mamas, helping them where I could.
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First thing I had to do was get a Tanzanian sim card because there was no WIFI at the place. I should also mention that I did my currency conversion way back at a place called Tanga, this not so far from the Hororo entry boarder. It was recommended to me by our bus driver because the guy in Tanga had a good conversion rate ( 1 Ksh = 18 Tsh). Once you move interior, the rates are not as good, they would go as low as 16. You can choose to withdraw from an ATM but that will cost you hefty transactional charges. There is an option of withdrawing from Mpesa but that is something I never got to understand how it works. Adjusting to this new currency was a bit of a challenge on the first days but that is just something you get used to with time.
Now I was not the only volunteer there, I met an Indian guy who had been there for some days, more volunteers were to show up in the subsequent weeks as well. You might be wondering how I was able to get this volunteer gig in the first place. So I joined this website called Workaway, that is essentially for travelers who want to travel the world and volunteer at the same time (travel and make a difference at the same time). There are options of volunteering in permaculture farms, NGOs, hostels, community schools etc, there are hosts in almost every country in the world! So you are spoilt for choice. I actually did two volunteer programs in my home country; I volunteered at a community library as a librarian then volunteered at a permaculture farm. Dar es Saalam was my third volunteering gig. Initially I was aiming for Zanzibar, but things didn’t work out, so I went for Dar es Saalam because it’s closer.
The first activity I did outside of the village was go to the beach. I had eagerly been waiting to experience the beach scene in Dar es Saalam, because who doesn't love the beach? The beach was called Kijiji beach owned by Kijiji Beach Resort. It was a one hour distance and we took a motorbike all the way! There are so many motorbikes here, just like in Kenya. The regular buses here (popularly know as dala dalas) tend to overload and stop everywhere, so if you don’t have patience it might be a bit daunting, though this is the cheapest option as you will end up paying less than a dollar for most destinations. Tuktuks are a better option but of course more pricey than a bus. You can also get a bolt or uber taxi if you wish.
One thing that surprised me is that most of the beach areas are not freely accessible by the public because of the resorts built in front of them. That meant that you had to pay some fee to the resort to access the beach. I’m used to most of the beach areas in the Kenyan coast being freely accessible to the public. We had to pay a fee of Tsh. 10,000 to just go and lounge at the beach.
Now I remember coming across a guy offering kayaking services. He was charging Tsh. 15000 for two people kayaking in the ocean, that should be around $7. I was so surprised at how cheap that was. I remember paying $35 to kayak at the Nile and this was after some serious negotiations. So for $7 I was sold without thinking twice, plus imagine how fun it would be kayaking in the ocean!
This would be my first time kayaking in the ocean and I was excited for it. The waves made it even more fun for me as they would raise my kayak and push me forward. It felt like I was surfing, I just prayed that the waves wouldn’t topple me over because the good lord knows I’m scared of what lurks beneath the ocean’s surface. It was such a fun experience I tell yah. The resort we were at had some really nice cocktails and pizza. I remember the pizza because a crow literally flew over and swooped my friend’s pizza away, haha, I’m scared of crows up to this day.
After about a week, we had a new volunteer come in from Italy. We decided it was now time to explore the night scene in Kigamboni. The clubs there are very similar to Kenyan clubs and they even play Kenyan songs quite often. It almost felt like I was back home. We once attended a karaoke show at the same club and I was mad impressed by it. I have always wanted to attend karaoke but I’ve just never had the chance to. When my friend suggested it, I was sold on the idea. The people who performed at the karaoke were so good you’d think they were professional singers of some sort, or maybe they were? I was even embarrassed for my turn because no way could I match my predecessors. I have the clip of me performing but of course I’m not sharing it with anyone, haha, for my reputation is at stake here! Regardless we had a really great time. I’d say the nightlife in Dar es Saalam is amazing!
