Dar es Salaam: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Dar es Salaam is a city of 5.4 million people in Tanzania (Dar es Salaam Region), 24 m (79 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre. It has 4 railway stations on record, including Dar es Salaam Central Station. Our booking partner lists 849 places to stay.
Key facts
Open Dar es Salaam in Google Maps
Daylight in Dar es Salaam runs from about 11 h 46 min a day in late June to 12 h 34 min in late December (computed for -6.82° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Dar es Salaam is served by 2 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,843 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Abeid Amani Karume International Airport (ZNZ, 67 km).
Flights to Dar es Salaam: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include Dar es Salaam Central Station, Dar es Salaam Kamata railway station, Dar es Salaam Central Station, Pugu Train Station. Trains to Dar es Salaam
Buses to Dar es Salaam · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 849 places to stay in Dar es Salaam. Of the 348 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (209), and 10 are five-star. Across 102 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 7.8 out of 10. Guests have left 38,561 reviews in total.
Hotels in Dar es Salaam: the full picture, and book
Our booking partner lists 19 hostels in Dar es Salaam, out of 849 places to stay of every kind — 2.2% of everywhere it lists in the city, around the middle of the range for the cities we hold figures for. Guests have left 1,252 reviews across them.
Hostels in Dar es Salaam: the full picture, and book
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Mombasa, 311 km (Kenya) — flights
- Dodoma, 397 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Zanzibar, 74 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Morogoro, 178 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Tanga, 196 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Kibaha, 39 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Ifakara, 320 km — buses · car rental
- Matuga, 297 km (Kenya) — flights
- Jomvu, 318 km (Kenya) — flights
- Mtwara, 396 km — flights · buses · car rental
Twin towns and sister cities: Hamburg.
Common questions
Which airport serves Dar es Salaam?
Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR), 9 km (6 mi) from the centre, plus 1 other airport with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Dar es Salaam?
About 5.4 million people live in Dar es Salaam, across 1,393 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Dar es Salaam in?
Africa/Dar_es_Salaam, currently UTC+3.
What currency is used in Dar es Salaam?
The Shilling (TZS). Traffic drives on the left.
Are there hostels in Dar es Salaam?
19 of them, bookable on this site. Hostels in Dar es Salaam.
How many hotels are there in Dar es Salaam?
Our booking partner lists 849 places to stay in Dar es Salaam, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Dar es Salaam?
Mombasa (311 km), Dodoma (397 km), Zanzibar (74 km), Morogoro (178 km), Tanga (196 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 14 September 2026. Hotel and hostel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.