The water
Bottled water; Zanzibar and the coast are strictly bottled. Tap water: Not drinkable.
Tanzania
Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain.
RegionAfricaCurrencyTZSPowerType C/D/M, 230VTap waterNot drinkable
Strong
Eco Index
What to expect on the ground
At a glance
Food & farming
Agriculture employs most of the workforce and Tanzania is broadly self-sufficient in staples such as maize, cassava, bananas and rice, while exporting cashews, coffee and cotton. No verified import figure was found, and wheat,…Read more
Agriculture employs most of the workforce and Tanzania is broadly self-sufficient in staples such as maize, cassava, bananas and rice, while exporting cashews, coffee and cotton. No verified import figure was found, and wheat, sugar and palm oil are imported, but the farm economy is dominant.
Local staples
Ugali (maize), rice, beans, cassava, plantain, leafy greens (mchicha) and coconut on the coast.
Markets
Rotating weekly village markets, with the daily Kariakoo market in Dar es Salaam.
In season
Main cereal harvest around June to August after the long rains; coffee May to October.
Wildlife
Tanzania holds arguably Africa's greatest wildlife, from the 1.5 million-strong Serengeti wildebeest migration and large elephant and lion populations to real endemism in the Eastern Arc Mountains and on Zanzibar, including the…Read more
Tanzania holds arguably Africa's greatest wildlife, from the 1.5 million-strong Serengeti wildebeest migration and large elephant and lion populations to real endemism in the Eastern Arc Mountains and on Zanzibar, including the Zanzibar red colobus and the Kipunji, a monkey genus found only here.
Found nowhere else
Zanzibar red colobus, the Kipunji (a monkey genus found only here), Pemba flying fox and Udzungwa and Usambara forest species.
Natural phenomena
Dry Jun–Oct for safari; the short rains Nov–Dec; Zanzibar is fine year-round.
When to go
The dry season for safari and Kilimanjaro treks, with river crossings of the migration around July to September.
Getting around
Domestic flights and safari 4x4s link the parks; ferries connect Dar es Salaam with Zanzibar.
Good to know
Cash everywhere, cards in cities; TZS. Carry small notes for villages.
Safety
Solo female travel: Take care. LGBTQ+: Illegal.
Only hereMount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain.
Assessed across 10 equally-weighted pillars
The Eco Index, pillar by pillar
75/100
Strong
The Eco Index: Tanzania
12 pillars, equally weighted, from published sources. All 12 assessed. Blanks mean unverified, never estimated.
Only here Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain.
- Forest cover
- 50.1%
- Land protected
- 39.9%
- Sea protected
- 2.3%
- Organic farmland
- 0.5%
- Found nowhere else
- Zanzibar red colobus, the Kipunji (a monkey genus found only here), Pemba flying fox and Udzungwa and Usambara forest species.
- Renewable power
- 37.2%
- CO2 per person
- 0.26 t
- Air quality (AQI)
- 18.2
- Cleanest air
- Highland areas such as the slopes of Kilimanjaro and the Southern Highlands.
- Water from
- Bottled water; Zanzibar and the coast are strictly bottled.
- Tap water
- Not drinkable
- Safe drinking water
- 31.3%
- Cleanest water
- Crater lakes and highland streams, such as Lake Chala near Kilimanjaro.
- Springs
- Chemka (Kikuletwa) hot springs near Moshi, and Maji Moto.
- In season
- Main cereal harvest around June to August after the long rains; coffee May to October.
- Plastic ban
- Yes: a strict nationwide plastic-bag ban since 2019, enforced even on arriving travellers.
- Watch out for
- Charcoal-driven deforestation, and illegal dynamite fishing that wrecks coastal reefs.
- Solo female travel
- Take care
- LGBTQ+ acceptance
- Illegal
- Best months
- June to October.
- Getting around
- Domestic flights and safari 4x4s link the parks; ferries connect Dar es Salaam with Zanzibar.
- Power
- Type C/D/M, 230V
- Currency
- TZS
| Pillar | Score | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| WaterWhere the water comes from, and whether there is enough of it | 2/5 | Tanzania borders three of Africa's great lakes, Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa, and has major rivers such as the Rufiji and Pangani, so surface freshwater is vast. Full assessmentYet only about 31% of people have safely managed drinking water (World Bank, 2024), rural and dry-region access is poor and many households rely on distant or unsafe sources. |
| Food and farmingWhat the island actually grows, and what arrives by boat | 4/5 | Agriculture employs most of the workforce and Tanzania is broadly self-sufficient in staples such as maize, cassava, bananas and rice, while exporting cashews, coffee and cotton. Full assessmentNo verified import figure was found, and wheat, sugar and palm oil are imported, but the farm economy is dominant. |
| Plant based and real foodWhether you can eat unprocessed from local supply | 4/5 | The everyday diet is built on ugali (maize), rice, beans, cassava, plantain, leafy greens (mchicha) and coconut on the coast, so unprocessed plant eating is the affordable default. Full assessmentIt is not a formally vegetarian culture, and meat or fish are eaten when affordable. |
| OrganicCertified and chemical free growing, which is not the same thing as plant based | 2/5 | About 0.5% of agricultural land is certified organic (FiBL, 2020 data), though a large share of smallholder farming is de facto low-input and uncertified. |
| ConservationWhat is protected, and whether protection is enforced | 5/5 | Almost 40% of Tanzania's land is protected (World Bank, 2025), among the largest protected estates on Earth, spanning the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Nyerere (Selous) and R… Full assessmentaha, and these parks are actively managed and funded through tourism. Marine protection is far lower at about 2.3%, and some protected-area management has drawn criticism over community evictions. |
| Wildlife and endemicsWhat lives here and nowhere else on earth | 5/5 | Tanzania holds arguably Africa's greatest wildlife, from the 1.5 million-strong Serengeti wildebeest migration and large elephant and lion populations to real endemism in the Eastern Arc Mo… Full assessmentntains and on Zanzibar, including the Zanzibar red colobus and the Kipunji, a monkey genus found only here. |
| Natural materialsWhat you can eat from and carry here instead of plastic, and who still makes it | 4/5 | Tanzania was historically the world's largest sisal producer and still grows sisal and cotton, while kanga and kitenge cloth are worn daily and Maasai beadwork and basketry remain living cr… Full assessmentfts. |
| Pollution and plasticPlastic law and contamination | 4/5 | Tanzania enforces a strict nationwide ban on plastic bags introduced in 2019, checked even on arriving travellers, which visibly cut bag litter. Full assessmentAir quality is moderate at about 18 micrograms of fine particles per cubic metre (AQLI, 2022), driven by biomass cooking and dust, and other waste litter persists. |
| Recycling and wasteWhat actually happens to the rubbish once you have thrown it away | 2/5 | Formal municipal recycling is minimal and most waste is dumped or landfilled, but an active informal sector recovers plastics, metal and glass in cities such as Dar es Salaam. |
| Energy and climateClean power, carbon emissions per person and the pace of decarbonisation | 4/5 | Tanzania is one of the world's lowest per-capita emitters, at roughly 0.26 tonnes of CO2 per person, reflecting low industrialisation and limited electricity access. Full assessmentIts grid has shifted decisively towards hydropower since the 2,115 MW Julius Nyerere plant began generating, so that hydro now provides the majority of installed capacity, about 59% at the end of 2024, with natural gas the main second source at around 35%. The government's National Energy Compact and Nationally Determined Contribution aim to expand renewables and grid access, and hydro's share of generation has risen further through 2025. Very low emissions and a now hydro-led grid earn a high band, but continued and expanding natural-gas dependence, plus planned LNG development, hold it just below the top. |
| Culture and peopleIndigenous and living communities, and who the money reaches | 4/5 | More than 120 ethnic groups keep living cultures, from the Maasai and the hunter-gatherer Hadzabe to the Chagga and the Swahili coast, and community tourism and Wildlife Management Areas ch… Full assessmentnnel some income locally. Much safari revenue still leaks to foreign operators, and protected-area evictions have hurt communities such as the Maasai. |
| Living heritage and ancestral traditionsNational dance and music, and the ancestral and spiritual traditions still practised | 5/5 | Tanzania holds one of Africa's richest living heritages, spread across more than 120 ethnic groups. Full assessmentNgoma drumming and dance underpin community life, the Maasai perform the adumu jumping dance, and the Swahili coast and Zanzibar sustain taarab, a fusion of African, Arab and Indian music. Ancestral and spiritual traditions remain strong, from Maasai and Sukuma ceremony to Swahili Islamic practice, and the country is home to some of the last hunter-gatherer peoples, the Hadzabe with their click language and the Datoga, alongside the Maasai and Iraqw. This breadth of living dance, music, ancestral belief and indigenous practice marks a deep, widely alive heritage. |
Before you go
Cash everywhere, cards in cities; TZS. Carry small notes for villages.
Where these figures come from
- World Bank, Forest area (% of land area) AG.LND.FRST.ZS, 2023 — source
- World Bank, Terrestrial protected areas (% of land area) ER.LND.PTLD.ZS, 2025 — source
- World Bank, Marine protected areas (% of territorial waters) ER.MRN.PTMR.ZS, 2025 — source
- World Bank, Renewable electricity output (% of total) EG.ELC.RNEW.ZS, 2021 — source
- World Bank, People using safely managed drinking water (% of population) SH.H2O.SMDW.ZS, 2024 — source
- University of Chicago EPIC, Air Quality Life Index (AQLI), PM2.5 annual mean, 2022 — source
- FiBL and IFOAM, The World of Organic Agriculture (organic share of agricultural land, 2020 data) — source
- Wikipedia, List of countries by air pollution (AQLI figures) — source
- Wikipedia, List of countries by organic farmland (FiBL figures) — source
- Our World in Data, Tanzania CO2 country profile (Global Carbon Budget) source
- TanzaniaInvest, Tanzania Power Production and Demand update (2024 generation mix) source
- The Citizen, Julius Nyerere hydropower drives down gas output, 2024 source
Living heritage and ancestral traditions
The culture still danced, played and believed
Tanzania holds one of Africa's richest living heritages, spread across more than 120 ethnic groups. Ngoma drumming and dance underpin community life, the Maasai perform the adumu jumping dance, and the Swahili coast and Zanzibar sustain taarab, a fusion of African, Arab and Indian music. Ancestral and spiritual traditions remain strong, from Maasai and Sukuma ceremony to Swahili Islamic practice, and the country is home to some of the last hunter-gatherer peoples, the Hadzabe with their click language and the Datoga, alongside the Maasai and Iraqw. This breadth of living dance, music, ancestral belief and indigenous practice marks a deep, widely alive heritage.
- Ngoma drumming and dance
- the Maasai adumu jumping dance
- Sukuma dance
- taarab music of Zanzibar and the Swahili coast
- ancestral veneration and Swahili Islamic tradition
- Hadzabe hunter-gatherer, Datoga and Maasai indigenous living practice.
Sleep well, tread lightly
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