TAZARA Railway
Photo: User:Digr, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The TAZARA Railway is Africa's most epic train journey. Yes, there are destinations – namely Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia and Dar es Salaam in Tanzania – or somewhere in between. You'll get there eventually. But getting there isn't really the point. You ride the TAZARA for the sake of the riding the TAZARA. And in doing so you'll cross some of the most exotic and hard-to-reach areas of the world.
UnderstandThere had been interest in constructing a railroad into the heart of southern Africa since the late 19th century, mainly by the British.
PrepareThe train leaves when it leaves. Tickets are sold when they're sold. It's Africa. Unless you want to wait hopelessly in line at the train station, tell your hotel that you want tickets.
Get inThere's an easy way and a hard way to do the TAZARA. The easy way: buy a cabin – seriously, the whole cabin. You can then 1) sell your beds to travellers you trust and 2) protect your cabin.
GoSit back and enjoy it. Listen to the savannah. The elephants calling in the night. The train often hits elephants, sadly, and this will give you a delay of several hours. But the world is yours on the TAZARA.
Stay safeTheft is the main concern for foreign travellers on this route. In shared accommodation, keep valuables with you at all times or arrange to watch each other's belongings with a fellow traveller you trust.
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "TAZARA Railway" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: User:Digr, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons