Help in Tanzania
Emergency and practical help for visitors in Tanzania — robbery, medical, lost passport, stranded, deliveries. Verified numbers and 24-hour local assistance on +255 628 553 132.
If you are in difficulty in Tanzania right now, call or WhatsApp +255 628 553 132. We are based in Arusha and answer 24 hours, in English and Swahili.
Private ambulance & air evacuation
- Arusha Medivac — 24 hour +255767996996 Private ambulance and air evacuation, based at Arusha Airport. Daylight only for air evac — most airstrips have no runway lights.
Tourist Police (English-speaking)
- Tourist Police — Arusha +255734294116
- Tourist Police — Dar es Salaam +255715570718
- Tourist Police — Zanzibar +255712950318
National emergency lines
- Police 112 Also 999 in Zanzibar. Most reliable on Vodacom and Halotel.
- Fire & Rescue 114 Not connected on every network. Airtel often fails.
Common questions
What do I do if I am robbed in Tanzania?
Your safety first — do not chase anyone or try to recover property. Go to the Tourist Police rather than a general police station: they speak English and handle visitor cases. Arusha +255 734 294 116, Dar es Salaam +255 715 570 718, Zanzibar +255 712 950 318. You will need a police report for any insurance claim. Cancel your cards immediately. If you are in or near Arusha, Moshi or Zanzibar, call Beast of Africa on +255 628 553 132 — we will meet you, translate, and take you through the report.
Is there an ambulance service in Tanzania?
No. Tanzania has no government emergency ambulance service in any region. The ambulances that exist are used mainly to transfer patients between hospitals. For a serious medical emergency the fastest option is usually a private vehicle or taxi straight to the nearest major hospital. Private services do exist: Arusha Medivac operates 24 hours on +255 767 996 996 and provides air evacuation in daylight hours. Call a local contact at the same time who knows which hospital is appropriate and can call ahead.
What is the emergency number in Tanzania?
Police is 112, and 999 in Zanzibar. Fire and rescue is 114. Both have real limitations: 112 does not connect reliably outside Dar es Salaam, 114 is not available on every mobile network — Airtel frequently fails while Vodacom and Halotel are most reliable — and calls may be answered only in Swahili. For visitors, the Tourist Police numbers are usually more useful because the officers speak English.
I lost my passport in Tanzania. What now?
Report the loss to the Tourist Police first and keep the report reference — your embassy will ask for it. Then contact your embassy, which issues emergency travel documents. Keep digital copies of your passport somewhere you can reach without your phone. Beast of Africa can drive you to both the police and the embassy and translate throughout: +255 628 553 132.
Who can help a tourist in trouble in Arusha?
Beast of Africa provides 24-hour local assistance to visitors in Tanzania on +255 628 553 132 (phone and WhatsApp, English and Swahili). We have operated from Arusha since 2010. We help with robbery and police reports, medical situations and getting to the right hospital, lost passports, blocked cards, being stranded, nowhere safe to stay, and everyday needs like groceries, water and medicine delivered to where you are.
Is Tanzania safe for tourists?
Tanzania is generally safe for visitors, and the national parks are well regulated. The realistic risks are opportunistic theft in busy urban areas, road accidents, and the limited emergency infrastructure rather than violent crime against tourists. Use registered taxis or ride-hailing apps, keep valuables out of sight, carry a local contact number, and take out travel insurance that covers safari activities and evacuation.
Can someone deliver groceries or medicine to my hotel in Arusha?
Yes. Beast of Africa delivers groceries, bottled water, pharmacy items, SIM cards, chargers and baby supplies to hotels, lodges and rentals in Arusha and Moshi, usually within one to two hours. Message +255 628 553 132 on WhatsApp with what you need and where you are.
I need a driver or interpreter in Tanzania urgently. Who do I call?
Beast of Africa on +255 628 553 132. We provide vetted English-speaking drivers for airport transfers, hourly town work and full days, and interpreters who can work immediately over the phone or come in person to a hospital, police station or meeting.
What to do, in order
Written for someone reading this while frightened. Short steps, correct sequence, no filler. Call +255 628 553 132 at any point — you do not have to work through this alone.
I have been robbed Phone, wallet, camera or bag taken — in the street, from a vehicle, or from a room.
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Get somewhere safe first
Do not chase anyone and do not try to recover property. Phones and wallets are replaceable. Move to a lit, populated place — a hotel lobby, a petrol station, a restaurant. If you are hurt, that changes the order: treat the injury first.
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Call us
+255 628 553 132. If you are in Arusha, Moshi or Zanzibar we can usually reach you within the hour, and we will come. If you are elsewhere we will find someone local who can, and stay on the phone with you until they arrive.
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Cancel your cards
Before anything else administrative. Most banks have a 24-hour international number on their website; if your phone is gone, use ours or a hotel phone. Note the time you called — insurers ask.
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Go to the Tourist Police, not a general station
Arusha +255 734 294 116, Dar es Salaam +255 715 570 718, Zanzibar +255 712 950 318. The officers speak English and handle visitor cases daily. A general station may not, and the report will take far longer.
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Get the report reference in writing
No insurance claim will succeed without it. Photograph the document before you leave the station. Check your name, passport number and the list of items are all correct — errors here cause claims to be rejected months later.
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Replace what you need to function
We can get you a phone, a local SIM, cash, and a lift to your embassy if your passport went with the bag. That is what we are for.
Worth knowing: Most thefts are opportunistic and non-violent. The single biggest mistake visitors make is going to a general police station instead of the Tourist Police, which turns a one-hour process into a full day.
Someone is ill or injured Illness, injury, altitude sickness, allergic reaction, or someone simply not right.
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Do not wait for an ambulance
This is the most important thing on this page. Tanzania has no government emergency ambulance service in any region. The ambulances that exist are used mainly for transfers between hospitals. Waiting for one costs time you may not have.
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Get into a vehicle
A private car or taxi to the nearest major hospital is almost always faster. If you are at a lodge, the lodge has a vehicle and a driver — ask immediately rather than apologising for the inconvenience.
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Call us while you travel
+255 628 553 132. We know which hospital handles what — trauma, cardiac, paediatric — and they are not the same building. We call ahead so you are expected, and we translate on arrival.
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Call your insurer
They authorise costs and can arrange evacuation. Have your policy number ready. If you cannot find it, we can often work it out from the insurer's emergency line.
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For serious cases, private medevac exists
Arusha Medivac operates 24 hours on +255 767 996 996, with air evacuation in daylight hours — most airstrips have no runway lights, which is why night air evacuation is usually not possible.
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Altitude specifically
On Kilimanjaro, descent is the treatment. Severe altitude sickness does not improve with rest at the same height. A guide who suggests continuing when someone has ataxia or confusion is wrong, and you should overrule them.
Worth knowing: Comprehensive travel insurance with evacuation cover matters more in Tanzania than in most destinations, precisely because the state system cannot fill the gap.
My passport is gone Lost, stolen, or destroyed — and you have a flight.
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Report it to the Tourist Police
You need the report reference before your embassy will issue anything. Go to the Tourist Police rather than a general station.
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Contact your embassy
They issue emergency travel documents. Most are in Dar es Salaam, not Arusha, which means a day of travel — plan for that. Some have honorary consuls closer.
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Find your digital copy
If you photographed your passport before travelling, this becomes much faster. If you did not, your airline or hotel may have a scan on file from check-in.
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Tell your airline
Emergency travel documents are usually single-entry and direct. A routing through a third country may no longer work, and the airline needs to know before you arrive at the desk.
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Let us drive and translate
We can take you to the police and the embassy, translate throughout, and handle the waiting. It is a long day and it is considerably worse alone.
Worth knowing: Photograph your passport, visa and insurance before you fly and email them to yourself. It converts a three-day problem into a one-day one.
My money and cards are gone Cards blocked or stolen, wallet lost, or an ATM has swallowed your card.
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Cancel and report immediately
Bank apps usually allow instant freezing, which is faster than a phone call. Do that first, then call the bank.
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Check whether it is a block, not a theft
Foreign transactions in Tanzania trigger fraud blocks constantly. Many people assume theft when their bank has simply frozen the card. One phone call often resolves it.
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Emergency cash transfer
Western Union and similar operate widely in Arusha, Moshi, Dar and Zanzibar. Someone at home can send money within an hour. We can drive you to a branch and vouch for you where identification is an issue.
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If an ATM took your card
Do not leave. Note the bank, machine number and time, and call the bank on the number displayed. Cards retained by a machine are usually recoverable within a few working days from that branch.
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We can bridge the gap
If you are stranded without money and waiting on a transfer, tell us. We have covered fuel, a night's accommodation and a meal for guests before, and settled it afterwards.
Worth knowing: Carry a second card, stored separately from the first. It is the single cheapest insurance in travel.
I am stranded Vehicle failure, a missed connection, a driver who did not arrive, or being somewhere you cannot leave.
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Tell us exactly where you are
A GPS pin is best — the Help panel sends one in one tap. If that fails, a lodge name, a road, a junction or the nearest town is enough. We know this country; we will find you.
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Stay with the vehicle if you are on a road
Particularly at night and particularly in a park, where leaving a vehicle is genuinely dangerous. Wildlife aside, roadside walking after dark on Tanzanian highways is the single most dangerous thing a visitor can do.
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We send transport
A driver, a recovery vehicle, or a replacement car depending on what has happened. In and around Arusha and Moshi this is usually under two hours.
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Missed a flight or connection
Tell us the booking reference. Rebooking from inside Tanzania on a local line is frequently faster than an international call centre, and we speak the language.
Worth knowing: If you are driving yourself, share your route with someone before you set out. Coverage disappears in large parts of the country.
I do not feel safe A situation, a place, a person, or simply an instinct that something is wrong.
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Trust the instinct
You do not need to justify it, to us or to yourself. Get to a public, lit place — a hotel lobby is ideal, and staff will let you sit there.
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Call us, even if you are unsure
+255 628 553 132. There is no threshold you need to meet. We would far rather take a call that turns out to be nothing.
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We can come and get you
At any hour. If you need to leave accommodation immediately we will find you somewhere else tonight and move you.
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If it involves someone you are travelling with
We will help without asking you to explain more than you want to, and without telling anyone else. Ask for discreet assistance and that is exactly what you get.
Worth knowing: This is the category people hesitate over most, and the one where calling early makes the biggest difference.
I need something brought to me Groceries, water, medicine, a charger, a SIM card — anything you cannot get to.
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Message us what you need
WhatsApp is easiest — a photo or a list is fine. Include where you are staying and the room or tent number.
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We shop and deliver
Groceries, bottled water, pharmacy items, baby formula and nappies, phone chargers, adapters, SIM cards. Usually within one to two hours in Arusha or Moshi.
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Pharmacy items
Tell us the generic drug name if you can — brand names differ between countries. If you need something prescription-only we will tell you honestly and help you see a doctor instead.
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Pay afterwards
Cash on delivery or mobile money. We do not ask for payment upfront from someone who is ill in a hotel room.
Worth knowing: This is the service guests are most surprised exists, and the one they tell other people about.