Kenya Airways flies daily between Nairobi and Dar. Julius Nyerere International Airport lies 13km southwest of the city centre – 25 minutes by taxi. To get from the airport to the city, cheap dala- dalas run regularly, but are crowded and can be a problem with luggage. Taxis cost around US$ 20, depending on your skill at bargaining. Dar has a handful of top- end tourist class hotels. In the city centre, the Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski ( www. kempinski-daressalaam. com) is the newest and swankiest and sits in a commanding position on the waterfront close to the ferry terminal to Zanzibar, while The Royal Palm ( www. moevenpick- hotels. com) has a large swimming pool set in beautiful gardens. There's also a string of resorts 20- 30km north of Dar, on the beach. Try the Kunduchi Beach ( www. kunduchiresort. com) with its backdrop of palms and flowering shrubs. ll SLEEP habariinspiration 32 KILIMANJARO HOTEL KEMPINSKI llTOUCH DOWN msafiri In the city centre, craft stalls selling Maasai beads and blankets, colourful kikois, drums, masks and curios are scattered along Samora Avenue, as well as jewellery shops selling Tanzania's unique tanzanite gemstone. There are an excellent selection of wooden carvings at Mwenge Carvers' Market, 10km north of the city, while Tanzania's famous Tingatinga paintings can be bought at the Tingatinga Arts Cooperative in Oyster Bay. Expensive, high quality goods can be found in the Slipway, Msasani Peninsula, Mlimani City, Mwenge, and Mayfair Plaza, Oyster Bay. Traditional Tanzanian grilled meat, roasted maize and chips and omelettes can be found at street stalls and canteens throughout the city, and fragrant Swahili curries and seafood are on offer at the coastal resorts. Dar also has a good selection of international restaurants, and some combine a number of cuisines. Try Mediterraneo, Kawe Beach, for Italian pastas, Chinese dishes and Swahili style buffets, or Malaika in Oyster Bay's Karibu Hotel, for Indian, Chinese and continental cuisine. As the name suggests, Addis in Dar in Oyster Bay offers Ethiopian food served in the traditional way, while The Oriental in the Kilimanjaro Hotel Kempinski is Dar's best Japanese restaurant with a long sushi bar. German colonial- era buildings and churches are concentrated around Kivukoni Front and Sokoine Drive and to the northwest is the Asian Quarter, where the labyrinth of small streets conceal Indian merchants, market traders and numerous mosques. Dar's handful of tourist attractions includes the National Museum and Botanical Gardens on Shaaban Robert Street, which has exhibits covering Tanzania's history. Near here, the new Integrated Fish Market Complex is considered one of a kind and is worth a look. Out of town, the Makumbusho Village Museum gives a compact view of the main traditional dwelling styles of Tanzania, with examples of artists and craftsmen at work. The tropical beaches to the north of the city are easily accessible and most resorts welcome day visitors. llSHOP ll eat Streetwise Dar es salaam Our essential briefing on Tanzania's premier city. By Lizzie Williams KILIMANJARO HOTEL KEMPINSKI llSEE