Prior to departing Tanzania, Covid-19 testing (PCR and/or Rapid Test) will be required for most travelers. Please study the requirements of your airline and international airport(s) carefully. Covid-19 testing costs (PCR Test $50+facility fees pp / PCR Test on Zanzibar $80 pp / Rapid Test $10 pp) are the responsibility of the traveler. As your tour operator, we will help coordinate proper test timing, location, and test payment.

PCR Test Procedures (General):

PCR Tests should be administered no more than 3 days prior to your scheduled departure.

Your Final Summary Schedule will indicate the date when your test should administered.

Scheduling – A2T will register you for your PCR test no less than 5 days prior to the test date on https://pimacovid.moh.go.tz/#/booking (for mainland / northern safari circuit locations) or  https://zanzibarcovidtesting.co.tz/app/home (for Zanzibar)

Testing sites will vary based on your specific travel itinerary

Testing Fee Payment (Mainland) – Once your appointment has been made, our staff in Arusha will receive your testing payment Control Number (unique number for each traveler). We will make the payment on your behalf and you will reimburse this cost to your guide ($50 per person – cash). Since test requirements are subject to change, reimbursement on site will be the most accurate approach.

Testing Fee Payment (Zanzibar) – Once your appointment has been made we will prepay for the test and then forward your test scheduling confirmation on Zanzibar. The location of the test will be based on where you are staying on the island. There are facilities on the east coast as well as in Stone Town. The cost of the test on Zanzibar is $80 per person.

Facility Fee Payment – You will be responsible for the facility fee that will be paid on site. This fee will range from $10-20 per person depending on the testing facility.

Testing Procedure (day of) –

Masks are required at the testing sites.

Have your passport available for check in as well as payment confirmation (provided by your guide).

Sample collection will take place in the morning. Test collection hours vary at each site.

Please expect the process to take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Results – Once the testing process is complete and the certificate is ready, a notification with your results and certificate will be sent from the National Public Health Laboratory – Tanzania (covid19certificate@afya.go.tz) to the email address used during registration (usually your safari consultant’s email unless otherwise specified). You may also check https://pimacovid.moh.go.tz/#/booking (for mainland / northern safari circuit locations) or  https://zanzibarcovidtesting.co.tz/app/home (for Zanzibar) for updates using your passport number to pull up your results. Please note that once the sample leaves the testing site, the testing site will not receive information about results. Should you have any concerns please ask your guide to contact the Regional Laboratory Technologist at +255 713 819 450 (Warda) or +255 715 361 518 (Nangai).

For travelers departing JRO, a printed copy of your test result will be given to you in Arusha. We will also email you a PDF of the certificate.

For travelers departing DAR or ZNZ, we will email you a PDF of the certificate.

Note for travelers returning to the United States :

Before boarding a flight to the United States, you are required to show a negative COVID-19 test result taken no more than 1 day before travel.

Children under 2 years old do not need to test. There is also an option for people who have documented recovery from COVID-19 in the past 90 days. Learn more about these requirements.

This regulation goes into December 6, 2021.

Rapid Test Procedures (updated August 23, 2021)

If you are departing on an airline that requires a Rapid Test prior to boarding you need to arrive at your international airport of departure 5 hours prior to departure.

All international airports (JRO, DAR and ZNZ) have Rapid Test capacity.

Pre-registration is not required

Payment of $10 can be made in cash by depositing into the on-site bank.

Results are provided within 15 to 20 minutes of taking the test.

UPDATE: currently a Rapid Test is NOT required if you are just transiting through Amsterdam (AMS). You still need to be traveling with a valid NEGATIVE PCR test.

Common PCR Testing Sites in the Northern Circuit

Arusha Region

Arusha Lutheran Center Referral Hospital – daily 25 USD (cash)

You can request to have someone come to you to administer the test (this should be pre-arranged) Mt. Meru Regional Referral Hospital – 8 am – 3:30 pm daily

FAME Medical Health Center – 8:30 am – 11:30 am daily

$15 USD (cash or credit accepted)

Mara Region

Seronera Airstrip (Musoma Regional Referral Hospital) – 7:00 – 10:00 am daily 20,000 Tanzanian shillings (approx $8.60)

Kogatende Airstrip (Musoma Regional Referral Hospital) – 8:00 – 10:00 am daily 20,000 Tanzanian shillings (approx $8.60)

Zanzibar

Global Hospital (Stone Town) – 7:30 am – 2:30 pm M-Sat, 8 am – 12 pm Sun

Testing sites on East Coast of Zanzibar  – 7:30 am – 2:30 pm M-Sat, 8 am – 12 pm Sun