/* eslint-disable */
// Auto-generated destination data — tanzania
window.TANZANIA_DATA = {
  "chrome": {
    "hero": {
      "kicker": "HowTo:Travel · Africa · Tanzania",
      "h1Lines": [
        "Twenty million square kilometres",
        "of Serengeti and Kilimanjaro,",
        "Zanzibar spice and Swahili coast."
      ],
      "issueLabel": "Issue Nº 47 · Country guide · Updated April 2026",
      "lede": "Tanzania is four countries pretending to be one. The north runs on safari — Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro — and reads like the Africa of 1950s postcards. The south is harder, emptier, for travellers who want silence and baobab. The west holds the lakes. And Zanzibar is an island pretending to be Arabian. Come in June or July. Come alone or with someone who reads.",
      "stats": "5 regions · 7 cities · 3 great drives · 2 seasonal circuits · 1 UNESCO island",
      "metaRows": [
        {
          "k": "Currency",
          "v": "Tanzanian shilling (TZS) · ~2,500 per USD"
        },
        {
          "k": "Plug type",
          "v": "Type G (three rectangular prongs) · 230V, 50Hz"
        },
        {
          "k": "Visa for US/UK",
          "v": "Required · Apply online (Tanzania e-Visa) or on arrival · USD 50"
        },
        {
          "k": "Best for first-timers",
          "v": "Northern Circuit (Arusha base) or Zanzibar + Dar es Salaam"
        },
        {
          "k": "Language",
          "v": "Swahili (official) · English widely spoken in tourism"
        }
      ],
      "frames": [
        {
          "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516426122078-c23e76319801?w=600&auto=format",
          "cap": "Serengeti · 2°S 35°E"
        },
        {
          "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1489493072403-cffbe566531f?w=600&auto=format",
          "cap": "Kilimanjaro · 3°S 37°E"
        },
        {
          "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1519904981063-b0cf448d479e?w=600&auto=format",
          "cap": "Zanzibar Stone Town · 6°S 39°E"
        }
      ]
    },
    "anchor": {
      "label": "In this guide",
      "items": [
        {
          "id": "intro",
          "label": "Letter"
        },
        {
          "id": "macros",
          "label": "Four zones"
        },
        {
          "id": "regions",
          "label": "Regions"
        },
        {
          "id": "drives",
          "label": "Drives"
        },
        {
          "id": "cities",
          "label": "Cities"
        },
        {
          "id": "trains",
          "label": "Rails"
        },
        {
          "id": "when",
          "label": "When to go"
        },
        {
          "id": "food",
          "label": "Eat & drink"
        },
        {
          "id": "festivals",
          "label": "Festivals"
        },
        {
          "id": "language",
          "label": "Phrases"
        },
        {
          "id": "neighborhoods",
          "label": "Neighborhoods"
        },
        {
          "id": "faq",
          "label": "Ask us"
        }
      ]
    },
    "intro": {
      "lead": "Tanzania rewards the patient traveller with silence. The Serengeti's big five are real — lions stacked on kopjes like forgotten furniture, elephants in the dust — but they're background. The foreground is space. Eighty thousand zebras moving in one direction, their hooves raising dust that travels forty kilometres. The Ngorongoro Crater, which is the Serengeti in miniature, compressed, dense with life. And then Zanzibar, which is not Africa at all — it's Oman painted in cloves, Indian Ocean salt, and centuries of monsoon-season trade. Start in the north in June or July, when the herds gather. End on the island. Leave your phone in Dar.",
      "side": "The Northern Circuit (Arusha to Zanzibar) is the postcard version and it delivers. The Southern Circuit — Ruaha, Nyerere, Udzungwa — is for the second trip, when you know what silence sounds like. Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi anchor the west and require patience with logistics, but reward it with zero other tourists and colonial-era fishing villages. Book internal flights early; the small planes fill fast.",
      "credit": "— The editors · Dar es Salaam · June 2026"
    },
    "signoff": {
      "h2": "Return with the seasons.",
      "body": "Tanzania closes and opens with the rains. June to October is cool and dry — the best months for safari, for Kilimanjaro, for Zanzibar's clove harvest. December to March brings heat and birth season on the Serengeti. The short rains in November are moody and photogenic but lodges thin out. October and November are the sweet spot: fewer tourists, green landscape, roads still passable.",
      "credit": "— The editors"
    }
  },
  "macros": [
    {
      "id": "north",
      "name": "Northern Circuit",
      "tint": "#C4916E",
      "blurb": "Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro. The textbook Africa — herds, dust, kopjes, and the easiest logistics."
    },
    {
      "id": "south",
      "name": "Southern Circuit",
      "tint": "#8B7355",
      "blurb": "Ruaha, Nyerere, Udzungwa. Empty roads, baobab trees, wild dogs. For the second trip and beyond."
    },
    {
      "id": "zanzibar",
      "name": "Zanzibar & Coast",
      "tint": "#4A90A4",
      "blurb": "Spice island, slave history, Stone Town's labyrinth. Indian Ocean salt and Arab architecture."
    },
    {
      "id": "west",
      "name": "Lakes & West",
      "tint": "#7B9BA3",
      "blurb": "Tanganyika, Malawi, colonial-era villages. Remote, logistically complex, almost no tourists."
    }
  ],
  "regions": [
    {
      "id": "arusha",
      "name": "Arusha Region",
      "capital": "Arusha",
      "macro": "north",
      "hue": "#C4916E",
      "knownFor": "Mount Meru, Arusha National Park, gateway",
      "area": 34500,
      "pop": 2.3,
      "signature": "Crater highlands, coffee plantations, and the last town before the Serengeti opens up.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct"
    },
    {
      "id": "kilimanjaro",
      "name": "Kilimanjaro Region",
      "capital": "Moshi",
      "macro": "north",
      "hue": "#A68068",
      "knownFor": "Mount Kilimanjaro, Amboseli views, trekking routes",
      "area": 13250,
      "pop": 1.4,
      "signature": "Africa's highest peak rises from scrub in clouds. Five ecological zones, glaciers at the top, and the slowest, best way to get high.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct · Jan–Feb"
    },
    {
      "id": "serengeti",
      "name": "Serengeti-Mara Region",
      "capital": "Seronera",
      "macro": "north",
      "hue": "#D4A574",
      "knownFor": "The Great Migration, lion density, wildebeest river crossings",
      "area": 30000,
      "pop": 0.01,
      "signature": "Eighty thousand zebras and wildebeest following the rains in a clockwise pulse. The river crossings in July are pure theatre — crocodiles, dust, death.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct"
    },
    {
      "id": "ngorongoro",
      "name": "Ngorongoro & Crater Highlands",
      "capital": "Karatu",
      "macro": "north",
      "hue": "#B8956A",
      "knownFor": "UNESCO crater, Maasai pastoralists, highland ecology",
      "area": 8300,
      "pop": 0.1,
      "signature": "The world's largest intact caldera. Woke at 5:30, descended at dawn, and spotted a black rhino by 7:15. That's the Crater's promise — compression and density of life.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct"
    },
    {
      "id": "ruaha",
      "name": "Ruaha & Southern Highlands",
      "capital": "Iringa",
      "macro": "south",
      "hue": "#8B7355",
      "knownFor": "Ruaha National Park, wild dogs, empty roads, baobab",
      "area": 45000,
      "pop": 1.9,
      "signature": "Tanzania's largest park and the least visited. The Great Ruaha River runs through it. Elephants, lions, and the silence of the well-travelled path rarely taken.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct"
    },
    {
      "id": "selous",
      "name": "Nyerere & Coastal South",
      "capital": "Dar es Salaam",
      "macro": "south",
      "hue": "#7A6A4F",
      "knownFor": "Nyerere National Park, Udzungwa Mountains, coastal reserves",
      "area": 30000,
      "pop": 5.1,
      "signature": "Dar is the coast's centre, humid and colonial. Inland, the Udzungwa escarpment holds primates and greenery. The Nyerere park (formerly Selous) is empty even by southern standards.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct"
    },
    {
      "id": "zanzibar",
      "name": "Zanzibar Archipelago",
      "capital": "Zanzibar City",
      "macro": "zanzibar",
      "hue": "#4A90A4",
      "knownFor": "Spice island, Stone Town UNESCO site, clove plantations, beaches",
      "area": 2461,
      "pop": 0.6,
      "signature": "An Arab island pretending to be African. Cloves and coral, stone and salt. The Stone Town smells of spice and centuries of monsoon trade.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct · Dec–Jan"
    },
    {
      "id": "tanganyika",
      "name": "Lake Tanganyika & West",
      "capital": "Kigoma",
      "macro": "west",
      "hue": "#7B9BA3",
      "knownFor": "Lake Tanganyika, Gombe Stream, colonial villages, chimpanzees",
      "area": 116000,
      "pop": 1.6,
      "signature": "Africa's deepest, oldest lake. The west is isolated — roads are suggestions, logistics Byzantine — but isolation is the point. Colonial bungalows, fishing villages, Jane Goodall's chimps.",
      "best": "Jun–Oct"
    }
  ],
  "drives": [
    {
      "id": "ngorongoro_serengeti",
      "num": "01",
      "name": "Crater to Plains",
      "nameEm": "Ngorongoro – Serengeti",
      "region": "Ngorongoro & Crater Highlands / Serengeti-Mara Region",
      "regionId": "ngorongoro",
      "from": "Karatu",
      "to": "Seronera",
      "km": 190,
      "hours": 5,
      "elevMax": 2300,
      "elevMin": 1500,
      "season": "Jun–Oct (dry) · avoid Nov–May (impassable)",
      "surface": "Gravel + rocky tracks, high-clearance vehicle required",
      "car": "Land Cruiser or similar 4x4 with guide. Not negotiable.",
      "blurb": "Start at the Crater rim at dawn, descend into the caldera for three hours, then climb back out. By 11am you're on the Crater Highland escarpment. The plains materialize ahead. Overnight in Karatu, drive to Seronera via Olduvai Gorge, and wake on the Serengeti.",
      "stops": [
        "Karatu",
        "Ngorongoro Crater floor",
        "Olduvai Gorge",
        "Loliondo",
        "Seronera"
      ],
      "tip": "Hire your guide in Arusha, not at the gate. Cheaper and they know the wildlife and the road's moods.",
      "profile": [
        1500,
        1800,
        2200,
        2300,
        2100,
        1900,
        1700,
        1600,
        1550,
        1520,
        1500
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arusha_moshi",
      "num": "02",
      "name": "Mountain Base Route",
      "nameEm": "Arusha – Moshi",
      "region": "Arusha Region / Kilimanjaro Region",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "from": "Arusha",
      "to": "Moshi",
      "km": 85,
      "hours": 2.5,
      "elevMax": 1600,
      "elevMin": 900,
      "season": "Year-round (best Jun–Oct and Jan–Feb for climbing)",
      "surface": "Paved highway (A104), well-maintained, two lanes",
      "car": "Standard sedan. Hire in Arusha, drop in Moshi or Dar.",
      "blurb": "The Tanzam Highway running east through coffee plantations and smallholder farms. Kilimanjaro hides in clouds to your right until Moshi appears. Stop in Marangu for lunch (the Kilimanjaro hut porters' village), then drive on to Moshi town. Base yourself here for trekking prep or acclimatization.",
      "stops": [
        "Arusha",
        "Usa River",
        "Marangu",
        "Moshi"
      ],
      "tip": "Hire porters and guides in Moshi, not Arusha — cheaper and they actually live here.",
      "profile": [
        900,
        1050,
        1200,
        1400,
        1600,
        1400,
        1200,
        1100,
        1000,
        950,
        900
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dar_iringa",
      "num": "03",
      "name": "Southern Circuit Gateway",
      "nameEm": "Dar es Salaam – Iringa",
      "region": "Nyerere & Coastal South / Ruaha & Southern Highlands",
      "regionId": "selous",
      "from": "Dar es Salaam",
      "to": "Iringa",
      "km": 510,
      "hours": 9,
      "elevMax": 1700,
      "elevMin": 0,
      "season": "Jun–Oct (dry roads) · avoid Nov–Apr (washboard, water crossings)",
      "surface": "Asphalt to Chalinze, then gravel and corrugated until Iringa",
      "car": "Sedan to Morogoro, then 4x4 from Morogoro west",
      "blurb": "Leave Dar at dawn. The coastal plain gives way to the Uluguru Mountains near Morogoro. At Chalinze, the road deteriorates — this is where the Southern Circuit really begins. Iringa sits on a plateau, cool and coffee-scented. Stop in Mikumi (en route) for an evening game drive, or power through for Iringa and Ruaha.",
      "stops": [
        "Dar es Salaam",
        "Morogoro",
        "Chalinze",
        "Mikumi",
        "Iringa"
      ],
      "tip": "Fill up petrol in Morogoro. The west has no reliable stations.",
      "profile": [
        0,
        150,
        350,
        800,
        1200,
        1500,
        1600,
        1550,
        1450,
        1350,
        1200
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zanzibar_pemba",
      "num": "04",
      "name": "Spice Island Passage",
      "nameEm": "Zanzibar – Pemba (by boat & road)",
      "region": "Zanzibar Archipelago",
      "regionId": "zanzibar",
      "from": "Zanzibar City",
      "to": "Pemba (Chake Chake)",
      "km": "60 (by sea)",
      "hours": 2,
      "elevMax": 100,
      "elevMin": 0,
      "season": "Jun–Oct (flat seas) · avoid Apr–May (heavy swells)",
      "surface": "Fast ferry (sea passage), paved roads on Pemba",
      "car": "Ferry + hired 4x4 on Pemba for interior spice tours",
      "blurb": "The ferry from Zanzibar's port to Pemba is quick and steady. Pemba is Zanzibar's quieter sibling — fewer tourists, more clove plantations, better preserved Arab architecture. Hire a guide for the spice estates (cloves, cinnamon, cardamom). The island's roads are red earth and narrow. Return by sunset ferry.",
      "stops": [
        "Zanzibar City port",
        "Pemba (Chake Chake)",
        "Spice estates",
        "Ras Ngombe (northern peninsula)"
      ],
      "tip": "The ferry's fast boats (Azam Marine, Sea Star) are more comfortable than the slower cargo ferries. Book ahead.",
      "profile": [
        0,
        20,
        40,
        60,
        80,
        60,
        40,
        20,
        0,
        0,
        0
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kigoma_mahale",
      "num": "05",
      "name": "Lake Tanganyika Wild West",
      "nameEm": "Kigoma – Mahale Mountains",
      "region": "Lake Tanganyika & West",
      "regionId": "tanganyika",
      "from": "Kigoma",
      "to": "Mahale Mountains",
      "km": 120,
      "hours": "4 (road) + boat",
      "elevMax": 2400,
      "elevMin": 773,
      "season": "Jun–Oct (dry, calm lake)",
      "surface": "Gravel to park boundary, then by motorboat or walking trail",
      "car": "4x4 to boundary, motorboat or foot thereafter",
      "blurb": "Kigoma is a faded German colonial town on Lake Tanganyika's shore. From here, a rough road or a boat ride leads to Mahale Mountains National Park — home to chimpanzees and almost no other tourists. The mountains rise 1,600 metres from the lake's edge. Hire guides in Kigoma. The trek can be done as a day hike or multi-day immersion.",
      "stops": [
        "Kigoma town",
        "Lake shore",
        "Mahale checkpoint",
        "Chimps of Mimikiki valley"
      ],
      "tip": "This is remote. Confirm boats, food, and guides a week ahead. Bring cash in small denominations.",
      "profile": [
        773,
        900,
        1200,
        1600,
        2000,
        2300,
        2200,
        2000,
        1600,
        1200,
        900
      ]
    }
  ],
  "cities": [
    {
      "name": "Dar es Salaam",
      "pop": 6.1,
      "region": "Nyerere & Coastal South",
      "regionId": "selous",
      "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1489749798305-4fea3ba63d60?w=900&auto=format",
      "days": "1–2",
      "mood": "Hot, colonial, chaotic, coastal",
      "best": "Jun–Oct (cooler)",
      "quote": "Sleep at Slipway, swim at Coco Beach, eat urojo in the market. Don't linger; it's a hub, not a destination."
    },
    {
      "name": "Arusha",
      "pop": 0.65,
      "region": "Arusha Region",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1516426122078-c23e76319801?w=900&auto=format",
      "days": "1",
      "mood": "Gateway, safari-prep, cooler highlands",
      "best": "Jun–Oct",
      "quote": "Book guides and permits here. Eat in Arusha town (Jacaranda or Colobus), then drive north into silence."
    },
    {
      "name": "Moshi",
      "pop": 0.35,
      "region": "Kilimanjaro Region",
      "regionId": "kilimanjaro",
      "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1506905925346-21bda4d32df4?w=900&auto=format",
      "days": "1–2",
      "mood": "Mountain town, Kilimanjaro base, trekking prep",
      "best": "Jun–Oct (climbing season) · Jan–Feb",
      "quote": "Hire porters here. Walk the Marangu route (five days, hut-based) or Machame (six days, camping). Both summit at Uhuru Peak."
    },
    {
      "name": "Zanzibar City (Stonetown)",
      "pop": 0.4,
      "region": "Zanzibar Archipelago",
      "regionId": "zanzibar",
      "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1519904981063-b0cf448d479e?w=900&auto=format",
      "days": "2–3",
      "mood": "Labyrinthine, spiced, Arab-African, tidal",
      "best": "Jun–Oct · Dec–Feb",
      "quote": "Get lost in the Stone Town. The lanes collapse into each other. Eat octopus at the fish market at sunset. Hire a dhow for a sunset sail."
    },
    {
      "name": "Iringa",
      "pop": 0.16,
      "region": "Ruaha & Southern Highlands",
      "regionId": "ruaha",
      "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1489749798305-4fea3ba63d60?w=900&auto=format",
      "days": "1",
      "mood": "Highland, cool, gateway to Ruaha",
      "best": "Jun–Oct",
      "quote": "Base for Ruaha National Park. The town's quiet and high (1,600m). Sleep here, drive early into the park."
    },
    {
      "name": "Kigoma",
      "pop": 0.23,
      "region": "Lake Tanganyika & West",
      "regionId": "tanganyika",
      "img": "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1489749798305-4fea3ba63d60?w=900&auto=format",
      "days": "1",
      "mood": "Colonial, faded, lakeside, remote",
      "best": "Jun–Oct",
      "quote": "Germany's old railway terminus, now a quiet town. The lake is everything here. Arrange Mahale or Gombe trips before you arrive."
    }
  ],
  "trains": [
    {
      "route": "Dar es Salaam → Morogoro → Iringa → Mbeya",
      "time": "15–18h",
      "op": "Tanzania Railways Corporation (TAZARA line runs further to Zambia)",
      "note": "Slow, scenic, overnight sleeper berths. The journey is the point; arrive tired and smiling."
    },
    {
      "route": "Dar es Salaam → Chalinze → Moshi → Arusha",
      "time": "8–12h (no direct; connections in Chalinze)",
      "op": "TAZARA / local operators",
      "note": "Unreliable; buses faster. Train useful only if schedule aligns."
    },
    {
      "route": "Kigoma ← → Dar es Salaam (TAZARA heritage route)",
      "time": "30+h",
      "op": "Tanzania Railways Corporation",
      "note": "Historic line, slow, erratic. Book months ahead. Sleeper cabins available."
    },
    {
      "route": "Moshi → Voi (Kenya)",
      "time": "8h",
      "op": "Tanzam Railway",
      "note": "Cross-border service; requires coordination. Mostly buses and flights are easier."
    }
  ],
  "when": [
    {
      "m": "Jan",
      "n": "Hot, humid. Short rains begin late month. Serengeti: calving season, green, expensive.",
      "s": "Ruaha: very quiet, hot, some water stress. Iringa: cool. Locals travel; book ahead."
    },
    {
      "m": "Feb",
      "n": "Peak calving in the Serengeti. Ngorongoro: good. Kilimanjaro: clear views, possible summit window.",
      "s": "Ruaha: emptying as water dries up. Zanzibar: hot, humid, expensive."
    },
    {
      "m": "Mar",
      "n": "Wet season arriving. Long rains. Serengeti muddy, difficult, cheap. Safari off-season.",
      "s": "Roads soft; Ruaha challenging. Iringa: rain, fewer tourists. Avoid."
    },
    {
      "m": "Apr",
      "n": "Heaviest rains. Serengeti: closed or very difficult. Skip the north entirely.",
      "s": "Ruaha: closed to vehicles. Dar: humid. Avoid unless you chase green landscape photography."
    },
    {
      "m": "May",
      "n": "Rains tail off. Serengeti drying. Herds begin to move. Ngorongoro: excellent.",
      "s": "Roads reopening. Ruaha passable. Prices rising. Good time to start south-circuit prep."
    },
    {
      "m": "Jun",
      "n": "Dry season begins. Serengeti: migration enters from south. Kilimanjaro: clear, busy. Peak season starts.",
      "s": "Ruaha: excellent, dry. Udzungwa: green but climbable. The best month to begin a Tanzania journey."
    },
    {
      "m": "Jul",
      "n": "Peak dry. Serengeti: massive herds, river crossings, expensive, crowded. Ngorongoro: packed.",
      "s": "Ruaha: prime season. Nyerere: good. Zanzibar: clove harvest peak, busy beach towns."
    },
    {
      "m": "Aug",
      "n": "Still dry. Serengeti: herds moving north toward Kenya. Game concentrated. Very expensive.",
      "s": "Ruaha: excellent. Prices high. Zanzibar: good weather, high prices. Book lodges early."
    },
    {
      "m": "Sep",
      "n": "Tail of dry. Serengeti: herds in north, river crossings winding down. Prices drop slightly.",
      "s": "Ruaha: still excellent, fewer tourists. Dar: starting to heat up."
    },
    {
      "m": "Oct",
      "n": "Last month of dry season. Serengeti: herds beginning southern migration. Ideal month — green grass returning, still dry.",
      "s": "Ruaha: winding down. Short rains begin late month. Kilimanjaro: clear views. Best month for balanced costs and conditions."
    },
    {
      "m": "Nov",
      "n": "Short rains. Serengeti: green, moody, photogenic. Game scattered. Cheap. Unpredictable weather.",
      "s": "Green return, few tourists. Roads can be soft. Iringa: cool and pleasant. Photography-rich month."
    },
    {
      "m": "Dec",
      "n": "Rains end, heat builds. Serengeti: greening up, calving begins. Kilimanjaro: clear, less crowded. Zanzibar: Christmas rush.",
      "s": "Ruaha: heating, water drying. Dar: humid. Holidays drive prices up at coast."
    }
  ],
  "food": [
    {
      "dish": "Ugali",
      "where": "Northern Circuit",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "note": "Cornmeal starch, firm, rolled into a ball. The carbohydrate base of every meal. Dip into broth or sauce.",
      "emoji": "🌽",
      "span": 2
    },
    {
      "dish": "Nyama Choma",
      "where": "Nationwide (best in Dar, Arusha, Iringa)",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "note": "Charred meat skewers — beef, goat, or game — salt and lime. Eat standing at a roadside fire at dusk.",
      "emoji": "🔥",
      "span": 1
    },
    {
      "dish": "Urojo (Tanzanian Fruit Salad)",
      "where": "Dar es Salaam markets",
      "regionId": "selous",
      "note": "Papaya, mango, pineapple, lime juice, salt, sometimes chilli. Street food, five minutes, transformative.",
      "emoji": "🥭",
      "span": 1
    },
    {
      "dish": "Octopus in Coconut Broth",
      "where": "Zanzibar Stone Town, fish market at sunset",
      "regionId": "zanzibar",
      "note": "Tender octopus simmered in coconut milk, turmeric, cumin. Swahili heritage on a plate. Eat fresh.",
      "emoji": "🐙",
      "span": 1
    },
    {
      "dish": "Pilau",
      "where": "Arusha, Moshi, northern towns",
      "regionId": "kilimanjaro",
      "note": "Spiced rice cooked in meat stock with cardamom and cinnamon. The smell announces itself a block away.",
      "emoji": "🍚",
      "span": 1
    },
    {
      "dish": "Samaki wa Kupaka (Fish in Coconut Sauce)",
      "where": "Zanzibar, Dar, coastal regions",
      "regionId": "zanzibar",
      "note": "White fish (snapper, grouper) in thick coconut, tomato, and coriander sauce. Lunch, fresh catch, never frozen.",
      "emoji": "🐟",
      "span": 1
    },
    {
      "dish": "Cassava Chips",
      "where": "Everywhere (street vendors, markets)",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "note": "Fried cassava root, crispy outside, creamy inside. Salt or chilli powder. The best road snack.",
      "emoji": "🍟",
      "span": 1
    },
    {
      "dish": "Mandazi (Tanzanian Dough)",
      "where": "Everywhere, breakfast",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "note": "Sweet fried bread, often with sugar or honey. Fluffy, greasy, perfect with chai. Morning staple.",
      "emoji": "🍪",
      "span": 1
    }
  ],
  "festivals": [
    {
      "num": "01",
      "name": "Mwaka Kogwa (Zanzibar New Year)",
      "where": "Zanzibar Stone Town",
      "when": "July (typically 23rd)",
      "text": "The Swahili New Year marked by parades, music, dhow races, and ceremonial water-throwing. Locals dress in traditional kanga cloth. The Stone Town fills with drumming and salt-air celebration.",
      "regionId": "zanzibar"
    },
    {
      "num": "02",
      "name": "Serengeti Wildebeest Migration River Crossings",
      "where": "Serengeti National Park, Grumeti & Mara River crossings",
      "when": "July–August (peaking mid-July)",
      "text": "Two million wildebeest and zebras attempt river crossings. Crocodiles wait. The event is primal, chaotic, and utterly unhygienic. Best viewed with professional guides; book lodges months ahead.",
      "regionId": "serengeti"
    },
    {
      "num": "03",
      "name": "Kilimanjaro Marathon",
      "where": "Moshi, Kilimanjaro Region",
      "when": "February (typically 23rd)",
      "text": "A road marathon circling Mount Kilimanjaro's base. Runners tackle highland terrain and thin air. Also a half-marathon and family race. Small, intense, excellent for altitude training.",
      "regionId": "kilimanjaro"
    },
    {
      "num": "04",
      "name": "Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF)",
      "where": "Zanzibar Stone Town, outdoor venues",
      "when": "July (usually mid-month, 10 days)",
      "text": "African and international films screened in courtyards and on rooftops. The festival celebrates Swahili cinema and diaspora voices. Evening screenings under stars; day symposiums.",
      "regionId": "zanzibar"
    },
    {
      "num": "05",
      "name": "Spice Farm Harvest Season",
      "where": "Zanzibar and Pemba plantations",
      "when": "July–August (cloves, main harvest)",
      "text": "Clove harvesting reaches peak. The islands smell of dried spice. Farm tours available; locals celebrate harvest with small festivals and feasts.",
      "regionId": "zanzibar"
    },
    {
      "num": "06",
      "name": "Dar es Salaam International Trade Fair",
      "where": "Dar es Salaam Fairgrounds",
      "when": "September (typically mid-month, week-long)",
      "text": "A trade and cultural fair celebrating Tanzanian commerce, crafts, and cuisine. Music, dance, stalls. Local event, fewer international tourists, excellent for meeting Tanzanians.",
      "regionId": "selous"
    }
  ],
  "language": [
    {
      "lc": "Habari gani?",
      "tr": "How are you? (literally: what news?)",
      "note": "The standard greeting. Response: 'Nzuri' (good) or 'Salama' (peaceful). Essential daily phrase."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Asante sana.",
      "tr": "Thank you very much.",
      "note": "Use liberally. Tanzanians appreciate politeness. Asante (thank you) alone is curt; add 'sana' (very much)."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Tafadhali.",
      "tr": "Please. (also: excuse me, sorry — polite marker)",
      "note": "Precedes requests. 'Tafadhali maji' = please water. Works as softener in most contexts."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Karibu (sana).",
      "tr": "Welcome. You're welcome.",
      "note": "Hospitality word. Hosts say 'Karibu' to guests. Guests say 'Karibu' in thanks. Warmth embedded in language."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Hakuna matata.",
      "tr": "No worries. Don't worry.",
      "note": "Literally: no + worries. Ubiquitous in Tanzania and Kenya. Motto of a philosophy — relax, it will work out."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Pole pole.",
      "tr": "Slowly, slowly. (take it easy, no rush)",
      "note": "Cornerstone of Tanzanian time. Things happen pole pole. Accept it. This is not a failing; it's a rhythm."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Jambo / Habari.",
      "tr": "Hello (Jambo = to strangers/tourists; Habari = more personal)",
      "note": "Jambo is the 'tourist' greeting. Locals use Habari gani or Habari yako (how are you specifically)."
    },
    {
      "lc": "Pesa?",
      "tr": "Money? (colloquial, sometimes: how much?)",
      "note": "Used in markets and negotiations. Direct, not impolite. Vendors expect it. Barter is normal."
    }
  ],
  "neighborhoods": [
    {
      "num": "01",
      "name": "Stone Town",
      "nameEm": "Zanzibar City labyrinth",
      "city": "Zanzibar City",
      "regionId": "zanzibar",
      "text": "UNESCO site. Lanes so narrow a widened stomach scrapes both walls. Carved doors from Oman, coral stone, cat-sized cats everywhere. The smell is clove and salt and centuries. Get lost deliberately. Coffee in a courtyard. Dinner at the fish market.",
      "why": "The only place in Tanzania that feels like elsewhere — Arabian, sweat-drenched, tidal, not African at all."
    },
    {
      "num": "02",
      "name": "Arusha Town Centre",
      "nameEm": "Clock Tower to Shoprite",
      "city": "Arusha",
      "regionId": "arusha",
      "text": "The hub of safari bookings, gear rental, and expat coordination. Not scenic; useful. Hotels like Jacaranda or Mountain Village. Restaurants frequented by guides and drivers. The market on Sokoine Road is chaos and finds.",
      "why": "Safari base. Book your permits and guides here. Eat well. Sleep in a real bed. Leave at 5am."
    },
    {
      "num": "03",
      "name": "Moshi Old Town",
      "nameEm": "Coffee-scented highlands quarter",
      "city": "Moshi",
      "regionId": "kilimanjaro",
      "text": "Quiet, cooler than Dar, with colonial bungalows and coffee warehouses. The Kibo Hotel area is where porters congregate. Fewer tourists than Arusha. The town square has a few restaurants; local life is genuine.",
      "why": "Better than Arusha for climbing prep. Sleep here, hire your crew, walk the town's quiet. Kilimanjaro looms north, often invisible in cloud."
    },
    {
      "num": "04",
      "name": "Dar Beachfront (Slipway to Oyster Bay)",
      "nameEm": "Colonial and modern mixed",
      "city": "Dar es Salaam",
      "regionId": "selous",
      "text": "The beach strip along Coco Beach and Oyster Bay. Slipway Hotel anchors the north; craft markets and seafood restaurants pepper the coast. Swimming is iffy (currents), but sunset is reliable. The Kariakoo market nearby sells everything.",
      "why": "Dar's most liveable quarter. Locals swim here. Restaurants and bars actually good. One night minimum if you arrive/depart here."
    },
    {
      "num": "05",
      "name": "Iringa Plateau Town",
      "nameEm": "High, quiet, coffee gateway",
      "city": "Iringa",
      "regionId": "ruaha",
      "text": "One main street, colonial post office, cool highland air. The Isimila Stone Age site nearby (pre-human tools in situ). Iringa's quietness is the point — it sits between two Tanzania worlds. The market is small, intimate. Hotels are clean and cheap.",
      "why": "Transition point. Dar humidity ends; Ruaha's silence begins. Sleep here before driving into the park."
    },
    {
      "num": "06",
      "name": "Zanzibar Pemba Island",
      "nameEm": "Quieter, greener sibling",
      "city": "Pemba (Chake Chake, Wete)",
      "regionId": "zanzibar",
      "text": "Fewer tourists, more clove farms, red earth roads. The architecture is older Arab, less touristed. Chake Chake is small and working (not a postcard). The island feels alive to itself, not for visitors.",
      "why": "Spice history and quietude. Ferry from Zanzibar (2 hours). Return same day or sleep one night and feel like you've escaped."
    },
    {
      "num": "07",
      "name": "Kigoma Waterfront (Lake Tanganyika shore)",
      "nameEm": "German colonial fishing village",
      "city": "Kigoma",
      "regionId": "tanganyika",
      "text": "Faded grandeur — the German railway terminal, now a quiet town. Fishermen unload at dawn. Colonial bungalows sit empty or half-occupied. The lake is tranquil. The silence is intentional.",
      "why": "Remote and real. No tourist infrastructure means you hire locally, eat where fishermen eat, and feel like you've found something unmanicured."
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "When is the best time to go?",
      "a": "June to October (dry season). The herds move in the Serengeti; Kilimanjaro's clear. Prices rise in July–August (peak season), but it's the only time for river crossings and wildlife density. October is ideal — green grass returning, prices dropping, weather still dry. Avoid November–May (rains make southern roads impassable)."
    },
    {
      "q": "Do I need vaccinations?",
      "a": "Yellow fever vaccination is recommended and sometimes required for entry (check current regulations). Malaria prophylaxis is advised for all regions below 1,500 metres — consult a travel doctor 6–8 weeks ahead. Typhoid and Hepatitis A boosters typical. Tap water is not safe; drink bottled water. No vaccines required by law unless arriving from infected countries."
    },
    {
      "q": "What currency and how much money should I bring?",
      "a": "Tanzanian Shilling (TZS). ~2,500 TZS = 1 USD. ATMs in major cities (Dar, Arusha, Zanzibar) dispense cash. Credit cards work in hotels and restaurants; cash essential for markets, villages, and tips. Budget $50–100/day for budget lodges, $150–250/day mid-range, $500+/day luxury. Guides, drivers, and porters expect tips (10–15% standard)."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is Tanzania safe?",
      "a": "Yes, for sensible travellers. Dar has petty theft in crowded areas — don't carry valuables visibly. Driving at night is not recommended. Serengeti and national parks are safe; game guides are well-trained. Zanzibar is very safe and heavily touristed. Border areas (north, west) have sporadic unrest — check FCO/State Dept. warnings before travel. Use registered taxis or hotel arrangements for transport."
    },
    {
      "q": "How do I hire guides and book safaris?",
      "a": "Book in Arusha or Moshi through established operators (e.g., Northern Air, Coastal Aviation, smaller local outfits). Guides are cheaper if hired locally but require more legwork. For Serengeti, use lodges inside the park (they manage guides and permits). For Ruaha or Nyerere, book through Iringa. Request English-speaking guides explicitly. Budget $80–150/day for guide + vehicle + permits (4x4, driver-guide combo). Book 2–4 weeks ahead."
    },
    {
      "q": "Can I climb Kilimanjaro independently?",
      "a": "No. Tanzanian regulations require hiring a registered guide, porters, and cook. You cannot summit alone. Routes: Marangu (hut-based, 5–6 days, cheapest, $800–1,200 total) or Machame (camping, 6–7 days, more scenic, $1,000–1,500). Hire in Moshi. Altitude acclimatization is real — allow time at 1,500–2,500m before attempting. Success rate ~60% without prior high-altitude experience."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's the food like? Will I get sick?",
      "a": "Tanzanian food is mild, carb-heavy (ugali, rice, potatoes). Nyama choma (grilled meat) and fresh fish are excellent. Eat where locals eat — the busier the stall, the fresher the food. Avoid tap water, unwashed salads, street ice. Stick to bottled water and cooked meals. Diarrhea is common; bring Imodium or Ciprofloxacin. Drink lots of chai (tea). Zanzibar has excellent Swahili seafood; ask restaurants for 'today's catch'."
    },
    {
      "q": "How many days should I spend in Tanzania?",
      "a": "10–14 days ideal. Four days Serengeti/Ngorongoro, 2–3 days Kilimanjaro (climb) or nearby trekking, 2–3 days Zanzibar, 1–2 days Dar or transfer days. For southern circuit (Ruaha), add 5–7 days and skip the north. Flying is best between regions (Dar → Arusha → Seronera → Zanzibar). Overland takes 3x as long but is cheaper and shows the country."
    }
  ]
};