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Dodoma
Capital of Tanzania

Dodoma

Dodoma, officially Dodoma City, is the capital city of Tanzania.

Plan a trip to Dodoma→From Arusha

With a population of 765,179 as of 2022 which is projected to reach 1,000,000 by the end of 2026, it is also the administrative capital of both Dodoma Municipal Council and the entire Dodoma Region. In July 2024, Dodoma officially surpassed Arusha to become Tanzania's third-largest city by both infrastructure and population measures. In 1974, the Tanzanian government announced that the national capital would move from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma for social and economic reasons and to centralise the capital within the country. It became the official capital in 1996.

Get in

Getting to Dodoma

There are many daily buses from Dar es Salaam. Driving time is 7-8 hours with a stop in Morogoro. Shabiby buses leave from Ubungo and use luxury buses. Around 11AM, air-conditioned buses with more legroom leave from Dar and from Dodoma. There are also buses to and from Arusha via Kondoa to the north. The road is paved and travel time is around 8 hours.

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    Dodoma

    Dodoma is linked with Dar es Salaam by high-speed trains a few times per day.

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    Dodoma
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    Dodoma

    Commercial flights between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma are available with the national carrier Air Tanzania, with Precision Air, and (at a higher price) with Auric Air.

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    Dodoma Airport
See

Worth seeing

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    Bunge la Tanzania

    The earthquake-proof Parliament buildings are a must, although access may be restricted.

Do

Things to do

Lion Rock. Hike the Lion Rock (also called Simba Hill) in the north of the city to have a nice view of the surroundings. However, do it in a group of at least 4 people as there have been reports of muggings. Excursions. On request, Dodoma Travel Cafe offers trekking and excursions. Swimming Pool.

Eat

Where to eat

Chef Asili provides Tanzanian food as well as European options such as steaks and pizzas. Prices are reasonable and the restaurant is popular with government officials and MPs. No alcohol and serves food only after sunset during Ramadan. New Dodoma Hotel has excellent European, Tanzanian, and Asian food. There is also a Chinese restaurant of excellent quality (the owners are Chinese).

How locals move

Getting around Dodoma the local way

  • Get aroundThere are many minibuses (dala dala) in Dodoma and getting around is easy.

From Wikivoyage: Dodoma, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-03.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.