Although there aren't all that many tourist destinations of note in central Dar es Salaam, the city does have a lot of attractive historical buildings and architectural sights, which can easily be explored on a walking tour. Monuments and buildings of note include the bronze Askari Monument at the intersection of Samora Avenue and Azikiwe Street, dedicated to Africans killed during WWI, and the Botanic Gardens on Samora Avenue. Also worth seeing are the defunct Ocean Road Hospital with its Moorish influenced architecture, the small white-domed Ocean Road Cancer Hospital where Robert Koch carried out his ground-breaking research into malaria, the remarkable, red-roofed Azania Front Lutheran Church on the corner of Sokoine Drive and Azikiwe Street and St Joseph's Cathedral on the corner of Sokoine Drive and Bridge Street, which contains original German inscriptions from the time it was built (1897) as well as various bits of artwork.

Dar es Salaam also has a surprisingly large amount of bird life, particularly outside the immediate centre. The Wildlife Conservation Society of Tanzania on Garden Street (tel: (022) 211 2518) organises free bird walks every week that last several hours.

Diving and snorkelling excursions along the northern beaches and around the islands off Dar es Salaam, as well as PADI dive certification courses, are run by the Sea Breeze Dive Centre at White Sands Hotel, Africana Road (tel: (022) 264 7620; website: www.hotelwhitesands.com).