Dar es Salaam, on the coast of Tanzania, is an up-and-coming city with a popular nightlife and attractions such as the House of Art and the Botanical Gardens. Perhaps one of the most interesting reasons to come to Dar es Salaam, however, is the range of interesting museums available to the outside visitor.

The National Museum

Dar es Salaam is home to the National Museum of Tanzania, which houses archaeological discoveries such as bones and fossilized remains, including the famous cast of a 3.5 million year old series of footprints, left in some volcanic ash. Among the collections, including the Leaky discoveries of humanoids, are the skull of “Nutcracker Man” – an ancient human, as well as traditional village artifacts from around Tanzania, and exhibits on the German occupation of Tanzania. The National Museum also hosts an array of cultural displays, and the Botanical Gardens nearby often feature concerts and traditional plays.

The Village Museum

Perhaps the most unusual of Dar es Salaam museums is The Village Museum, which is an attempt to preserve traditional Tanzanian village life. It features traditional folk dances, methods of farming, and even entire homesteads and residential areas from the 18 ethnic tribes of Tanzania. This living museum is of obvious interest to tourists and other visitors, but it's also a national treasure, preserving a way of life for future generations of Tanzanians. Visitors can watch traditional methods of painting, carving and weaving, and experience a range of dancing and ethnic traditions from all 18 tribes.