Je recherche des infos recente sur le Tazara a destination de la Zambie. Nous serons dans quelques jours a Dar es Salaam et nous desirons nous rendre au Malawi en prenant ce train.
Nous avons entendu des rumeurs que la ligne ne fonctionnait plus. Quelqu'un peut il confirmer/informer?
Pour la reservation il y a t il un autre moyen que de passer par la gare du tazara en dehors de Dar el Salam?
Bonjour,
Je viens de me renseigner aussi car nous partons en octobre pour retrouver notre voiture que nous avons laissé à Mbeya depuis l'année passée.
La ligne fonctionne toujours et part ci-dessous les horaires que je viens de recevoir par un hôtel à Dar.
Moi je cherche quelqu'un qui pourrait m'acheter et réserver une couchette 1ère classe pour une certaine date. Aucun hôtel ne veut le faire et aucune agence depuis la Suisse. Donc il me faut un privé qui serait d'accord de le faire pour nous afin d'être certain d'avoir une couchette et de ne pas avoir à poireauter à Dar plusieurs jours.
Avons déjà pris un bus (qui font peur) de Mbeya à Dar l'année passée car le train de la Zambie avait été annulé qu'il n'y avait plus de place de le suivant.
Bonne route
Transafrika
Dar es Salaam - Kapiri Mposhi (Tazara)
The Tanzania & Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA) runs trains between Kapiri Mposhi, Mbeya and Dar es Salaam, taking two nights. The trains have sleeping-cars and a restaurant car, and the journey is a great adventure, see the travellers' reports below. The line is 1,860km long and was only opened in 1976, built with Chinese funding and assistance.
The times shown here reflect the new timetable introduced on 10 October 2008 and still in force as far as I know in 2010. There are no longer any additional local trains Dar-Mbeya or Kapiri-Nakonde, just the two train shown here, one train per week an express, the other now an ordinary train.
Dar es Salaam ► Mbeya ► Kapiri Mposhi
km
Classes:
"Mukuba" or "Kilimanjaro"
Express train
1S, 2S, 2, 3, M or R
Mukuba" or "Kilimanjaro"
Ordinary train
1S, 2S, 2, 3, R
0
Dar es Salaam
depart
15:50 Tuesdays
13:50 Fridays
849
Mbeya
arrive
depart
13:08 Wednesdays
13:23 Wednesdays
14:10 Saturdays
14:40 Saturdays
969
Tunduma (frontier)
arrive
depart
17:02 Wednesdays
17:17 Wednesdays
18:38 Saturdays
18:53 Saturdays
970
Nakonde
arrive
depart
16:22 Wednesdays
16:47 Wednesdays
17:58 Saturdays
18:18 Saturdays
1852
Kapiri Mposhi (New)
arrive
09:26 Thursdays
13:37 Sundays
1S = 1st class 4-berth sleepers; 2S = 2nd class 6-berth sleepers; 2 = 2nd class seats; 3 = 3rd class seats; M = meal at seat service; R = Restaurant car.
One of the two Dar-Kapiri Mposhi train sets is called the "Mukuba Express" (= 'copper' in the Bemba language), the other is the "Kilimanjaro".
You can check times at www.tazarasite.com.
Kapiri Mposhi ► Mbeya ► Dar es Salaam
km
Classes:
"Mukuba" or "Kilimanjaro"
Express service
1S, 2S, 2, 3, M or R
Mukuba" or "Kilimanjaro"
Ordinary train
1S, 2S, 2, 3, R
0
Kapiri Mposhi (New)
depart
16:00 Tuesdays
14:00 Fridays
882
Nakonde
arrive
depart
08:39 Wednesdays
09:09 Wednesdays
09:13 Saturdays
09:23 Saturdays
883
Tunduma (frontier)
arrive
depart
10:14 Wednesdays
10:29 Wednesdays
10:30 Saturdays
10:45 Saturdays
1003
Mbeya
arrive
depart
14:13 Wednesdays
14:28 Wednesdays
14:32 Saturdays
15:00 Saturdays
1852
Dar es Salaam
arrive
12:35 Thursdays
15:46 Sundays
Kapiri Mposhi (New) station is 2km from Kapiri Mposhi (Zambia Railways) station.
Fares...
One way per person. Express train fares. Ordinary train fares are around 20% less.
Dar es Salaam to Kapiri Mposhi:
72,600 Tanzanian shillings (£28 or $48) in 1st class sleeper.
52,800 Tanzanian shillings (£21 or $35) in 2nd class sleeper.
Dar es Salaam to Mbeya:
32,400 Tanzanian shillings (£13 or $21) in 1st class sleeper.
23,800 Tanzanian shillings (£9 or $16) in 2nd class sleeper.
Kapiri Mposhi to Dar es Salaam:
1st class sleeper, express = 261,400 Zambian kwacha (£33 or $55)
2nd class sleeper = 198,000 kwacha (£25 or $50)
2nd class seat = 171,600 kwacha (£23 or $44)
3rd class seat = 145,200 kwacha (£18 or $35)
Kapiri Mposhi to Mbeya:
1st class sleeper = 118,800 Zambian kwacha (£14 or $28)
Nous prenons le train dar es salaam - kapiri mposhi vendredi 30 mars. Ma question concerne les possibilités de poursuivre ça route en train vers livingstone et les hébergements possible sur kapiri si le train à du retard. Ex celui d'aujourd'hui qui devait partir ce vendredi à 13h50 ne part que demain à 22h!!!
Savez vous si la ligne kapiri livingstone existe encore? Je sais qu'elle est trés longue. Sinon selon vous quelle est là meilleure formule de Kapiri pour rejoindre livingstone?
Par ailleurs avez vous des bonnes adresses sur les hébergements en moyenne gamme.
Je serais intéréssée également par des idées pour la poursuite du séjour en zambie. Nous nous sommes décidés sur un coup de tête à aller voir les victoria falls car nous voyageons en voilier mais là suite à un retard nous n'aurons plus de vent jusqu'en mai et donc bloqués au yatch club de Dar es salaam!
J'aimerais assez passer le tanganyika en retournant sur la Tanzanie. Quel itinéraire prendriez vous ? Au départ de livingstone? Lusaka?
Merci pour vos réponses, je ne manquerai pas de faire un petit feed back au retour.
Bonjour,
Je n'ai pas tellement d'info pour le train en Zambie, car nous avons fait le trajet Mbeya Lusaka avec notre 4x4 (avions seulement fait Mbeya-Dar en train), par Tunduma. Il y a plein de backpackers qui doivent avoir fait le trajet par transport publique qui pourrons mieux vous renseigner. Bonne chance!
Pour le logement, nous étions là en 2008. Endroit assez chouette avec plusieurs possibilités : bungalow, tentes luxe avec salle de bain, tentes basique avec sanitaires communs. Un restaurant en bord de rivière où les hyppos sont venus s'ébattrent le soir.
Bonjour,
Je viens d'effectuer le trajet dans l'autre direction, c'est-a-dire de Livingstone vers Lusaka en train, puis de Lusaka vers Kapiri Mposhi en bus, puis de Kapiri Mposhi vers Dar Es Salaam en train.
Je suis donc a disposition de tout amateur ou amateuse pour des infos pratiques. Horaires, cout, logement, visa, confort a bord etc.
Rappel: www.seat61.com contient les infos actualisees pour le voyage en train un peu partout dans le monde.
Bonjour,
Je viens d'effectuer le trajet dans l'autre direction, c'est-a-dire de Livingstone vers Lusaka en train, puis de Lusaka vers Kapiri Mposhi en bus, puis de Kapiri Mposhi vers Dar Es Salaam en train.
Je suis donc a disposition de tout amateur ou amateuse pour des infos pratiques. Horaires, cout, logement, visa, confort a bord etc.
Rappel: www.seat61.com contient les infos actualisees pour le voyage en train un peu partout dans le monde.
bonjour nous irons de dar a livingstone sur la periode 15 octobre 15 novembre 2015 si vos infos sont encore d'actualite je serai preneur bien a vous
didier
Il me semble que le service est interrompu depuis un bon bout de temps suite à une grève de plusieurs mois des employés qui réclament le paiement des salaires de "plusieurs mois"-bis. Mais j'espère me tromper, quelqu'un a des infos plus certaines ?
I’m planning our very first trip to mainland France in January 2027. There’ll be 2 adults and 2 kids, and we’ll mostly be traveling by train.
Here’s our itinerary:
Paris
Rouen (Normandy)
Lyon
Aix-les-Bains (with day trips to Annecy and Geneva)
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains (with Chamonix and a day in Aosta)
Back to Paris
Do you think this itinerary is well-balanced? Any tips, must-see spots, or mistakes to avoid for a first-time visit?
I’m planning a family trip in a year. Our goal: traveling to China (and maybe Hong Kong) by train.
I’m all set with the route up to eastern Turkey.
However, I’m just starting my research for the rest of the journey—namely the Caucasus (no trains as far as I know, so buses and/or ferries), then Central Asia and China.
So, I’d love to hear any info or tips (general and forward-looking at this stage) about the train route through Central Asia and China to reach the east coast.
I’m particularly interested in details on:
- How far in advance to book / any potential difficulties with reservations
- Whether there are PASS systems (or equivalent) between countries and/or if some tickets allow stopovers, meaning you can hop on and off as you please
- Day trains vs. night trains (the latter option lets you explore cities between two legs of the journey)
- A rough idea of ticket costs
...
A huge thank you to anyone who can share some info or experiences. It’s also a great opportunity to chat about adventure after (way too) many years away from this forum.
I’m planning a trip around Italy using only trains or public transport in October (hoping the weather stays nice!).
I’d obviously like to see some tourist destinations, but I also want to get off the beaten path a bit, and I’m hoping to find some help here? I don’t plan to linger too long in the cities.
Starting in the north, I’d like to visit Lake Como or Lake Orta, pass through the Cinque Terre for some hiking, spend a few days in Naples and Rome, then head down to Sicily.
Hi there,
I’ll be traveling to Japan this coming August. We’ve finalized our itinerary and booked our flight tickets. Now I’m at the stage of buying train tickets for the few segments we’ll need to cover:
Tokyo - Hakone
Hakone - Kyoto
Kyoto - Osaka
Osaka - Tokyo
Here are my questions:
a) Is it possible to buy train tickets for these segments from Canada?
b) If so, which website should I use to do this?
c) And if it is possible, will we be able to print our tickets from Canada?
d) If it’s not possible, where in Tokyo should I go to buy these tickets when I arrive?
Hi everyone, I wanted to take the Paris-Berlin overnight train with a sleeper berth, the new service operated by European Sleepers.
24/05/2026 17:45 Paris-Nord (actually 16:00 from Paris Bercy Seine) -> 25/05/2026 9:59 (actually 7:30 in Berlin)
05/06/2026 18:31 Berlin (actually 20:00) -> 06/06/2026 10:00 Paris Nord (actually 12:30)
Part of the journey was operated by bus instead of the promised overnight train.
For 2 people: 340 € round trip
A total disaster. Never again. I was really looking forward to taking the overnight train, but we faced last-minute changes and truly unpleasant travel conditions. Here are the details:
1) 2 days before departure: email announcing a change of departure station for the outbound trip—Bercy Seine bus station instead of Gare du Nord.
2) Change of schedule: 4:00 PM from Bercy instead of 5:45 PM from Gare du Nord.
3) Change of transport mode!! A bus from Paris to Brussels, then an overnight train from Brussels to Berlin. No functional toilets on the bus. No children under 4 allowed on the bus.
4) On the sleeper train at 9:30 PM: no functional toilets in our carriage, so we had to go to other carriages, even in the middle of the night, to find working ones.
5) The onboard staff, though very friendly, were as lost as we were. In particular, they didn’t know how to handle the lower berths, so people using them had less space (armrests and backrests). Berth numbers weren’t respected, so some passengers had to move. The staff also didn’t know who was supposed to join the compartment during the journey.
6) Arrival at 7:30 AM in Berlin instead of 10:00 AM. No arrival announcement. Passengers had to search for staff to get breakfast and ended up with just a coffee (breakfast = 15 €, not bad for just a coffee).
7) Return trip: drastic schedule change announced by email on 26/05/2026—departure at 7:30 PM instead of 6:30 PM, with arrival between 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM in Paris instead of 10:00 AM. No change in transport mode announced.
8) Change in transport mode announced by email on the same day (05/06/2026)!! Overnight train from Brussels to Berlin, then a bus from Paris to Brussels. No functional toilets on the bus. Children under 4 banned from the bus, and families in this situation were asked to find another way—after being notified the same day.
9) The overnight train arrived at Berlin station with a 30-minute delay on top of its initial delay (scheduled for 6:31 PM, then 7:30 PM, finally arriving at 8:00 PM). The heating was blasting in the compartment with no way to turn it off. No functional toilets in the carriage. From that point on, customer service stopped responding to my messages.
10) Woken up at 5:00 AM with an announcement in all carriages about arrival in Liège.
11) Woken up again at 6:00 AM to be told we’d arrive in Brussels at 7:00 AM.
12) Arrival in Brussels at 7:00 AM and a one-hour wait for the bus to Paris. No functional toilets on the bus.
13) Arrival at Paris Nord at 12:30 PM, so 2.5 hours late compared to the originally scheduled time.
14) The overnight trains used are very old—I recognized the carriages from 20 years ago!! No functional power outlets, no Wi-Fi, no air conditioning. Five people per compartment is a bit cramped, but I consider these conditions expected (especially the air conditioning), so I’m not complaining about that. There’s already plenty to gripe about with the travel conditions.
I have little hope of getting even a partial refund. Customer service emails acknowledge the discomfort but only offer to reimburse the cost of a coffee on board if we send them the receipt... a bit weak.
I’m sharing this experience in the hope it might help others.
Hi there,
I’d like to take the Train of the Clouds from Lima to Huancayo.
I’ve heard it only runs during certain periods.
Does anyone have info on this?
Thanks!
HuancayoHuancayo
As part of my professional thesis, I’m conducting a study on the evolution of long-distance rail transport in France, particularly since it opened up to competition.
I’ve put together a very quick (about 5-minute) and completely anonymous questionnaire. Your answers will help me better understand users' expectations regarding pricing, frequency, and environmental impact.
We’re planning a 15-day trip to Uzbekistan in March—classic independent itinerary: Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, Khiva. We’d like to take the train between each city, but I don’t want to lock down the whole trip before we leave.
So, my question is: is it absolutely necessary to book train tickets before departure, whether for the high-speed trains or the regional ones? Is booking really essential for the regional trains?
Hello,
We’re traveling as a family with two boys aged 10 and 12 to Cairo in February. During our trip, we’re planning to take an overnight train (with or without a sleeper) for the Cairo-Aswan route.
Do you know how I can book this remotely?
Also, I’m looking for:
- A local contact to sail the Nile by felucca for 3 days from Aswan
- A contact to guide us in Cairo
Looking forward to your tips, and thanks in advance!
Marie
Hi everyone,
I first traveled solo to Japan in 2019, exploring the Kyushu region (28 days), and I’m planning to return with my daughter (she’s an adult and it’ll be her first time in Asia) from April 25 to May 9.
I’m reaching out on this forum to ask for route ideas—this time north of Tokyo, but without heading to the Sapporo island (I’m saving that for a future trip).
I’d love to take advantage of the cherry blossom season and its festivities.
I’m looking to create a route that’s a little off the beaten path while staying within 5-6 hours by train from Tokyo to avoid spending too much time on transfers.
Thanks in advance for sharing your suggestions and experiences!
Michael
I'm heading to MEXICO IN NOVEMBER 2025. Since private guides and drivers are really expensive—over 300 € per day—I'm thinking of exploring the Yucatán by train. CAN YOU SHARE ANY INFO ON THIS? Thanks
Hi there!
We’re planning to visit Serbia (1 week) and then Montenegro (2nd week) with our kids from April 18 to May 4. We’d prefer to travel by train (overnight if possible), but we’re not sure which platform to book on or when to do it (is it too early?). If anyone has any tips, I’m all ears!!
I wanted to know if it’s possible to go from Tashkent to Almaty by train without passing through Kyrgyzstan. I’ve heard the border is often closed 😕 between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.
Thanks in advance!
Olivier
Hi there!
We’re planning to head back to Istanbul next year—obviously by plane—and then take the train from Istanbul to Antalya. Has anyone here already made this trip by train with TCDD?
I’d love any tips or info that could be useful for us!
I'd like to go to Montserrat on my own from Barcelona. Share your suggestions with me.
Which train should I take, where to get off, what to see once I arrive, etc.
I need to take a sleeper train from Bangkok to Vientiane in January.
I found some ticket options on 12Go Asia, but booking doesn’t seem possible at the moment. I’ve tried simulations for several dates, but no luck.
I’m wondering if it’s already fully booked, if they’ve stopped selling tickets… yet 12Go still features it every day 😕
Has anyone else run into this issue?
Can I find tickets on another site? (I tried Baolau, but no sleepers left for January 8th.)
Hi there,
I’m a bit late to be worrying about this, but hopefully someone can help me before I leave.
Tomorrow afternoon, I arrive at Lyon Part-Dieu on the TGV at 5:50 PM and take the TER to Mâcon at 6:16 PM. Is a 26-minute transfer doable? Are the TGV and TER on the same departure board? And are they on the same platforms too?
I’ve been to Lyon before but never had to make a connection after arriving.
Thanks
I can’t seem to complete the payment for my trip on the IRCTC (Indian Railways) site. No matter which payment method I choose, my Visa card isn’t accepted.
Has anyone here managed to do it, and if so, could you share the method you used?
Thanks in advance!
Charlie
Starting November 15th, I’ll be arriving in Thailand, and during my stay, I plan to visit the north, around the Chiang Mai area, then head south to the Krabi region.
After Krabi, I’m planning to take an overnight train to Bangkok. I was wondering if there’s a train that leaves from Krabi or Trang, or if I absolutely have to go to Surat Thani?
Also, which official website can I use to book my ticket?
Next, since I’ll be arriving at dawn in Bangkok, I’ve planned to spend 2 days in Kanchanaburi. What’s the most convenient way to get there—bus or train? And if you know any companies or websites, that’d be great.
Hi there,
Does anyone know if there’s a bus from Luang Namtha to Boten to catch the train coming from China to Vientiane? If so, what’s the name of the company? Also, how long does the bus take to cover that distance? What’s the condition of the road like?
Thanks for your help!
Tom
I just realized there’s only one payment method accepted for booking the Mombasa-Nairobi express train ticket online: M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service used in Africa. Would it be impossible to book as a European?
I’d love to know if any of you have recently eaten on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai.
We’ve always ordered food on the train, and it was really good (and super convenient).
But in 2022, we ended up feeling like total idiots (with our 4-year-old daughter...) when we boarded the train only to find out that this service was no longer available... (It was the first time we’d traveled right after COVID.)
That’s also when we saw once again how kind Thai people are—they all offered to share their food with us, even though we were mortified. In the end, we managed to buy some instant noodles, which was better than nothing. Anyway, that’s the little story behind it.
In the following years, we’ve always brought our own meals.
I’ve read online that meal trays are back in service (could you confirm this, please?), but that the quality is really poor. I’ve also seen multiple reports that, even though you can eat well everywhere in Thailand, the train meal was the worst food travelers had during their trip...
Could you give me a recent opinion on this?
We’ll be departing from Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Station—do you know if there’s anywhere to buy a meal there before boarding the train?
Thanks so much for your help,
and have a great Sunday!
We’re heading to Thailand in February 2026 and we’d like to take the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Can we book two first-class tickets? I’m only seeing second-class options.
Hi everyone,
For traveling in Rajasthan by train and bus, could you give me some info: where to buy tickets, cost, purchase locations, websites, etc.?
Any tips you have would be super helpful.
Thanks
We’re traveling to Java on October 23, just the two of us.
I’ve read that it’s best to book train tickets in advance on tiket.com.
Is that true, and how far ahead do you recommend?
Are the tickets changeable?
Hi everyone,
I’m planning to travel from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk by train this summer but I’m a bit worried about crossing the borders. How does it work? Could anyone share their experience? (I’ve found quite a few accounts of people going *from* Russia *to* Mongolia, but entering a country is never the same as leaving it—especially in this context!)
Can anyone tell me how to book train tickets online? We're planning to travel from HANOI to HO CHI MINH CITY by train, making several stops along the way. I'd also like to find the schedules and the stations where the trains stop.
There are four of us, and we've already planned stops in HANOI / DONG HOI / HUE.
