TAZARA train 15

 The back of the train was simply left open. It would have been more dangerous, were it not for a large sign with a skull.

A sign warning of the danger of stepping off the back of the train. 

You could just walk right off the back of the train if you weren't paying attention — which was probably why the sign was there. A popular spot for people to go to smoke, it's also where a priest hung out with his pet goat during the journey.

TAZARA train 14

 The second- and third-class cabins were not as nice. Third class passenger cabin  on TAZARA train

Most people in second- and third-class were traveling only from one village or town to another and not the whole way to Dar es Salaam. The seats were hard, and space was pretty cramped — I wouldn't want to be sitting there for several days.

TAZARA train 13

 The train was maybe the bumpiest I'd been on. But the bed was comfy enough that I slept soundly — with the covers over my head in case of mosquitoes.

The bed I slept on aboard the train was comfortable. 

There were not many mosquitoes, but there were enough other buzzing insects that they could be annoying at times. The thick bedsheets were surprisingly breathable, and though the pillow was fairly lumpy, it served its purpose, too.

TAZARA train 12

 Alternatively, food could be purchased at any of the dozens of stops along the way, from friendly locals who would walk right up to the train.

Women selling food at a Tazara train stop. Ben Mack / 

"Ndizi!" the women balancing enormous plates and bowls on their heads would shout in Swahili, meaning they were selling fresh bananas. "Maembe!" others would say, meaning they were selling very ripe mangoes. You could usually buy a bunch for about $0.40 by simply passing money through the window — and it was really quite something to see the women walk around, balancing everything perfectly on their heads without using their hands or having to walk slowly.