Having had the opportunity to live in East Africa for a year, I like to think that I had the opportunity to understand a slice of the culture there. 
There are 2 types of foreigners in Tanzania – the ex-patriots and the tourists. The difference between the two (in most situations) is very easy to spot just on sight. The acceptable way to dress (the way a majority of ex-pats do) in Tanzana is wearing trousers for guys and longer-than-knee length skirts for girls and as a top anything with sleeves is good enough. The tourists are obvious because they usually wear shorts (some very short) and the women will wear spaghetti strap tops. This may sound petty – but if you are want to get to know locals to any depth, then there will be a lot less barriers to do this if you dress in a way that is socially acceptable.

There are more and more exceptions appearing to this – for example if you were in one of the bigger cities in East Africa – such as Nairobi- and going out for a meal, then dressing how you would in the west would be more common. But generally in smaller towns and villages dressing appropriately is a must.
Another advantage to dressing sensibly is that tourists are more likely to be targetted for higher prices when buying gifts from the markets.

Another big cultural tip for East Africa is to realise that if you offered food in someone’s house or village, it is considered rude to refuse it.  I would not recommend travelling to villages if you are a vegetarian or vegan because you will more than likely end up offending your hosts if you refuse food, as meat and milk are stables especially amongst the Maasai people.

East Africa is a great place to visit -there is so much to see and a vast range of peoples and cultures to see and experience… but a little thought about cultural thoughfulness can make the difference between a good trip where you saw a lot, and a great trip where you made friends and experienced a lot!