Watch the migration cross the Mara River
Wildebeest and zebra funnel across crocodile-filled water on the Tanzanian side of the same ecosystem Kenya's Mara belongs to.
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East Africa
Things to do in Tanzania
A single trip that can move from savanna to summit to white sand in a week.
Explore Tanzania on the map →Budget$$
Best for10-14 days
CapitalDodoma
Visae-Visa or visa on arrival, roughly $50-100 depending on nationality
CurrencyTanzanian shilling (TZS)
LanguagesSwahili, English
InternetGood in cities and lodges
Typical lodging$40–$110/night
Driving sideLeft
Power & voltage230V / 50Hz (Type D/G plug)
Time zoneUTC+2 to UTC+3
Emergency number112
Dialing code+255
★★★★★ Wildlife★★★★★ Adventure★★★★★ Beaches
Visa rules and emergency numbers can change without notice. Confirm the specifics for your nationality and dates before you travel.
Travel smart
Bottled or purified water only. 10% at restaurants; guides and drivers appreciate a daily tip.
Tanzania holds the largest share of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, so the Great Migration spends most of the year on its side of the border, not Kenya's. It's also one of the few countries where you can plausibly combine a snow-capped mountain summit, a Big Five safari, and a tropical island in a single two-week trip.
When to go
Long dry seasonJune–October
The classic safari window: thinning vegetation and scarce water concentrate wildlife, and the migration's river crossings peak July–September.
Short dry seasonDecember–February
Warm and mostly dry, with the migration's calving season on the southern Serengeti plains in January and February.
Long rainsMarch–May
The wettest, quietest stretch: some camps close, but rates drop sharply and the light for photography is excellent.
Zanzibar high seasonJune–October, December–February
The coast follows its own rhythm; these windows avoid the heaviest rain and give the calmest, clearest water.
21 things to do
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Wildlife & nature
6Go on safari in the Serengeti$70–$85
Endless short-grass plains that give the park its Maasai name: lion, cheetah and leopard sightings here are as reliable as anywhere in Africa.
Descend into the Ngorongoro Crater$70–$85
A collapsed volcanic caldera holding one of the densest concentrations of wildlife on the continent, including some of Tanzania's last black rhino.
Watch flamingos on Lake Manyara
A shallow soda lake beneath the Rift Valley escarpment, known for tree-climbing lions and huge flocks of flamingo depending on algae levels.
Track chimpanzees in Mahale Mountains
A remote, boat-access-only park on Lake Tanganyika's shore, holding one of the largest wild chimpanzee populations left in Africa.
Safari the southern circuit
Ruaha and Selous (now Nyerere) see a fraction of the northern parks' traffic, with big elephant herds and wild dog sightings for those who've done the Serengeti before.
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Culture & history
3
Wander Stone Town
Zanzibar's UNESCO-listed old quarter: carved wooden doors, spice markets and Swahili-Arab architecture layered by centuries of Indian Ocean trade.
Walk with a Maasai guide
Community-run cultural visits near Ngorongoro and the Serengeti offer a look at a pastoralist life that continues alongside the safari industry.
Visit Olduvai Gorge
One of the most important paleoanthropological sites on earth, where fossil finds pushed back the known timeline of human origins by millions of years.
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Food & markets
3
Take a Zanzibar spice tour
Clove, cardamom, vanilla and pepper plantations on an island once known as the Spice Island, with tastings straight off the plant.
Eat street food on Forodhani Gardens
Stone Town's waterfront night market: Zanzibar pizza, grilled octopus and sugarcane juice sold from stalls as the sun goes down.
Visit a coffee farm near Kilimanjaro
The volcanic soil on Kilimanjaro's lower slopes has grown arabica coffee for over a century, small farms around Moshi run tours and tastings.
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Adventure & outdoors
4
Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest freestanding mountain, climbable without technical gear on routes like Machame or Marangu over five to nine days.
Go on a walking safari
A handful of southern camps offer armed-guide walking safaris, slower and more attentive to tracks and smaller life than a vehicle allows.
Hike in the Usambara Mountains
A cooler, greener corner of northern Tanzania with terraced farms and forest trails, rarely visited despite being an easy detour from the safari circuit.
Balloon over the Serengeti at dawn$70–$85
A sunrise float over the plains ending in a bush breakfast: one of the more expensive mornings on the circuit, and rarely regretted.
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Coast & water
3
Relax on Zanzibar's beaches
Powder-white sand and turquoise water on the east coast at Paje and Jambiani, with kitesurfing schools and a much slower pace than the mainland.
Snorkel or dive off Mnemba Atoll
A protected marine reserve off Zanzibar's north coast with some of the clearest water and richest reef life in the region.
Kayak the mangroves of Zanzibar's Chwaka Bay
A quiet paddle through tidal mangrove channels, well off the main resort strip, with local fishermen still working the same waters.
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Slow days
2
Watch the sunset over the Serengeti plains$70–$85
No fixed spot: just wherever the game drive is when the light turns gold, which is often when predators start moving again.
Sail a traditional dhow at sunset
Wooden sailboats that have worked the Zanzibar channel for centuries, now also run as sunset cruises out of Stone Town harbour.
Common questions
▾Is Tanzania safe to visit?
Tanzania is generally safe for tourists, with a well-established safari industry and low rates of violent crime against visitors. Standard precautions apply in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar's Stone Town, where petty theft is a bigger risk than anything in the parks themselves.
▾How much does a Serengeti or Ngorongoro safari cost?
Serengeti National Park charges foreign non-residents roughly $70 to $85 per person per day, and Ngorongoro Conservation Area adds another $70 to $80 per person per day on top, plus separate vehicle and concession fees. That stacking is a big part of why a multi-park Tanzania safari reads as one of the pricier trips in Africa even before lodging. Rates are set in USD and revised yearly, so confirm the current figure with your operator before booking.
▾How many days do you need in Tanzania?
Most itineraries run 10-14 days to properly cover the northern circuit, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire, plus a few days unwinding in Zanzibar afterward. A tighter 7-day trip still works if you drop the beach extension and focus on two or three parks.
▾Do I need a visa for Tanzania?
Most nationalities need a visa, available as an e-Visa in advance or on arrival for roughly $50 to $100 depending on your passport. US citizens pay a higher single-entry fee than many other nationalities, so check the exact cost for your country before you fly.
▾What's the best time for the wildebeest migration?
The migration moves through Tanzania's Serengeti roughly from December through July, with the dramatic Mara River crossings typically happening June through August as the herds push north toward Kenya. There's no single best month, since it depends on which stage of the migration you want to see.
▾Is Tanzania expensive?
Tanzania reads as a $$ to $$$ destination once park fees and mid-range lodges are factored in: similar to Kenya, and generally pricier than Uganda or Rwanda outside of gorilla permits. Budget group-camping safaris exist, but the classic lodge-based northern circuit is not a cheap trip.
