Why Tanzania
The country brings together Africa's highest summit, the continent's densest concentration of wildlife and a Swahili archipelago — and those are three different trips.
The Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, both World Heritage listed, carry the great migration and the highest density of predators in Africa. Kilimanjaro, five thousand eight hundred and ninety-five metres, is climbed without technical skill but takes five to nine days. Zanzibar, semi-autonomous, has World Heritage Stone Town and beaches quite unlike the mainland.
June to October: the dry season, the best for the parks and for the climb. The migration crosses the northern Serengeti around July and August. The long rains fall from March to May.
Entry and stay
Requirements depend on nationality. Check yours with the local authorities before booking.
No duration is quoted here, for want of an official source verified at the time of writing — 22 September 2026.
Two practical points: Zanzibar operates its own entry controls even for a traveller arriving from mainland Tanzania, and travel insurance is required there on arrival, taken out with a locally approved insurer. Arrangements change; check before departure.
Getting around
Domestic flights link Arusha, the Serengeti, Zanzibar and Dar es Salaam in small aircraft, with low baggage allowances — often fifteen kilos in a soft bag.
The fast ferry between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar takes about two hours and should be booked ahead.
On safari, a four-wheel drive with a driver-guide is the norm. Distances on the northern circuit are long and the tracks slow.
Money
The Tanzanian shilling. US dollars are widely used by lodges and safari operators, and park fees are often paid that way.
Cash dominates outside the cities. Cash machines are present in Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Stone Town.
Health
A yellow fever vaccination certificate may be required depending on where you travel from. Check against your actual itinerary, stopovers included.
Malaria is present throughout the country, Zanzibar included. Prophylaxis should be discussed with a doctor; bite protection remains the first line of defence.
Altitude is the real risk on Kilimanjaro: acute mountain sickness defeats a significant share of candidates, and longer routes succeed markedly more often than short ones.
Before you go
Park entry fees are among the highest in Africa and are rarely included in the advertised price: Ngorongoro also adds a crater descent fee per vehicle.
Park gates close in the late afternoon and night driving inside is prohibited.
Zanzibar is overwhelmingly Muslim: away from the beaches and the resorts, covered dress is expected, particularly in Stone Town.