Home / Destinations / Tanzania
Tanzania
Bigger parks, longer distances and the two landscapes that define East Africa.
Trips offered
Typical length
Best known for
Pairs well with
Why go
Tanzania rewards patience in a way Kenya does not demand. The parks are larger, the drives between them longer, and the payoff is scale: the Serengeti alone runs to roughly fifteen thousand square kilometres of open plain, and it does not feel crowded even in high season.
The northern circuit is the classic route, linking Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti in a loop out of Arusha. Done properly it wants eight days or more. Compressed into four it becomes a driving holiday with occasional animals.
Because Tanzania and Kenya share the same ecosystem across the border, we frequently build routes that use both. The wildebeest do not recognise the boundary, and depending on the month, neither should the itinerary.
Where to go in Tanzania
Serengeti
Endless short grass plain in the south, wooded country in the centre, and the Grumeti and Mara rivers in the west and north. Where you stay matters more here than anywhere else, because the herds move.
Add to a trip
Ngorongoro Crater
A collapsed volcanic caldera holding a resident population of around twenty five thousand large animals, including some of the last black rhino in the region. Half a day on the crater floor is usually enough.
Add to a trip
Tarangire
Baobab country, and the best elephant viewing on the northern circuit during the dry season when the herds concentrate along the river. Often skipped, usually a mistake.
Add to a trip
Lake Manyara
A narrow strip of groundwater forest, escarpment and alkaline lake. Strong birding, tree climbing lions if you are fortunate, and a natural first stop out of Arusha.
Add to a trip
Kilimanjaro
The highest point in Africa at 5,895 metres, and a walk rather than a climb on every standard route. Success depends almost entirely on choosing enough days to acclimatise properly.
Add to a trip
The coast and islands
Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia sit off the Tanzanian coast and are the usual close to a northern circuit safari, reached by a short flight from the Serengeti or Arusha.
Add to a trip
When to travel
Shoulder
Shoulder
Shoulder
Good
Good
Peak
Peak
Peak
Peak
Peak
Good
Good
Peak months are dry, with the easiest game viewing and the northern river crossings. January to March is calving season on the southern plains, excellent for predators and quieter than peak.
Tanzania trips
Experience the best of Kenya — from thrilling safaris across its iconic national parks to a...
Build it around your dates.
Most of what we arrange in Tanzania is put together from scratch. Tell us the shape of the trip and a consultant will draft a route.