Where to go
Most first safaris follow the northern circuit: the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, all reached by road from Arusha. Zanzibar is the usual beach finish. Below is what each place is like, the months that suit it, and which of our itineraries go there.
The brighter the marker, the more of our itineraries stop there.
Arusha is the starting point. The parks sit a few hours apart by road, so most trips link three or four of them.
Park · Northern circuit
Tanzania's best-known park: 14,763 km² of grassland, kopjes and river woodland where about two million wildebeest move with zebra and gazelle all year. Calving is in the south from late December; Mara River crossings run from July to October.
Conservation area · Northern circuit
8,094 km² of volcanic highland that wildlife shares with Maasai herders, managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority rather than TANAPA. The centrepiece is Ngorongoro Crater: almost 260 km² of caldera floor, 610 m below the rim, with more than 25,000 animals including black rhino.
Park · Northern circuit
A 2,850 km² park of baobabs and river valley, two and a half to three hours from Arusha. From June to October elephants, buffalo, zebra and wildebeest gather on the Tarangire River and Silale Swamp, and TANAPA counts more than 550 bird species.
Park · Northern circuit
A 648.7 km² park under the Rift Valley escarpment, about 125 km from Arusha by tarmac. Groundwater forest, hippo pools, hot springs and a soda lake fit into one day's driving, and TANAPA counts more than 400 bird species. On many of our northern trips it's the first game drive.
Town · Northern circuit
Arusha is the northern Tanzania town where most safaris start, and where our office is. You land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, sleep here and leave for the parks next morning. Arusha National Park and Mount Meru (4,566 m) are half an hour to 45 minutes away.
Conservation area · Northern circuit
A shallow, alkaline lake in a Rift Valley trough below the Ngorongoro Highlands. Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and Datoga pastoralists live around it. A visit here is about meeting people and birdwatching rather than game drives, and on our trip it follows a morning in Ngorongoro Crater.
The island most travellers add after a safari, a short flight from Arusha or Kilimanjaro.
Island · Zanzibar and the coast
The island where most of our bush-and-beach safaris end. You fly from Arusha to Unguja for east-coast beaches and Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. June to October and January to February are the drier months.
Larger, quieter wilderness, usually reached by light aircraft from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar.
Park · Southern Tanzania
A big, quiet park in southern Tanzania, carved from the Selous Game Reserve in late 2019. The Rufiji River runs through it, so boat safaris sit alongside game drives, and TANAPA calls it a stronghold for African wild dogs. We don't run a set trip here yet, but we plan it on request.
Across the northern border. Some of our itineraries cross into Kenya for these two.
Park · Kenya
Kenya's best-known reserve, run by Narok County on the Tanzanian border at the northern end of the Serengeti ecosystem. The migration herds cross the Mara River from July to October. Three of our Kenya and Tanzania trips spend two or three nights here.
Park · Kenya
A 392 km² Kenyan park at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, reached from Tanzania through the Namanga border post and known for elephants researchers have followed since 1972. Our 15-day Kenya and Tanzania Combo Safari spends two nights here.
When to go
| Destination | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Serengeti National Park | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | ||||
| Ngorongoro Conservation Area | Best | Best | Best | Best | ||||||||
| Tarangire National Park | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | |||||||
| Lake Manyara National Park | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | |||||||
| Arusha | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | ||||
| Lake Eyasi | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | |||||||
| Zanzibar | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | |||||
| Nyerere National Park | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | |||||||
| Maasai Mara, Kenya | Best | Best | Best | Best | ||||||||
| Amboseli, Kenya | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best | Best |
Arusha 3.37° S · 36.68° E
Who is coming, roughly when, and what you would love to see. Someone from our Arusha team reads every request and replies with ideas and a first itinerary.
