Tanzania Safari, where to go, Best time to visit Tanzania & Lodges
Everything you need to know about planning a Safari to Tanzania. Call us in the Kahuzi Biega National Park for expert advice for less than booking direct to enjoy wildlife safari to tanzania on extension with Gorilla Trekking , apart from the Wildebeest Migration.
Travelers from all over the world flock to Tanzania to have a safari and live out their “Lion King seeking to see the big five in the wilderness” moments in some of the best national parks in the world. The country is staggeringly beautiful, populated by a warm Swahili culture. There are plenty of things to see and do in the country and you don’t have to choose between beautiful beaches, unique wildlife, and vast mountain landscapes.
Tanzania officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a sovereign state in eastern Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and the Indian Ocean to the east. Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in north-eastern Tanzania.
Modern Tanzania combines two areas that at other times have been governed separately: Tanganyika on the coast of the African mainland and the island of Zanzibar nearby
Climate of Tanzania for Wildlife Safari
Climate varies greatly within Tanzania. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F) during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C (68 °F). The hottest period extends between November and February (25–31 °C or 77.0–87.8 °F) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (15–20 °C or 59–68 °F). Annual temperature is 20 °C (68.0 °F). The climate is cool in high mountainous regions.
Tanzania has two major rainfall regimes: one is uni-modal (October–April) and the other is bi-modal (October–December and March–May). The former is experienced in southern, central, and western parts of the country, and the latter is found in the north from Lake Victoria extending east to the coast.The bi-modal regime is caused by the seasonal migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone.
Getting around Tanzania on Tanzania
Your travel investment is always safer when you book air tickets and accommodation together, through one agent. It protects you in the event that something unexpected delays a flight or forces you to change accommodations.
Dar-es-Salaam International Airport is the gateway to the southern wilderness of the Selous, the tropical coastline and the island of Zanzibar.
Kilimanjaro International Airport is the gateway to northern attractions, like the Serengeti and Great Migration. To reach these destinations, you’ll transfer to nearby Arusha Airport (30km away) for a chartered flight. International flights often arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport late in the day, which makes spending a night in Arusha necessary – a great opportunity to recover from your long-haul flight and refreshed and ready to make the most of the wilderness the next day.
Road infrastructure in Tanzania is quite basic and, considering how large the country is, you’ll see and do more if you minimize travel time by catching chartered flights. Most road transfers and all game drives are conducted in open-sided 4X4 safari vehicles. If you go chimp trekking in Gombe and Mahale, you’ll have the advantage of a boat transfer across Lake Tanganyika.
Visa & Passport Requirements
Almost all visitors to Tanzania require a visa, which costs between US$20 and US$50 for a single entry that is valid for three months. Always try to obtain a visa for Tanzania before departing your home country. Visas can be bought on arrival at Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro International Airports if you pay cash in US dollars. Your passport must be valid for six months after your arrival date in Tanzania, or you will not be granted entry to the country.
Best time to go for wildlife safari in Tanzania
Peak game viewing in Tanzania is in the dry winter season, between June and October – this is the ideal time to explore the Serengeti, Ngorogoro Crater and Lake Manyara because game is concentrated around water sources and the great migration river crossings take place in July/ August. If you’d prefer to avoid high-season crowds, we recommend combining Ruaha and the Selous with a beach break on the coast, or heading to Lake Victoria to combine chimp trekking in Mahale and Gombe with game viewing in the Katavi.
Game viewing is still excellent after the short rains in November but, for the best value, travel before 15 December to avoid the Christmas crowds (and prices!). During the traditional low season from January to March, there are baby animals everywhere, the days are deliciously hot, the dust is settled by afternoon thundershowers and, best of all, you’ll enjoy the very best value for money and crowd-free game viewing.
For keen photographers, this quiet period – known as the green season – offers very special advantages: expect lush green landscapes rather than the dull browns of winter; dramatic cloudy skies rather than winter’s endless pale blue skies; and much more relaxed game viewing conditions, which means more time to to get that winning shot.
The best time to summit Kilimanjaro & visit the islands:
Trek to the roof of Africa and summit Mount Kilimanjaro between July and October or between January and March, which makes it easy to combine a mountain trek with both game viewing and relaxing on a tropical island. Speaking of postcard perfect beaches and waving palm trees, combine your big game safari with Tanzania’s islands between August and October but we don’t recommend the coast or islands during the long rains from March to May when it’s very wet and humid.
Where to Go in Tanzania
Tanzania is home to a great diversity of wildlife, fascinating cultures and natural, scenic beauty. It’s a dream destination from the classic, sweeping savannah of the Serengeti to the flamingo-lined shores of Lake Manyara, world wonder Ngorongoro Crater and Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa’s highest peak).
Tanzania offers superb safari-and-beach combinations thanks to its long tropical coastline and coral-ringed islands. It’s also home to bucket-list attractions that we highly recommend, like chimpanzee trekking in the rainforests of Mahale and Gombe, and game viewing in the far flung wildernesses of Katavi, Ruaha and Selous.
Without a doubt, Tanzania’s greatest wildlife attraction is the Great Migration, which sees a million wildebeest and zebra follow seasonal rains across the Serengeti each year. The two main events in the migration that take place in Tanzania are the mass calving when thousands of babies are born in the southern Serengeti, and the dramatic Grumeti river crossings. If witnessing the migration is your goal then when you go is all-important.
Arusha National Park
Mount Meru – Mount Meru is an active stratovolcano located 70 km (43 mi) west of Mount Kilimanjaro in the nation of Tanzania
Mikumi National Park
Mount Kilimanjaro – Africa’s highest peak and the world’s highest freestanding mountain. You can climb it with the help of a guide
Ngorongoro Conservation Area – includes the Ngorongoro Crater and the Olduvai Gorge
Ruaha National Park
Serengeti National Park
Stone Town
Tarangire National Park
Udzungwa Mountains National Park