Tanzania is where the numbers are. The Serengeti and Ngorongoro hold more animals across more ground than anywhere else on the circuit, and the southern parks are emptier again. The trade-off is distance and cost: the parks are far apart, the fees are high, and the better camps are booked out a year ahead in peak season.
Most first trips run the northern circuit — Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti — and then fly to Zanzibar for the last few days. It is a well-worn route because it works.
When to go
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Jan-Mar | Hot, with short afternoon storms. The wildebeest are calving on the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and around Ndutu, roughly late January through March, and the predators follow the newborns. A good window for climbing Kilimanjaro too. |
| Apr-May | The long rains: heavy and sustained. Many camps in the southern parks close. Cheap and very green if you can accept wet days and mud. |
| Jun-Oct | Dry. Grass dies back, animals concentrate on water, dust hangs behind the vehicle. The herds move up through the western corridor and into the northern Serengeti, with Mara River crossings running roughly July to October. Peak prices, and Ngorongoro gets busy. |
| Nov-Dec | The short rains: showers rather than washouts. The herds drift back south. Good value until the Christmas rush. |
Before you go
- Almost everyone needs a visa. Apply online in advance rather than trusting the airport queue. United States citizens are issued a multiple-entry visa rather than the ordinary single-entry one.
- A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a country where yellow fever occurs. Malaria tablets for everywhere except the upper slopes of Kilimanjaro.
- Park fees are high and are normally already inside a quoted price. Before you compare two quotes, check whether Ngorongoro crater descent fees and concession fees are included in both.
- Distances are long. Arusha to the Serengeti by road takes most of a day. Flying between the northern parks costs more and buys back two days of your holiday.
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