The Serengeti migration and the Ndutu calving season, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire’s baobabs, Kilimanjaro and the wild rivers of the south: eleven places on our routes, each with when to go, how it connects and the journeys that visit it.
The questions travellers ask first, answered directly. Each links to more detail further down or in our guides.
It depends on the park. TANAPA suggests June to October, the dry season, for the Serengeti migration and January to February for calving; the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority puts the herds around Ndutu from about late December to April. The Ngorongoro Crater is accessible all year, and Tarangire, Ruaha and Mikumi are at their peak from June to October.
For a first safari, the northern circuit from Arusha brings the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara within one route, and seven of our Tanzania safaris name northern parks on their route, against one in the south. The south, reached from Dar es Salaam, is wilder and more remote: Nyerere’s river, Mikumi’s floodplain and Ruaha’s vast wilderness.
Our Tanzania safaris run from 3 to 10 days. Four or five days cover the famous northern parks, Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, as on the 4 Days Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Lake Manyara Safari; longer journeys add Ndutu in calving season, the southern parks or Zanzibar. TANAPA puts the Serengeti seven to eight hours from Arusha by road, so fewer parks with more time in each makes for a calmer trip.
Broadly, around Ndutu and the southern Serengeti from about late December to April, where the herds calve; in the Serengeti through the dry season; and in Kenya’s Maasai Mara from around June or July to November. The herds follow the rain, so their position in any week varies every year.
Kilimanjaro International Airport, about 40 kilometres east of Arusha, describes itself as the main gateway connecting the northern circuit to the world. Good tarmac leads from Arusha to Tarangire and Lake Manyara; the road to the Serengeti is long, and light aircraft fly to airstrips such as Seronera, Kuro and Manyara.
Visitors who are not exempt need a visa. Tanzania’s immigration service asks applicants to apply online only through its official website, to hold a passport valid for at least six months with an unused visa page, and to show a return ticket on arrival; it processes applications within ten days, except referral cases, and every passport holder, including a child, applies separately. The UK’s travel advice adds that a single-entry visa can also be obtained on arrival at the main ports of entry (checked 20 October 2026).
Most foreign visitors do, from 1 October 2026. You need one policy for the journey, from the insurer for your first point of entry into Tanzania: the National Insurance Corporation (NIC) if you arrive on the mainland, or the Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) if you arrive in Zanzibar. ZIC confirms that a journey including both needs only one policy, valid for up to 92 days with multiple entries, and the UK’s travel advice warns that you may be refused entry without it. Qualifying travellers from East African Community and SADC partner states are exempt from the mainland requirement, but ZIC says that exemption does not automatically apply in Zanzibar. NIC’s cover is for medical emergencies, evacuation or repatriation and lost luggage, not cancellation, so keep your own travel insurance too (checked 20 October 2026).
Yes, as separate parts of one trip. Our six Kilimanjaro treks run from 6 to 9 days, and TANAPA advises allowing acclimatisation days rather than the shortest possible ascent.
Yes: five journeys in our catalogue include Zanzibar. One Tanzanian visa covers both the mainland and Zanzibar. How you travel to the island and how many nights you spend there are confirmed with us for each journey.
Northern Tanzania strings together some of Africa’s most famous wildlife country. Tanzania National Parks describes the Serengeti as home to the world’s last great large-mammal migration — more than a million and a half wildebeest and zebra. Next door, the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera, holds over 25,000 animals including the Big Five.
Lake Manyara and Tarangire complete the northern circuit, both reached from Arusha on good tarmac roads: groundwater forest, flamingos and lions that rest in trees at Manyara, and more than 3,000 elephants among ancient baobabs at Tarangire. Above them all rises Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 metres the highest point in Africa, with Mount Meru, the country’s second-highest peak, in Arusha National Park.
In the south, the scale grows again. Ruaha, at more than 20,000 square kilometres, is Tanzania’s second-largest national park and a place to see both greater and lesser kudu; Mikumi, on the A7 highway, is easily reached from Dar es Salaam; and Nyerere, created from the Selous landscape, is explored by boat on the Rufiji River as well as by vehicle, and is one of Africa’s strongholds for wild dogs.
Tanzania’s safari country divides into a northern circuit, reached from Arusha and Kilimanjaro International Airport, and a quieter southern circuit reached from Dar es Salaam, with Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar as two very different additions. Every place below answers the same questions: what makes it special, what you may see, who it suits, when to go, how it connects and what to know.
Route Kilimanjaro International or Arusha Airport → Arusha → Arusha National Park → Mount Kilimanjaro
Most northern Tanzania safaris begin in Arusha. Kilimanjaro International Airport, east of the city, describes itself as the main gateway connecting the northern tourism circuit to the world, and Arusha has its own airport for domestic flights to the parks. Arusha National Park sits on the city’s doorstep, with forest, the Momella lakes and Mount Meru, Tanzania’s second-highest peak.
On the horizon stands Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, whose summit Kibo reaches 5,895 metres. A climb is a journey of its own, guided by a licensed operator over several days, but even travellers who never set foot on it often see the mountain: it forms the backdrop to Kenya’s Amboseli and dominates the skyline around Moshi and the airport.
Sources: Kilimanjaro International Airport (opens in a new tab); Tanzania National Parks (Arusha National Park (opens in a new tab), Kilimanjaro National Park (opens in a new tab), Kilimanjaro visitor guide (opens in a new tab)); Kenya Wildlife Service (opens in a new tab)
The gateway to northern Tanzania, with Arusha National Park on its doorstep: grassland nicknamed “Little Serengeti”, cool forest, the Momella lakes and Mount Meru, at 4,566 metres the country’s second-highest peak.
Africa’s highest mountain, protected as Kilimanjaro National Park, with its summit Kibo at 5,895 metres; TANAPA describes it as the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
Route Arusha → Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Ngorongoro → Serengeti (Ndutu in calving season)
From Arusha the classic northern circuit heads west. Good tarmac leads to Tarangire, with its baobabs and elephants, and to Lake Manyara at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment. The road then climbs to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the rim of its famous crater, before dropping onto the Serengeti plains, home to the great migration.
Each park has its own identity, so the circuit rarely feels repetitive: Tarangire for elephants, Manyara for forest and birds, the crater for sheer density, the Serengeti for scale, and Ndutu for the calving season. Of our Tanzania journeys, 6 include the crater and 5 the Serengeti, and several more do the same circuit after crossing from Kenya.
Sources: Tanzania National Parks (Tarangire visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Lake Manyara visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Serengeti National Park (opens in a new tab)); Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (Ngorongoro Crater (opens in a new tab), Ndutu Plains (opens in a new tab))
Tarangire National Park: baobab country along the Tarangire River, where TANAPA counts more than 3,000 elephants, the densest population in Tanzania.
Lake Manyara National Park, a compact 648.7 square kilometres at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment, which TANAPA describes as the only place in Tanzania where lions lounge in trees.
The Ngorongoro Crater, the heart of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area: a sunken volcanic caldera whose floor holds the Big Five, all within a single day’s game drive.
Serengeti National Park, the park behind the world’s last great large-mammal migration, TANAPA says: more than a million and a half wildebeest and zebra, with the predators that follow them. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.
The Ndutu area: short-grass plains and two lakes on the southern edge of the Serengeti, inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, where the migration herds gather to give birth.
Route Dar es Salaam → Mikumi → Nyerere → Ruaha
Southern Tanzania is reached from Dar es Salaam rather than Arusha, and it feels wilder. Mikumi lies beside the A7 highway, an easy first park; Nyerere, created from the great Selous landscape, is explored by boat on the Rufiji River as well as by vehicle; and Ruaha, the country’s second-largest national park, is a remote wilderness of baobabs, kudu and big buffalo herds.
Distances in the south are long, and TANAPA recommends four-wheel drive in the rains, and scheduled and charter flights serve the parks’ airstrips. Our 9 Days Southern Tanzania Safari - Nyerere, Mikumi & Ruaha links all three; for travellers who have already seen the north, the south offers boat safaris, walking and a very different atmosphere.
Sources: Tanzania National Parks (Mikumi National Park (opens in a new tab), Nyerere National Park (opens in a new tab), Ruaha National Park (opens in a new tab), Ruaha visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Nyerere visitor guide (opens in a new tab))
Mikumi National Park: open savannah on the Mkata floodplain, beside the A7 highway, which TANAPA calls a perfect weekend safari from Dar es Salaam.
Nyerere National Park, created from part of the great Selous landscape: miombo woodland, floodplains and the braided Rufiji River, and one of Africa’s key strongholds for African wild dogs.
Ruaha National Park, a vast, remote wilderness of 20,226 square kilometres in south-central Tanzania, the country’s second-largest national park, and a place to see both greater and lesser kudu.
Route A Tanzania safari, or Kenya and Tanzania → Zanzibar
Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania, and Tanzania’s immigration service confirms that one visa covers a visit to both the mainland and Zanzibar. Five of our journeys add the islands to a safari, from an eight-day Tanzania safari and Zanzibar holiday to a fifteen-day journey through Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar.
We have not yet been able to read an official Zanzibar tourism source, so this guide does not describe the islands’ seasons, beaches or heritage sites. Until our Zanzibar guide is ready, ask us how each journey travels from the safari to the island and how many nights it spends there; both are confirmed when you plan.
Sources: Tanzania Immigration Services Department (opens in a new tab)
The islands off Tanzania’s coast that close many of our safaris with time by the Indian Ocean. Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania, and one Tanzanian visa covers both the mainland and Zanzibar.
Our full guide to Zanzibar is in preparation; this profile states only what we have checked.
Wildlife moves freely, and sightings depend on season and conditions. They are never guaranteed.
The Serengeti in the dry season; the Ndutu calving grounds from about late December to April.
A day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor among its resident wildlife.
Tarangire’s dry-season herds along the river.
Six treks in our catalogue, from six to nine days, to Africa’s highest point.
Boat safaris on the Rufiji in Nyerere; walking safaris in Ruaha and Arusha National Park.
Sunrise hot-air balloon flights over the Serengeti.
The two circuits suit different travellers rather than ranking one above the other. The north packs famous parks close together, with the crater and the Serengeti a drive apart, and suits a first safari, a short trip or a combination with Kenya. The south trades fame for space, boat safaris and walking, and suits repeat visitors and anyone happy to fly between remote airstrips.
| Northern circuit | Southern circuit | |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway | Arusha and Kilimanjaro International Airport | Dar es Salaam |
| Parks on our routes | Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Ndutu, Arusha | Mikumi, Nyerere, Ruaha |
| Signature experiences | The migration and calving season, the crater floor, elephants among baobabs | Boat safaris on the Rufiji, African wild dogs, greater and lesser kudu, walking |
| Getting around | Tarmac to Tarangire and Manyara; a long road or a flight to the Serengeti | The A7 to Mikumi; long distances and airstrips in Nyerere and Ruaha |
| Peak months | June–October in the dry parks; late December–April at Ndutu; the crater all year | June–October in Ruaha and Mikumi; Mikumi’s green season is good for birds |
| In our catalogue | Seven Tanzania safaris with named northern routes, plus the cross-border journeys | One journey: 9 Days Southern Tanzania Safari - Nyerere, Mikumi & Ruaha |
Sources: Kilimanjaro International Airport (opens in a new tab); Tanzania National Parks (Tarangire visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Lake Manyara visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Serengeti visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Mikumi National Park (opens in a new tab), Nyerere National Park (opens in a new tab), Ruaha National Park (opens in a new tab), Ruaha visitor guide (opens in a new tab)); Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (Ngorongoro Crater (opens in a new tab), Ndutu Plains (opens in a new tab))
Distances shape a Tanzania safari more than the map suggests. Tanzania National Parks publishes approximate road times in its visitor guides, and they show why northern routes usually run from Arusha to Tarangire or Lake Manyara, then up to the crater and on to the Serengeti, and why light aircraft to Seronera are an alternative to the long road west. Real times depend on traffic, weather and the wildlife you stop for, so treat these as a guide.
| Park | From | TANAPA’s figure |
|---|---|---|
| Arusha National Park | Arusha city | About 45 minutes |
| Arusha National Park | Moshi | About 1.5 hours |
| Lake Manyara | Arusha | About 2–2.5 hours (about 125 km) on tarmac |
| Tarangire | Arusha | About 2.5–3 hours on tarmac via Makuyuni and Minjingu |
| Serengeti | Arusha | Up to 7–8 hours by road; regular flights to Seronera |
| Mikumi | Dar es Salaam | About 3–5 hours, depending on traffic |
| Mikumi | Morogoro | About 1 hour |
Checked 20 October 2026. TANAPA’s Ngorongoro, Ruaha and Nyerere guidance gives routes but no times, so none is shown; the crater is managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.
Sources: Tanzania National Parks (Arusha visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Lake Manyara visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Tarangire visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Serengeti visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Mikumi visitor guide (opens in a new tab))
About 2.5 million years ago a volcano nearly the size of today’s Kilimanjaro collapsed inwards, leaving the caldera the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority calls the largest intact and unfilled in the world: almost 260 square kilometres, some 20 kilometres across and 610 metres deep. Grassland, swamps, rivers and woodland on its floor support more than 25,000 animals, and animals move in and out freely all year.
The name comes from the Maasai phrase “orgirra le kkorongorro”, meaning “big bowl”, and the crater has a long human history: the settlements and burial sites of its earliest occupants can still be seen. To protect it, only four-wheel-drive vehicles may enter, and walking is not allowed on the floor, though walks are permitted on the rim and elsewhere in the conservation area.
Sources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (opens in a new tab)
Kilimanjaro’s summit, Kibo, stands at 5,895 metres. Our six Kilimanjaro treks run from 6 to 9 days on the Machame, Marangu and Lemosho routes, and Tanzania National Parks requires every climb to be guided by a licensed operator. TANAPA advises choosing an itinerary with acclimatisation days and ascending slowly, because more days on the mountain improve your chances of reaching the top.
The Marangu route uses huts at Mandara, Horombo and Kibo; the other routes use designated tented camps. Conditions change quickly at altitude, so cold-weather and rain gear are essential whichever route you choose, and a trek is best planned as its own part of the journey, before or after a safari, rather than squeezed between game drives.
Sources: Tanzania National Parks (Kilimanjaro National Park (opens in a new tab), Kilimanjaro visitor guide (opens in a new tab))
We follow the park authorities’ own seasonal advice, park by park, because Tanzania’s parks differ: the Ngorongoro Crater is accessible all year, while Tarangire and Ruaha are at their busiest in the dry months. The herds of the Serengeti follow the rain, so their position in any given week varies from year to year, and no date can be promised.
The Tanzania Meteorological Authority publishes seasonal outlooks for the country’s rains. Its outlook for the 2026 “Vuli” short rains of October to December expected rainfall to be above normal to normal in many northern areas and around Lake Victoria, strongly influenced by El Niño, with some off-season rain continuing into January 2027. Wet-season travel can mean muddy park roads, which is why TANAPA recommends four-wheel drive.
The wildebeest and zebra of the Serengeti ecosystem move in a loop that follows the rain, from the short-grass plains of the south to the Maasai Mara in Kenya and back. Park authorities describe the broad pattern but never fixed dates: where the herds are in any particular week depends on that year’s rains, which is why good planning chooses a season and a region rather than a promised event.
The calving season is often overlooked by first-time visitors. From about late December, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority says, the herds arrive on the Ndutu plains, thousands of calves are born, and predators follow; in April the herds begin moving north again. River crossings, by contrast, belong to the Mara and northern Serengeti, and no one can predict a crossing on a given day.
| Months | Where | What the authorities say |
|---|---|---|
| Late December–April | Ndutu and the southern Serengeti plains | The NCAA says the herds arrive at the end of December, calve and begin moving north in April; TANAPA gives January–February for calving. |
| June–October | The Serengeti | TANAPA suggests the dry season, June to October, for the migration. |
| June or July–November | Kenya’s Maasai Mara | The Mara Conservancy says the herds usually arrive around June or July and stay until about November. |
Months overlap because the herds spread across the ecosystem. The authorities do not publish a month-by-month position.
Sources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (opens in a new tab); Tanzania National Parks (opens in a new tab); Mara Conservancy (Mara Triangle, Maasai Mara National Reserve) (opens in a new tab)
Most Tanzania journeys follow one of a few shapes. Each is illustrated only with real journeys from our catalogue; the places are listed, not the order in which a journey visits them.
Includes Tarangire · Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro · Serengeti
Four or five days covering the famous northern parks, at every comfort level.
Includes Ndutu · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Built around the herds rather than a fixed list of parks.
Includes Tanzania
Budget camping journeys; their day-by-day plans are not yet published.
Includes Nyerere · Mikumi · Ruaha
Rivers, wild dogs and remote wilderness.
Includes Mount Kilimanjaro
Machame, Marangu and Lemosho routes.
Includes A Tanzania safari · Zanzibar
A safari followed by time on the islands.
Includes Maasai Mara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
20 journeys cross the border; these are three of them.
All 24 journeys in our Tanzania collection, not counting cross-border trips. Big Time picks first.
Big Time pick
Tarangire · Ngorongoro · Serengeti · Lake Manyara
Stays are in camps or lodges.
Big Time pick
Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Accommodation is in lodges.
Big Time pick
Tarangire · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Lake Manyara
Accommodation is in lodges.
Big Time pick
Tanzania
A 7-day midrange safari on the northern Tanzania circuit.
20 journeys in our catalogue cross between Kenya and Tanzania. They are listed separately below, so they are never mistaken for Tanzania-only safaris. Each crossing point, and the border formalities involved, is confirmed by Big Time when you plan; entry requirements change from time to time, so check both countries’ official guidance before you travel.
Big Time pick
Maasai Mara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
Big Time pick
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Nyati Safari Camp (Amboseli), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
Big Time pick
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli · Lake Manyara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Nyati Safari Camp (Amboseli), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
Tanzania suits first-timers and seasoned travellers alike, but different travellers want different parts of it. These notes are honest about what our catalogue includes.
The northern circuit: the crater, the Serengeti, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, all on the 4 Days Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti & Lake Manyara Safari.
A day on the Ngorongoro Crater floor packs a great deal into a single game drive, and Lake Manyara is compact. Ask about minimum ages and child prices when you enquire.
The 10 Days Tanzania Luxury Safari & Zanzibar Beach ends on Zanzibar, and the 8 Days Ultimate Tanzania Luxury Fly-In Safari flies between the parks.
Two of our Tanzania journeys publish a budget price, and three are camping safaris.
Four of our Tanzania journeys are luxury, including a fly-in safari.
Ndutu in calving season, with predators following the herds, and the crater’s density of wildlife are two very different photographic subjects.
Kilimanjaro, with six treks in our catalogue, and Mount Meru in Arusha National Park.
The southern circuit: boat safaris in Nyerere and the vast wilderness of Ruaha.
Entry, health and park rules change. Each panel names the authority that sets them; these facts were checked on 20 October 2026.
Sources: Kilimanjaro International Airport (opens in a new tab); Tanzania National Parks (Serengeti visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Tarangire visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Lake Manyara visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Ruaha visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Nyerere visitor guide (opens in a new tab)); Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (opens in a new tab)
Sources: Tanzania Immigration Services Department (opens in a new tab); UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (opens in a new tab); United Republic of Tanzania, Ministry of Finance (public notice published by the Embassy of Tanzania in Rome, 27 September 2026) (opens in a new tab); National Insurance Corporation of Tanzania (NIC) (opens in a new tab); Zanzibar Insurance Corporation (ZIC) (opens in a new tab); World Health Organization (opens in a new tab); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab)
Sources: Tanzania National Parks (Tarangire visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Ruaha visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Serengeti visitor guide (opens in a new tab), Mikumi visitor guide (opens in a new tab))
No. Every climb must be guided by a licensed operator.
Yes. TANAPA stresses that the Serengeti is remarkable in any month: when the migration is elsewhere in the ecosystem, its lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and more than 500 bird species remain.
TANAPA describes Lake Manyara as the only place in Tanzania where lions lounge in trees. Like all wildlife, they are never guaranteed.
Both lie in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, managed by the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority rather than Tanzania National Parks, so the NCAA sets the rules for visiting them, including the crater’s own vehicle and walking rules.
Sources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (Ngorongoro Crater (opens in a new tab), Ndutu Plains (opens in a new tab))
Usually, yes, if you are aged one or over. Tanzania asks for proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers arriving from countries WHO lists as a yellow fever risk, and Kenya is one of them, so the rule applies when you enter Tanzania from Kenya by road or air. The CDC does not generally recommend the vaccine for Tanzania itself, so ask a travel-health professional for advice (checked 20 October 2026).
Sources: World Health Organization (opens in a new tab); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (opens in a new tab); UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (opens in a new tab)
Tanzania National Parks says a road safari from Arusha to the Serengeti may take seven to eight hours, and that regular flights serve Seronera airstrip in the park. Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater lie on the way, so the drive can be broken at either.
Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Park rules, fees and conditions change, so always check the latest before you travel.
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