How to Plan a Tanzania Safari, Step by Step

Most people researching how to plan a Tanzania safari start with camps and end up confused, because camps are the last decision, not the first. Get the order right and the trip more or less designs itself. Get it wrong and you end up paying peak rates to sit in a vehicle for six hours a day.

This is the order we use when we build an itinerary from scratch, written from the inside of a Tanzanian operation rather than from a brochure.

Step 1: Decide when, because everything follows from it

Your travel month determines where the animals are, what camps cost, and which part of the Serengeti you should be sleeping in. It is the only decision that constrains every other one.

• January to March. Calving season on the southern Serengeti plains. Enormous herds concentrated in a small area and constant predator activity. Excellent value relative to what you see.
• April to May. Long rains. Some camps close, roads get difficult, and the parks are close to empty. The lowest rates of the year if you do not mind mud.
• June to October. Dry season. Game concentrates around water, and from roughly July the herds push north towards the Mara River crossings. Peak rates and the busiest camps.
• November to December. Short rains, green landscapes, soft pricing and noticeably fewer vehicles at sightings. The most underrated window in the calendar.

If your dates are fixed by school holidays or work, say so early. We plan around the month rather than pretending every month is equivalent.

Step 2: Decide how long

Seven to nine nights on safari is the honest minimum for the northern circuit. Under five nights and the ratio of driving to game viewing turns against you, and you are paying conservation fees for days you spend in transit.

Adding Zanzibar takes it to eleven or twelve. Adding Kilimanjaro is a separate trip in practice, not an add-on, because a trek needs five to nine days on its own.

Step 3: Choose the parks, then the order

The northern circuit exists because it works. Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti sit close enough together to string into one route without wasting days.

• Tarangire. Elephants and baobabs. Close to Arusha, so it makes a strong first stop rather than a long first drive.
• Lake Manyara. Short, green and varied. Good as a half day rather than a destination.
• Ngorongoro Crater. The highest concentration of large animals in the smallest area anywhere in Tanzania. One full descent is usually enough.
• Serengeti. The centrepiece, and the one where the region you stay in matters more than the camp.

Resist adding a fifth park. Each one adds a conservation fee and usually a transfer day, and the trip gets thinner rather than richer.

Step 4: Work out where in the Serengeti

This is the decision that separates a tailored itinerary from a template. The Serengeti is not one place.

• Ndutu and the southern plains. December to March, calving season.
• Seronera, the central region. Strong resident game year-round, the safe choice whenever you travel.
• Western Corridor. Roughly June to July, as the herds move towards the Grumeti.
• Kogatende and the north. Roughly July to October, for the Mara River crossings.

An itinerary that puts you in the same Serengeti camp regardless of your travel month has not been planned. It has been copied.

Step 5: Decide how you travel between parks

Driving keeps costs down and gives you the Rift Valley escarpment and the crater highlands, which are genuinely worth seeing. Flying costs more and buys back the best part of a day on the long legs.

The usual compromise is to drive the southern legs from Arusha through Tarangire and Ngorongoro, then fly one direction to or from the Serengeti. Note that light aircraft have tight baggage limits, usually soft bags of about 15 kg, so pack accordingly.

Step 6: Set the standard, then choose camps

Only now do camps come into it. Decide the tier first, then let position inside the park drive the specific choice.

The rule that matters: a simpler camp inside the park beats a smarter lodge outside the gates. Being inside means you are in productive habitat at dawn instead of driving towards it. Our guide to a luxury safari in Tanzania covers what the top end genuinely adds, and what a Tanzania safari costs breaks down the numbers behind each tier.

Step 7: Sort the practical things

• Visa. Most visitors need one. Apply online in advance rather than queuing at Kilimanjaro International.
• Health. Tanzania is a malaria area. Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic about antimalarials and vaccinations well before you fly. Yellow fever certification is required if you are arriving from a country where yellow fever is a risk, so check every leg of your routing including layovers.
• Insurance. Comprehensive travel insurance including medical evacuation is not optional on a remote safari.
• Flights. Kilimanjaro International (JRO) is the right airport for the northern circuit. Dar es Salaam is a long way from where you are going.
• Money. US dollars are widely accepted, notes dated 2009 or later. Budget separately for tips, which are not included in any quote.

Common mistakes

1. Booking too many parks. The most common error, and the most expensive one.
2. Moving camp every night. Packing up daily exhausts everyone and eats game viewing time.
3. Choosing a camp before choosing a month. This is how people end up in the wrong end of the Serengeti.
4. Comparing quotes that include different things. Check park fees, concession fees, the crater service fee, private versus shared vehicle and internal flights before you compare two numbers.
5. Leaving it late. The small camps worth staying in have very few tents and fill six to twelve months ahead in peak season.

Common questions

How far ahead should I book?

Six to twelve months for June to October. Three to six months is usually workable for the shoulder and green seasons.

Group tour or private?

A private vehicle costs more per person for two people and roughly the same for six. It changes the day more than any other upgrade, because you control when you leave, how long you stay and what you chase.

Is Tanzania safe?

The tourist circuit is well established and safaris operate with experienced guides throughout. Normal precautions in Arusha and Dar es Salaam apply, as in any city.

Can I combine a safari with Zanzibar?

Yes, and most people should. Short flights connect the Serengeti airstrips and Arusha to Zanzibar, and three or four nights on the coast is the natural end to the trip. Our 8 day Safari to Zanzibar shows one way to do it.

Start with a conversation, not a package

Tell us your month, your group and roughly what you want to spend, and we will work through the steps above with you rather than sending a fixed package. Browse our Tanzania safari packages for ideas, read the Serengeti safari guide and the Ngorongoro Crater guide, and if you are travelling with children start with planning a family safari.

When you are ready, send us your dates.