Tanzania, end to end.
From the Serengeti to the Indian Ocean. From the crater floor of Ngorongoro to the wild edges of Ruaha. Eighteen destinations across four regions, mapped here in the order most journeys take them. Start anywhere.
The Northern Circuit
The most travelled route in Tanzania, and for good reason. Six parks within a few hours of each other, each with its own character: classic plains, baobab forests, soda lakes, snow-capped mountains, and the country's most extraordinary cultural encounters. This is where most first-time safaris begin.
Arusha National Park
A small, beautiful park most safari-goers fly straight past. Evergreen forests and crater lakes spread beneath Mt Meru, Tanzania's second-tallest mountain, with giraffe, zebra, buffalo, and the country's largest population of black-and-white colobus monkeys.
WILDLIFE
FAMILY
BEST TIME
Year-round
TYPICAL STAY
1–2 nights, or a day trip from Arusha
HOW YOU GET THERE
45 min drive from Arusha
ACTIVITIES
Walking, canoe safari, Mt Meru trek
PAIRS WELL WITH
Tarangire · Kilimanjaro · a soft day on either end of a longer safari
Tarangire National Park
Acacia and baobab country, and the place to see elephants in the kind of numbers most people don't believe possible. In the dry season, the herds gather along the Tarangire River and the action is constant.
WILDLIFE
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
BEST TIME
Jun–Oct for elephants, year-round otherwise
TYPICAL STAY
2–3 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
2 hr drive from Arusha
ACTIVITIES
Game drives, night drives, walking safari
PAIRS WELL WITH
Lake Manyara · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti
NOTE
April and May can be wet here. Beautiful and green, but harder going for first-timers.
Lake Manyara National Park
A bird-lover's paradise tucked beneath the Rift Valley escarpment. Hippo-dotted marshes, evergreen forest, the elusive tree-climbing lion, and a treetop walkway that brings the forest canopy to eye level.
WILDLIFE
ADVENTURE
BEST TIME
Jul–Oct for game, Nov–Apr for birds
TYPICAL STAY
1–2 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
2 hr drive from Arusha
ACTIVITIES
Game drives, treetop walkway, village bike rides
PAIRS WELL WITH
Tarangire · Ngorongoro en route to Serengeti
Lake Natron
Desolate, otherworldly, and one of the most extraordinary corners of Tanzania. The active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai dominates the horizon. From June to November the lake turns pink as millions of flamingos come to breed. The Ngare Sero waterfalls are a short hike away.
ADVENTURE
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
BEST TIME
May–Nov (flamingos), year-round for trekking
TYPICAL STAY
2–3 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
4 hr drive from Arusha, or trek in from Empakaai
ACTIVITIES
Waterfall hike, volcano ascent, Maasai walks
PAIRS WELL WITH
Empakaai Crater (the classic 3-day trek) · Serengeti
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Kilimanjaro National Park
The roof of Africa. The largest free-standing mountain in the world, climbed through five distinct ecosystems in a single week: rainforest, heath, moorland, alpine desert, and finally the glaciated summit. We work with operators who hold the highest standards of safety and porter ethics.
ADVENTURE
BEST TIME
Jan–Mar, Jun–Oct
TYPICAL STAY
6–9 days on the mountain (Lemosho or Machame)
HOW YOU GET THERE
Kilimanjaro Airport, then trailhead transfer
ACTIVITIES
Full climb, or day hikes on lower slopes
PAIRS WELL WITH
A short safari before or after · Zanzibar to recover · Arusha NP
Lake Eyasi
A detour from the standard circuit, and one of the most affecting experiences a guest can have in Tanzania. Home to the Hadzabe, whose way of life and Click language are among the oldest on earth, and the Datoga, master blacksmiths and pastoralists.
ADVENTURE
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
BEST TIME
Year-round
TYPICAL STAY
2 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
3 hr drive from Karatu / Ngorongoro
ACTIVITIES
Dawn hunt with the Hadzabe, Datoga village visit
PAIRS WELL WITH
Ngorongoro · Serengeti · the perfect cultural counterpoint to a wildlife-heavy itinerary
The Serengeti
14,750 square kilometres. Four sub-regions. The single most extraordinary wildlife stage on earth. The Serengeti deserves its own treatment because, depending on which corner you visit and when, it can be a completely different journey.
SIZE
14,750 km² · roughly the size of Northern Ireland
WILDLIFE
2 million wildebeest · 3,000 lions · 1,000+ leopards
HOW YOU GET THERE
Bush flight from Arusha (1 hr) or overland via Ngorongoro
Four corners of the Serengeti
Where you stay matters. Match the sub-region to the season and you see the Serengeti at its best.
Central Serengeti (Seronera)
The classic Serengeti experience. Resident game year-round: lions on the kopjes, leopards in the sausage trees, cheetahs on the plains. The best base for first-time visitors who want to be sure of the headline sightings.
BEST TIME
Year-round
BEST TIME
3–4 nights
Western Corridor
Where the Migration herds funnel through the Grumeti River from May to July, with crocodiles waiting. Quieter than the Mara crossings further north, and a strong option for guests who want the Migration without the crowds.
BEST TIME
May–Jul
BEST TIME
2–3 nights
Southern Serengeti & Ndutu
Calving season. From late January through March, 8,000 wildebeest are born here each day, and every predator in the ecosystem knows it. The most action-packed weeks of the entire safari calendar, and the window Safari Republic loves most.
BEST TIME
Jan–Mar
BEST TIME
3–5 nights
Northern Serengeti (Mara)
The Mara River crossings, July through October. Over a million wildebeest and zebra ford the crocodile-thick water on their way to Kenya. Mobile camps follow the herds. Books out twelve to eighteen months ahead in peak years.
BEST TIME
Jul–Oct
BEST TIME
3–4 nights
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the few places on earth where wildlife and the Maasai live side by side as they always have. Three destinations within an hour of each other, but utterly different in character: the world's most famous crater, a wild trek through the highlands, and the Cradle of Mankind.
Ngorongoro Crater
The world's largest intact volcanic caldera, and a 360° wildlife amphitheatre 600 metres deep. The Big Five within a single morning, including the endangered black rhino, all framed by the green walls of the crater rim above.
WILDLIFE
HONEYMOON
FAMILY
BEST TIME
Year-round
TYPICAL STAY
1–2 nights on the rim, 1 day on the floor
HOW YOU GET THERE
3 hr drive from Arusha
ACTIVITIES
Crater floor game drive, bush lunch
PAIRS WELL WITH
Serengeti · Tarangire · Lake Eyasi
Empakaai Crater & Highlands
A perfect, hidden crater filled by a flamingo-fringed soda lake, reached on foot through Maasai land. The classic trek descends over three days to Lake Natron in the valley below. Few visitors. Real wilderness.
ADVENTURE
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
BEST TIME
Jun–Mar
TYPICAL STAY
3 days (camping along the route)
HOW YOU GET THERE
3.5 hr drive from Arusha to trailhead
ACTIVITIES
Multi-day hike, Maasai-guided walks, camping
PAIRS WELL WITH
Lake Natron · Serengeti after the trek
Oldupai Gorge
The Cradle of Mankind. A 48km gorge where the earliest human remains were unearthed, and a fascinating detour en route to the Serengeti. The on-site museum brings the science to life.
FAMILY
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
Also known as Olduvai Gorge
BEST TIME
Year-round
TYPICAL STAY
Half-day stop, en route
HOW YOU GET THERE
On the road between Ngorongoro and Serengeti
ACTIVITIES
Guided tour, museum visit
PAIRS WELL WITH
Almost any Northern Circuit itinerary — it's on the way
The Southern Circuit
Tanzania at its most wild and least crowded. Two enormous parks, both several flight hours from the Northern Circuit, and worth every mile for guests who want the bush mostly to themselves. This is where repeat safari-goers come back for their second trip.
Ruaha National Park
Vast, untamed, remote. 10% of the world's remaining lion population lives here. Baobabs and rocky kopjes punctuate the landscape, the wildlife is exceptional, and the crowds are non-existent. Tanzania at its most authentic.
WILDLIFE
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
BEST TIME
Jun–Nov (peak), green season Dec–Mar
TYPICAL STAY
4–5 nights (you flew this far, stay a while)
HOW YOU GET THERE
Bush flight from Dar es Salaam or Arusha
ACTIVITIES
Game drives, walking safari, fly-camping
PAIRS WELL WITH
Nyerere for a full Southern Circuit · Mafia Island to finish
Nyerere National Park
Africa's largest national park, cut by the Rufiji River. Boat safaris through palm-fringed channels. Walking safaris on the riverbanks. Fly-camping under the stars. Home to 50% of the world's remaining wild dogs.
Formerly part of the Selous Game Reserve
WILDLIFE
HONEYMOON
BEST TIME
Jun–Oct, with the wild dog denning season Jun–Aug
TYPICAL STAY
4–5 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
Bush flight from Dar es Salaam (45 min)
ACTIVITIES
Boat safari, walking, fly-camping, game drives
PAIRS WELL WITH
Ruaha · Zanzibar or Mafia Island after
Islands & Beaches
The Indian Ocean does what no game drive can: it slows everything down. Most of our guests finish a safari with a few nights here, and the contrast (savannah dust to white sand within an hour's flight) is one of the great pleasures of a Tanzanian journey.
Zanzibar
Stone Town is an assault to the senses: winding cobbled streets, hidden rooftops, spice-scented air, and a history that's by turns extraordinary and harrowing. Beyond Stone Town, idyllic beaches: from sleepy thatched huts to Swahili-architecture luxury, with snorkelling off Mnemba's coral reefs.
HONEYMOON
CULTURE & WILDLIFE
FAMILY
BEST TIME
Jun–Oct, Dec–Feb (between rains)
TYPICAL STAY
4–7 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
Flight from Arusha or Dar es Salaam (45 min)
ACTIVITIES
Stone Town tour, snorkelling, spice tour, beach
PAIRS WELL WITH
The perfect end to almost any safari — especially Serengeti or Nyerere
NOTE
April and May are the long rains — most lodges close. Skip Zanzibar during these months.
Mafia Island
150 km south of Zanzibar and quieter in every way. From October to February, whale sharks migrate through these waters. The reefs hold giant groupers, turtles, and dolphins year-round. Days are spent in hammocks, on empty beaches, or sandbank-hopping by dhow.
HONEYMOON
ADVENTURE
WILDLIFE
BEST TIME
Oct–Feb (whale sharks), Jun–Oct (diving)
TYPICAL STAY
4–6 nights
HOW YOU GET THERE
Bush flight from Dar es Salaam (30 min)
ACTIVITIES
Whale shark snorkelling, diving, sandbank picnics
PAIRS WELL WITH
Ruaha · Nyerere · anyone who wants the coast without the crowds
NOTE
Mar–May is the rainy season — most lodges close. Plan for any other time.
Feeling closer to a yes?
Every safari we craft begins the same way: a conversation. Tell us what you're imagining, even if it's still half-formed. We'll take it from there.