Tanzania Travel Guide: Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and Beyond

Yes. Most visitors, including US, UK, Canadian, and Australian travelers, need a tourist visa for both mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. The standard route is the online eVisa, applied for before departure through the official portal; allow about 10 business days to process. The single-entry tourist visa is valid for 90 days and costs $50 for most nationalities, but $100 for US citizens under a reciprocity rule. Apply at the official Tanzania eVisa site and check current fees and conditions before you book.

Tanzania is generally safe for tourists, and safari areas, Kilimanjaro routes, and the main Zanzibar beaches see large numbers of visitors with few problems. The usual care applies in cities like Dar es Salaam and Arusha and in crowded Stone Town: watch for petty theft, avoid walking alone at night, and use registered guides and operators. Malaria is present, so take antimalarial advice seriously and use repellent and nets. On Zanzibar, dress modestly away from the beach out of respect for the largely Muslim population.

The dry months of late June to October are the classic safari high season, with the best wildlife viewing and the northern Serengeti river crossings, but also the highest prices and crowds. The shorter dry window from late December to mid-March is excellent too, with the southern Serengeti calving in February and March and good Kilimanjaro conditions. Avoid the long rains of late March to May, when many camps close and Zanzibar and the mountain are wettest. Zanzibar's beaches are at their best in the dry stretches that bracket each rainy season.

Five days covers the northern safari circuit (Tarangire, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti) at a reasonable pace. Seven days is the classic bush-and-beach trip: the safari plus three nights on Zanzibar. Ten days lets you add a Kilimanjaro climb (most routes need six to eight days on the mountain alone) or a longer, slower coast. A safari needs at least three to four days to be worthwhile once you factor in drive times, so resist cramming bush, mountain, and beach into a single short week.

Most safaris are done in a guide-driven 4x4 that picks you up in Arusha, so you rarely self-drive on a first trip. Light aircraft connect Arusha, the Serengeti airstrips, Dar es Salaam, and Zanzibar, and a short flight is the usual way to go from the safari to the beach. Between Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar there is also a fast passenger ferry. Within cities, use registered taxis or ride apps rather than the crowded dala-dala minibuses, which are cheap but confusing for visitors.

A yellow-fever certificate is required only if you arrive from, or spent more than 12 hours transiting through, a country with yellow-fever risk; arriving directly from the US, UK, or Europe, it is not required, but carry your yellow card if your route touches a risk country. Beyond that, routine vaccines plus typhoid and hepatitis are commonly advised, and malaria prophylaxis is strongly recommended for the mainland and Zanzibar. Check the official guidance and a travel clinic well before departure, as requirements can change.

It depends on your time and energy. Safari plus Zanzibar is the most popular pairing and fits a week comfortably: the bush for wildlife, then the beach to unwind, linked by a short flight. Pairing the safari with a Kilimanjaro climb is far more demanding, since the climb alone takes six to eight days and is physically hard, so that combination wants ten days or more and a separate recovery plan. If you only have a week, choose safari and Zanzibar.

On the mainland, look for ugali (a maize staple) with grilled meat or stew, nyama choma (barbecued meat), and chapati. The coast and Zanzibar shift to Swahili cooking heavy with coconut and spice: pilau and biryani rice, fish curries, urojo (Zanzibar mix soup), and Zanzibar pizza from the Forodhani night market. Try the local coffee grown on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and Meru, fresh tropical fruit, and sugarcane juice. Tap water is not safe to drink, so stick to bottled or filtered.

Safari makes Tanzania pricier than it first looks, because park, crater, and concession fees are fixed and high regardless of your comfort level. Mid-range safari travelers typically spend $250-450 a day all-in for a guided 4x4, lodging, and fees, while the fly-in luxury end runs $900 a day or more. Zanzibar on its own is cheaper and flexible, from backpacker guesthouses to beach resorts. Budget travelers can cut costs with camping safaris and local transport, but the park fees set a high floor.