Tours
MittelklassePrivat1-Day Saadani Fly-In Safari from Zanzibar
1 days·0 nights·Best Jun–Nov
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Komfortable, feste Safari-Lodges
Tour packages
Tanzania Safari
The northern circuit — Tarangire, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti — is Africa's most complete safari destination. The Great Migration, the Big Five, Kilimanjaro, and Zanzibar all within one country.
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MittelklasseGeteilt1-Day Saadani Safari Day Trip from Dar es Salaam
1 days·0 nights·Best Jun–Oct
Safari-Lodge
Komfortable, feste Safari-Lodges
2-Day Saadani Overnight Safari from Dar es Salaam
2 days·1 nights
A one-night escape to Tanzania's most unusual national park, less than five hours from Dar by road. Saadani is the only park in East Africa where the bush and the Indian Ocean share the same boundary — where a game drive ends at a beach and a boat safari runs through mangrove channels into the open sea. One night changes everything the day trip cannot deliver: a sunset game drive when the light turns the coastal woodland gold, the specific silence of a beach camp after dark when elephants move through the treeline and the ocean works against the shore, and a dawn walk on an empty beach before breakfast. This is Dar's closest wilderness overnight, and it is genuinely unlike anything else on the Tanzania circuit.
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3-Day Saadani Beach & Safari
3 days·2 nights
There is a moment on the first morning game drive when the coastal thicket opens up and the Indian Ocean appears ahead of you — a strip of blue on the horizon beyond the acacia scrub, wider and brighter as the vehicle moves forward, until you are driving on actual beach sand with the surf rolling in and a buffalo grazing fifty metres from the waterline. It is not a trick of geography. It is Saadani National Park doing precisely what it was always going to do: delivering the one safari experience that no other park in Tanzania — and no other wildlife park in East Africa — can match. This three-day journey combines morning game drives through genuine wildlife habitat, an afternoon boat safari up the mangrove-lined Wami River for hippos and enormous Nile crocodiles, and long unhurried hours on an Indian Ocean beach where the only footprints are yours, the sea turtle hatchlings from last night's nest, and whatever made those tracks in the wet sand at low tide.
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5-Day Saadani + Zanzibar (Bush & Beach from Dar)
5 days·4 nights
Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast contains three entirely different worlds within a single continuous arc: a national park where the game drive ends on wild beach, the oldest city on the Swahili coast whose streets were trading routes when the interior was unmapped, and a coral island whose reef has been filtering the same clean current for ten thousand years. This five-day journey begins at Saadani — East Africa's only wildlife park with Indian Ocean frontage — with two days of game drives through coastal woodland, a Wami River boat safari for hippos and Nile crocodiles in mangrove channels, and the specific Saadani phenomenon of walking out of a thicket to find the Indian Ocean in front of you. On Day 3, the journey pivots across the channel to Zanzibar, beginning with a night in Stone Town's labyrinth of carved-door history and coral-rag architecture, and closing on the beaches of the north or east coast for a final full day on reef-fringed sand. The itinerary starts and ends in Dar es Salaam. It does not go inland. It stays on the water, and the water is always the same water.
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5-Day Saadani & Mikumi Safari
5 days·4 nights
Five days is the minimum that makes the Saadani–Mikumi combination honest. Day one takes you north from Dar through coconut-palm coastal country to the only national park in East Africa where the game drive ends on an Indian Ocean beach. Day two is a full day in Saadani: a dawn boat safari up the Wami River past hippo pods and enormous crocodiles, then an afternoon game drive through coastal thicket and open grassland back to the beach. Day three is the transit: south through Bagamoyo for a ninety-minute historical stop, then west from Dar along the A7 highway to the Mikumi Gap, where the Mkata Floodplain opens below like a stage reveal. Day four puts you on that floodplain from 6 AM — lion prides in open grassland, buffalo herds of several hundred animals, elephant family groups along the fever tree corridor. Day five adds a final dawn game drive before the road back to Dar. Two parks, two completely different Tanzanias, four nights on the ground.
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7-Day Safari & Swahili Coast — Nyerere, Saadani, and Bagamoyo
7 days·6 nights
This itinerary operates June through February — Nyerere camps close and bush flights suspend from 15 March to 31 May. Tanzania's southeastern corner as one continuous narrative. Two nights on the Rufiji River inside Nyerere (the country's largest park, accessed by bush flight from Dar), two nights at Saadani — the only East African park where elephants walk the beach — and a cultural finale in Bagamoyo, the old Swahili trading port whose stone-town ruins, slave-route museum, and Catholic mission tell Tanzania's oldest coastal stories. No Arusha, no northern circuit — a genuinely different Tanzania.
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9-Day Northeast Cultural & Wildlife Circuit
9 days·8 nights
This is not a circuit that Tanzania's tourist infrastructure was designed to serve. Mkomazi National Park — three hours from Moshi, adjacent to Kenya's Tsavo West — holds a black rhino sanctuary and the country's only working wild dog breeding program, and receives a fraction of the visitors that Tarangire sees on a slow Tuesday. From there the route descends to the coast: Pangani, where the dhow trade and the slave caravans converged for centuries, then Saadani, where a game drive still ends on the Indian Ocean beach, then Bagamoyo, the German colonial capital that once housed more history per square kilometre than any city on the East African mainland. Nine days, two national parks at $30 per adult per day each, and the quietest stretch of Tanzania that a private vehicle can reach on tarmac.
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Andere Safari-Optionen
Top Tanzania Reiseziele
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Alle 213 Lodges ansehen- Africa Safari Rift Valley
- Africa Safari Serengeti Ikoma
- African View Lodge
- Amani Mara Camp
- Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge
- Anantya Serengeti
- andBeyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge
- andBeyond Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
- andBeyond Ngorongoro Crater Lodge
- andBeyond Serengeti Under Canvas
- Ang'ata Migration Camp Ndutu
- Arukore Simba Camp
- Arusha Planet Lodge
- Arusha Serena Hotel Resort & Spa
Tanzania is Africa's premier safari destination, drawing more than 90% of its visitors to the northern circuit — a sequence of parks that runs from the elephant country of Tarangire through the volcanic Ngorongoro highlands and into the vast grasslands of the Serengeti. For those with more time or a taste for solitude, the southern parks of Ruaha and Nyerere and the remote western wilderness of Mahale and Katavi offer fly-in alternatives where you may go entire game drives without seeing another vehicle.
The northern circuit#
The standard northern circuit runs in a single direction: Arusha → Tarangire → Lake Manyara → Karatu/Ngorongoro → Serengeti. Each leg follows a well-maintained road and there are no backtrack days, so the route works efficiently even on tighter schedules.
Tarangire National Park (2–2.5 hrs from Arusha): Africa's highest elephant densities in the dry season, ancient baobab forests, and 550+ bird species. Park fee: $59.10/adult/day. Best June–October when the Tarangire River acts as the only water source for miles around and animals converge in thousands.
Lake Manyara National Park (1.5–2 hrs from Tarangire gate): Famous for its tree-climbing lions, groundwater forest, and flamingo-ringed alkaline lake. A half-day here pairs well with a stay in Karatu, 30–45 minutes away. Park fee: $59.10/adult/day.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area (20–30 min from Karatu): The crater — 264 sq km on its floor — holds one of Africa's densest wildlife populations: black rhino, lion, elephant, buffalo, and cheetah compressed into a world-heritage caldera. Karatu is the standard overnight base (45 min to the crater rim), though rim lodges are available for those who want the crater at their doorstep. NCA conservation fee: $82.60/adult/day. The crater floor has a strict 6-hour maximum stay per visit.
Serengeti National Park (3–4 hrs from Karatu via Ngorongoro): Africa's most iconic savanna. Park fee: $82.60/adult/day. The Serengeti has four distinct areas — central Seronera (year-round predators, the standard base), southern plains/Ndutu (calving December–March), western corridor (Grumeti River crossings in June), and northern Kogatende (Mara River crossings July–October). Which part you visit should depend on your travel dates.
Cross-links: great migration timing · Kilimanjaro climbing · Zanzibar safari and beach combos
The southern circuit#
Tanzania's southern parks sit in a different league from the north: more remote, with fewer visitors, a longer immersion required, and experiences not possible in the national parks — boat safaris, walking safaris, fly-camping.
Ruaha National Park covers 20,226 sq km, making it Tanzania's largest national park. It holds an estimated 10% of the world's remaining lions, the largest elephant population in East Africa, and is one of very few places where both greater and lesser kudu coexist. The relative quiet is matched by a relative bargain on fees: $35.40/adult/day, less than half the Serengeti rate. Flying from Dar es Salaam takes roughly two hours.
Nyerere National Park (formerly the Selous Game Reserve) is Africa's largest protected area and the only park in Tanzania offering Rufiji River boat safaris — the hippos and crocodiles come to you rather than the other way round. Walking safaris and fly-camping are also permitted. Park fee: $82.60/adult/day. Gateway: Dar es Salaam, 30–45 minutes by air or 4–5 hours by road. Most camps close March–May during the long rains.
For true remote wilderness, the western circuit adds Katavi (vast dry-season hippo and crocodile spectacles, June–October only) and Mahale (chimpanzee trekking on the shore of Lake Tanganyika). Both are fly-in only destinations requiring at minimum three to four nights each.
Cross-links: Tanzania's remote southern parks
Best time to visit Tanzania#
| Month | Best area | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Dec–Mar | Southern Serengeti (Ndutu) | Calving season — 500,000 wildebeest born; intense predator action |
| Jun | Western Corridor (Grumeti) | Grumeti River crossings; far fewer vehicles than the north |
| Jul–Oct | Northern Serengeti (Kogatende) | Mara River crossings; peak season — book well ahead |
| Jun–Oct | Tarangire | Dry season: elephant herds at Tarangire River |
| Jun–Oct | Ngorongoro, Ruaha, Nyerere | Peak dry across all parks — reliable game viewing |
| Apr–May | Anywhere | Long rains; most southern camps close; not recommended |
How much does a Tanzania safari cost?#
The largest variable is lodge tier. Verified accommodation rack rates for Tanzania mainland (per double room per night, high season, full-board including game drives) run: mid-range $200–$420, luxury $500–$850, and ultra-luxury $900–$4,000. Park fees add to this: Serengeti and Ngorongoro are $82.60/adult/day; Tarangire and Lake Manyara are $59.10/adult/day; Ruaha and Mikumi are $35.40/adult/day.
The prices on this site are per person, direct from the operator — no middleman markup layered on. For comparison between budget and luxury options, see value-tier Tanzania safaris and Tanzania's top luxury lodges.
Getting there#
The international gateway for Tanzania's northern circuit is Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), about 45 km east of Arusha. Most international visitors fly via Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Dubai or Doha. Arusha is 2–2.5 hours from Tarangire gate. For the southern circuit the gateway is Dar es Salaam Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR).
Bush flights from Arusha connect to all northern-circuit airstrips: Seronera (central Serengeti) in approximately 1 hour, Ndutu in approximately 1 hour, and Kogatende (northern Serengeti) in approximately 1.5 hours. If you start or finish in Nairobi, see Tanzania safari from Nairobi.
Tanzania or Kenya?#
Tanzania for the Great Migration's full arc — three of its four seasonal phases happen on the Tanzanian side of the border, in the Serengeti. Also Tanzania for Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and the southern wilderness parks that have no Kenyan equivalent. Kenya for conservancy experiences (night drives, walking safaris, horseback) that are not permitted in Tanzania's national parks, easier access from Nairobi, and northern dry-country specials in Samburu that you won't find in the south. Many itineraries combine both countries. See Kenya safari itineraries.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Tanzania safari cost?
- Lodge accommodation is the main cost driver. Verified Tanzania mainland rack rates (per double room per night, high season, full-board) run: mid-range $200–$420, luxury $500–$850, ultra-luxury $900–$4,000. Park fees are on top: Serengeti and Ngorongoro charge $82.60 per adult per day, Tarangire $59.10 per adult per day. Prices on this site are per person, direct from the operator — no middleman margin.
- What is the best time to go on a Tanzania safari?
- It depends on what you most want to see. For calving season and dense predator action, go to the southern Serengeti (Ndutu) in February. For Mara River crossings, target the northern Serengeti (Kogatende) or Kenya's Masai Mara between July and October. For the northern circuit in general, June to October (dry season) is the most reliable window. April and May should be avoided — long rains close most southern camps and make roads difficult.
- How many days do I need for a Tanzania safari?
- Six to eight days is the sweet spot for a first northern circuit: enough time for Tarangire, Ngorongoro, and two to three nights in the Serengeti. Add two to three nights for Zanzibar or a specific migration event. The southern circuit (Ruaha and Nyerere) works well as a five to seven day fly-in trip from Dar es Salaam.
- Do I need a visa for Tanzania?
- Most nationalities require one. Tanzania offers an e-visa online at evisa.go.tz — allow five to ten business days for processing. Citizens of a handful of countries can obtain a visa on arrival, while some East African Community members enter visa-free. Always verify current requirements from official sources before travel.
- Is Tanzania safe for tourists?
- The main safari areas — the northern circuit and Zanzibar — are well-established tourist destinations with a strong local operator infrastructure and no significant security concerns for visitors. Standard travel-safety precautions apply. Check your government's current travel advisory before departure.