Tanzania Travel Tips & Practical Information

Tanzania is a year-round destination, but each season gives a different trip. June to October is the dry season: animals gather near water, grass is short and game viewing is at its easiest. January and February bring the calving season in the southern Serengeti, with good weather between the rains.

The long rains fall from March to May. Some camps close, but the parks are green, quiet and cheaper. The short rains of November and early December come as brief showers and rarely spoil a trip.

For the Great Migration, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar, the best months differ. Our guide to the best time to visit Tanzania goes through every month.

Tanzania lies just south of the equator, so days are warm all year and the seasons are about rain rather than temperature. Altitude matters more than the month: the Ngorongoro rim at 2,300 m is cold at night, while the coast is hot and humid.

Most visitors need a visa. Apply online on the official Tanzania e-visa portal at least two weeks before you fly. A single-entry tourist visa costs US$50 for most nationalities and US citizens pay US$100 for a multiple-entry visa.

Your passport must be valid for six months after arrival, with blank pages. A visa on arrival is still possible at the main airports, but queues can be long and you need US dollars in cash.

A yellow fever certificate is required if you arrive from, or have had a long transit in, a country with yellow fever risk, which includes Kenya. Without it you may be refused entry or vaccinated at the airport.

Talk to a travel clinic at least six weeks before departure about routine vaccinations and others often advised for East Africa, such as hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus. Up-to-date advice by country is published by the World Health Organization.

Malaria is present in most of Tanzania below about 1,800 m, including the parks and Zanzibar. Ask your doctor about antimalarial tablets, use a DEET-based repellent in the evening, wear long sleeves after dark and sleep under the nets provided in camps.

Drink bottled or filtered water, which lodges and camps provide. Bring any prescription medicines in your hand luggage, a small first-aid kit and high-factor sunscreen: the equatorial sun is strong even when it feels cool.

Comprehensive travel insurance is essential. Make sure it covers medical treatment, emergency evacuation by air and, if you climb, trekking up to 6,000 m for Kilimanjaro. Keep the policy number and emergency phone number with you.

Many travellers also take tourist evacuation cover from AMREF Flying Doctors, which runs air ambulances across East Africa from Nairobi. It complements your insurance and means a plane can be sent to a remote airstrip quickly.

Tanzania is stable and welcoming, and millions of visitors travel safely every year. On safari you are with your guide throughout; in towns, keep valuables out of sight, carry only the cash you need and use a taxi arranged by your hotel after dark.

On Zanzibar, dress modestly away from the beach. Always read your government's current advice before you book, for example the UK Foreign Office advice for Tanzania.

The currency is the Tanzanian shilling (TZS), but US dollars are widely accepted for tourism. Bring clean US dollar notes printed after 2009 in small denominations for tips. Cards work in larger hotels and lodges, and ATMs are found in Arusha, Moshi and Zanzibar, but not in the parks.

Tipping is customary. As a guide, many travellers give their safari guide US$15–25 per person per day and add a shared tip for camp staff. On Kilimanjaro, tips for guides, cooks and porters are paid at the end of the climb.

Pack neutral colours, layers for cold mornings, a hat, sunglasses and comfortable shoes. Use a soft bag: light aircraft between the parks usually allow about 15 kg per person including hand luggage.

Leave camouflage clothing and plastic carrier bags at home: both are banned in Tanzania. Binoculars are the most useful thing you can bring.

Most safaris start at Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), an hour from Arusha. Dar es Salaam (DAR) serves the southern parks, and Zanzibar (ZNZ) has direct international flights too. We meet every guest at the airport.

Between parks you travel in a private 4x4 with a pop-up roof, or by light aircraft on longer trips. Flights from the Serengeti to Zanzibar take about two hours with a stop.

Tanzanians value greetings: a smile and "Jambo" (hello) or "Asante" (thank you) go a long way. Always ask before photographing people, especially in Maasai villages, and use your right hand to give or receive.

Dress modestly in towns and villages, covering shoulders and knees, and respect prayer times on Zanzibar, which is mostly Muslim.

We employ local guides, cooks and drivers, choose lodges that treat staff and communities well, and keep group sizes small. Park fees fund conservation and anti-poaching, so every safari helps protect the wildlife you come to see.

You can help too: keep a respectful distance from animals, never feed them, avoid single-use plastic and buy crafts directly from the people who make them.

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