Tanzania

Tanzania has three safari circuits, and each one of them, in its own right, would make Tanzania a top wildlife destination. The popular Northern circuit with the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater offers one of the best classical safaris in Africa, especially if timed with the annual wildebeest migration.

Pros & Cons

• Superb wildlife viewing, including the annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti
• Off-the-beaten-track safaris in Nyerere and Ruaha parks
• Several wildlife viewing circuits for repeat visits
• Best chimp trekking in Africa in Gombe and Mahale Mountains
• Beach holiday extensions in Zanzibar
• Traditional indigenous cultures
• Relatively expensive safari destination
• Some popular parks can be crowded

Wildlife

You’ll have few problems spotting the more-prominent African animals in Tanzania, including lion, elephant, giraffe and buffalo. For big cats, you’ll want to head to the Serengeti, while Ngorongoro Crater is where you want to be for a chance of seeing black rhino. Other wildlife highlights include chimpanzee trekking, checking out African wild dogs, and being awestruck by the several million wildebeest, gazelle and zebra on their annual migration.

Weather & Climate

The Dry season (June to October) sees the temperature vary between 20°C/68°F and 30°C/86°F. It’s useful to remember, the higher the altitude, the cooler it will be. The Wet season (November to May) kicks off with showers (the ‘short rains’), followed by a drier interlude and then heavy downfalls (the ‘long rains’) from March.

Best Time To Visit

To see the incredible spectacle of the great migration, you need to visit during the Dry season (June to October). Wildlife watching across the country is also at a premium at this time. That said, the northern-circuit parks still have productive game drives in the Wet season (November to May). And January and February is the time when wildebeest calving in the Serengeti attracts lots of predators.