Tanzania Safaris

The wildest piece of Africa

Tanzania, a country where nature is in its rawest and purest form. Home of Africa’s greatest wonders. The big five, the great migration on the plains of the Serengeti and the animal-packed Ngorongoro Crater. Together they lie in the shadows of Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro. Its impressive snowy peaks and breathtaking views watch over the millions of wild animals and broad variety of landscapes. Next to that lie its islands with pearly white, tropical beaches, turquoise ocean and blooming underwater life. A place where everyone can find their inner peace.

The Best Time to Visit Tanzania

The top parks – Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, and Tarangire deliver superb year-round game viewing, but visitor numbers peak from about June to October.
Mount Kilimanjaro: the best weather conditions in which to climb are between July and October or January to March.
For a tropical beach holiday, the best time to visit Tanzania’s coast, Zanzibar, and other islands are between June to March.
Traveling during the long rains (April to May), you could have a week of sunshine or a week of rain – but you’ll get low season rates.
During the green season (January to March and November to December) – least crowded, lots of baby animals around, and a fantastic time for bird watching
During peak season (June to October) – cool and dry weather and good photography conditions

Tanzania Climate

Tanzania has a pleasant, tropical climate, but has large regional climatic variations influenced by several factors, including altitude.

The northern part of Tanzania knows warm days and cool evenings, meaning you can sleep nicely under a blacket without the airconditioning on. Humidity is usually quite pleasant, but varies due to altitude- and season changes. There’s no real winter or summer, just a distinct wet & dry season. Arusha is the town closest to the most popular northern parks and has a comparably mild climate.

June-October – Temperatures are usually between 20°C-35°C/, but can vary greatly according to altitude and location. In Arusha it’s mildly warm during the day with cool evenings. When you’re going on safari (south-wards) day-temperatures can rise quickly.

March-May – These are the wettest months. Also called the big rain season. It tends to rain heavily almost every day, usually short, heavy downfalls at the beginning and end of the day.

November & December – The short rains. A period of about a month of short rains which occurs sometime between November and December. Its timing is unpredictable and, in Northern Tanzania, it can even happen in October. The rains will rarely interfere with your safari.

January & February – The northern parks and coastal areas tend to have a break in the rainy season and is often a popular period to visit the country. The other parks don’t really experience a dry spell.

People and Culture

Some of Tanzania’s 120 ethnic groups make up the African population, with a significant numbers of Asians, Arabs and Europeans too. Even with this mix of identities, Tanzania has long promoted a harmonious national culture, one that is based on a subtle but strong social code of courtesy and respect. English and Swahili are the official languages.

Landscape and Wildlife

Lying between the two arms of the Great Rift Valley, Tanzania’s huge central plateau is bounded on the west by Africa’s great lakes, the north by mountains (including Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak) and the Indian Ocean in the east. Most of the country is covered in grassland, open woodland and savannah, but significant pockets of rainforest exist in remote mountain ranges.

Home to 20% of Africa’s large mammals, Tanzania is one of the continent’s premier game viewing destinations. More than 25% of the country is given over to conservation and several Tanzania animal reserves rank among the biggest in the world. Most visitors head for northern Tanzania, where the most famous and accessible animal reserves are. But it’s in south and central Tanzania where you’ll find huge, virtually unvisited savannah and rainforest reserves that deliver genuine off-the-beaten-track safaris.