Things to do in Tanzania

Tanzania splits cleanly into a mainland safari circuit and an island archipelago, and most visitors do both. Zanzibar sits under an hour by plane or about two hours by fast ferry from Dar es Salaam. Arusha, the safari gateway, is a separate flight.

Two very different halves

• Northern circuit. Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, all reached from Arusha.
• Kilimanjaro. Africa's highest peak, climbed from Moshi rather than Arusha.
• Zanzibar and the coast. Stone Town, the beaches, and Dar es Salaam as the mainland gateway.
• Southern and western parks. Selous/Nyerere and Ruaha, wilder and further, usually a trip of their own.

What the country is for

The draw north of Arusha is the Great Migration, wildebeest and zebra looping through the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro plains. Kilimanjaro pulls a different crowd. Both cost real money in park fees, paid daily, mostly in dollars.

The coast works on its own rhythm, warm water and old trade towns rather than wildlife. Zanzibar's Stone Town, a UNESCO site, grew rich on spice and, for decades, on the slave trade. Further south, beaches and dive reefs stretch toward Mozambique.

Practical

• Weather. The mainland safari circuit runs dry and best for game viewing June-October (24-29C), with rains March-May and a shorter spell October-December. Zanzibar runs its own monsoon: hot and dry December-February and June-October (28-33C), with long rains March-May.
• Park fees. Serengeti and Ngorongoro charge roughly 60-80USD per adult per day, on top of vehicle and crater fees, so budget for this before anything else on a mainland itinerary.
• Getting between regions. Zanzibar to the mainland is about two hours by fast ferry to Dar es Salaam, or a short flight; Arusha and the northern parks go through Kilimanjaro International Airport instead.
• Tipping. Safari guides and Kilimanjaro crews are tipped daily, in cash. A lead guide, an assistant and porters are each tipped separately.
• Health. Malaria risk covers most of the mainland circuit and the coast, Zanzibar included; the highland towns of Arusha and Moshi carry a lower but real risk too.