Tanzania

Tanzania, in a few days

The Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater by 4x4, then the beaches of Zanzibar: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

Day by day

1

Arusha and Kilimanjaro

Days 1-2

Arusha is the starting town of the northern safari circuit. To the east rises Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 m the highest mountain in Africa, clearest in the early morning.

🎟️ Worth booking

• A day in Arusha National ParkFull day · from €75
  Giraffes, colobus monkeys and the flamingos of the Momella lakes below Mount Meru. A gentle start before the big parks.

✦ Free to visit

• The view of Kilimanjaro
• The markets of Arusha
• The coffee farms on the slopes
• Waterfalls in the forest

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Arusha Backpackers ↗ (€20 a night) · Mid-range: Gran Melia Arusha ↗ (€150 a night) · Luxury: Arusha Coffee Lodge ↗ (€250 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Arusha and Kilimanjaro on GetYourGuide

2

Serengeti

Days 3-5 · 🚙 4x4 6h

Nearly 15,000 km² of grass plains, crossed every year by the Great Migration: well over a million wildebeest, with zebras and gazelles following the rains.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Full-day 4x4 safariFull day · from €150
  Dawn to dusk on the plains with a guide, following the herds and the big cats that follow them.
• Hot-air balloon at dawnMorning · from €450
  An hour drifting low over the savannah at sunrise, with breakfast in the bush when you land.

✦ Free to visit

• The Great Migration (in season)
• The Big Five
• Sunset over the savannah
• The waterholes

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Serengeti Kifaru Tented Lodge ↗ (€90 a night) · Mid-range: Serengeti Serena Lodge ↗ (€280 a night) · Luxury: Four Seasons Serengeti ↗ (€750 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Serengeti on GetYourGuide

3

Ngorongoro Crater

Day 6 · 🚙 4x4 3h

The caldera of a collapsed volcano, about 19 km across and 600 m deep. Its floor holds one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa, black rhino included.

🎟️ Worth booking

• A 4x4 day in the craterFull day · from €160
  Down the crater wall at first light for a day on the floor, among lions, buffalo, elephants and the black rhino that is so hard to see elsewhere.

✦ Free to visit

• The view from the crater rim
• The wildlife of the crater floor
• Maasai villages (seen from the road)

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Octagon Lodge ↗ (€70 a night) · Mid-range: Ngorongoro Serena ↗ (€290 a night) · Luxury: The Manor at Ngorongoro ↗ (€700 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Ngorongoro Crater on GetYourGuide

4

Zanzibar

Days 7-10 · ✈️ Domestic flight 1h30

The spice island. Stone Town, UNESCO-listed since 2000, and white beaches on the Indian Ocean where dhows still sail.

🎟️ Worth booking

• Stone Town and a spice tourHalf day · from €35
  The lanes and carved doors of the old town, then a farm where cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon grow.
• Snorkelling at MnembaFull day · from €55
  A boat out to the reef around Mnemba atoll, off the north-east coast, where dolphins and turtles are often seen.

✦ Free to visit

• Nungwi and Paje beaches
• Stone Town
• Sunset over the Indian Ocean
• The lagoons at high tide

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Princess Salme Inn ↗ (€40 a night) · Mid-range: Zanzibar White Sand ↗ (€220 a night) · Luxury: Baraza Resort ↗ (€550 a night) · All places to stay by budget →

📲 Book things to do in Zanzibar on GetYourGuide

Worth sorting before you go

A safari 4x4, then a flight · A 4x4 with a driver-guide through the northern parks, then a short flight from Arusha to Zanzibar.

📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly

🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta

🚗 Car hire
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking

💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut

🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer

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Flavours & local habits

🍽️ Worth tasting

• Ugali: a stiff maize porridge, the base of most meals, eaten with the fingers.
• Nyama choma: grilled meat, usually goat or beef, shared at the table.
• Swahili cooking in Zanzibar: coconut curries, octopus and spices from the island farms.
• Mishkaki: marinated skewers grilled at street stalls.
• Spiced chai and fresh fruit juices.

⚠️ Best avoided

• Booking a safari with an unlicensed operator, or ignoring the rangers' instructions in the parks.
• Travelling without malaria prophylaxis, or drinking tap water.
• Paying before agreeing the price: settle it first, and bargain with a smile.
• Beachwear in Stone Town and the villages of Zanzibar: cover up away from the beach.
• Packing plastic bags: they have been banned since 2019 and can be taken from you on arrival.

Words that help

English ↔ Swahili

✈️ Flight delayed by 3 hours or more, or cancelled? You may be owed up to €600. Check your flight on AirHelp.

The practical page

Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/tanzania

Packing checklist

Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.