Tanzania is one of the most spectacular countries in Africa with a vast array of delights to catch. Famed for the Serengeti and the nearby Ngorongoro crater, home to some of the most amazing wildlife on the planet. On the eastern side of the country, there are a number of impressive beaches as well as the mercurial island of Zanzibar, which feels like a completely different country all together. Many people also visit Tanzania to climb Africa’s highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro. Take some time to catch this incredible country, which remains stable and welcoming to visitors despite some internal challenges.
Community Tips For Tanzania
Arusha or Moshi is the base point for visiting the Serengeti and Kilimanjaro. Not much to see there as such but a good place to stock on supplies before or after you go into nature. The main cities of Dodoma and Dar-Es-Salaam are also more like gateways than main sites in themselves.
Swahili is the main language and more widely spoken than English. Learn a few words more than hakuna matata and it will go a long way.
Think very carefully about how you want to visit the Serengeti. There are many ways of doing so with a variety of options and costs from camping upto luxury lodge. Base your decision on experience as well as comfort.
Take some magazines or clothes for some of the locals you meet. Despite the impressive scenery, many people are very poor and will value your second hand items far more than it is possible to explain.
Explore Tanzania
Serengeti
If possible, try to go on an organised camping trip. This will give you one of the best experiences of your life. There are no fences but the animals will not come into your tent (Rich.)
Don’t follow the crowd. It can be tempting to be in the queue of 40 vehicles to a see a lion. Try to find a tour and guide that will show you some of the more intimate areas.
Combine it with a visit to the Ngorongoro crater. Again many ways you can do this but take care when you camp at the top as the area is full of wildlife.
Try to drive when down in the crater. Some guides have allowed their passengers to take over the driving and doing so with lions to either side will be an experience you will never forget.
Zanzibar
Going by boat from Dar is the best way but the water is notoriously choppy. Take medication if you suffer in any way from sea sickness.
The open street food and BBQ in Stone House is legendary. As long as the meat is cooked well, it should be good to eat.
Remember that Zanzibar is deeply muslim. So respect the culture and prepare yourself for the very loud call to prayer.
Diving and snorkelling is available for all abilities so you should do this even if you are a novice.
Explore some of the fascinating and sometimes unsavoury parts of Zanzibar’s past. And don’t forget to catch the Freddie Mercury museum in Shangani!
Kilimanjaro
You can’t climb independently and Tanzanian law requires you to go with a licensed operator, so book a registered tour company well in advance (especially for the June–October and December–February peak seasons, when routes get booked up fast).
There are several routes up the mountain (Machame, Marangu, Lemosho, Rongai), varying in scenery, crowds and cost. The longer 7-8 day routes give your body more time to acclimatise and have a noticeably higher summit success rate than the shorter 5-6 day ones.
Budget more than you might expect. Trek prices typically range from around $1,800 to $4,000+ depending on route, operator and group size, and this usually includes guides, porters, meals and park fees, but tipping your crew at the end is customary and not optional in practice.
Altitude sickness is the biggest reason people don’t make it to the top, not fitness. Choosing a longer route and taking it slowly (“pole pole” as the local guides say) matters more than how fit you are.
