Planning a Tanzania safari: when to go, budget and itineraries

Starting from Arusha, the northern circuit strings together Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Allow four days at the very least, six if you do not want to spend your days on the road: the drive from Karatu to the central Serengeti alone takes four to five hours. Park fees add up fast, 70.80 USD per person per day in the Serengeti, plus 295 USD per vehicle to drive down into the crater. The dry season, June to October, gathers wildlife around waterholes and vehicles around the big cats.

Moshi, an hour from Kilimanjaro International Airport, is the base for climbs. The summit, Uhuru Peak, takes six to eight days depending on the route: the longer the itinerary, the better the acclimatisation and the higher the success rate. The driest windows run from January to March and from June to October. Without going to the top, the slopes make a good day out: Chagga village coffee farms, where you roast beans with the growers, and the Materuni waterfalls thirty minutes' drive away.

Unguja, the main island, divides between Stone Town, the old Swahili quarter, and beaches that differ sharply by coast. In the north, Nungwi and Kendwa keep swimmable water at low tide; on the east coast, Paje and Jambiani have a lagoon that drains for hundreds of metres, great for kitesurfing but frustrating for swimming. Three nights by the sea are enough after a safari. Budget for the mandatory 44 USD insurance to enter the island. To extend in the Indian Ocean, the granite islands of the Seychelles connect by air via Dar es Salaam or the Gulf.

Less famous than the Serengeti, Nyerere (formerly Selous) and Ruaha see far fewer vehicles. You reach them by bush plane from Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar, which raises the budget but saves hours of rough track. The Rufiji River allows boat safaris, and camps offer walking safaris with an armed ranger. Many close during the long rains of April and May, so aim for June to October. For a more independent self-drive safari in a rental car, South Africa remains a cheaper alternative.

Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city, is rarely a destination in itself but rather a one-night stop before the southern parks or the ferry to Zanzibar, a crossing of about two hours. Kariakoo market and the Kivukoni fish market are best visited in the morning. Some sixty kilometres north, Bagamoyo holds the ruins of a former slave-trade port. Further south, Mafia Island draws divers for its whale sharks, seen in season roughly between October and March.

Tanzania is not a cheap destination: a group camping safari starts at around 180 to 250 USD per day all inclusive, and private lodge safaris quickly pass 500 USD. Over a week mixing parks and Zanzibar, allow roughly 132 EUR a day as a backpacker, 317 EUR in comfort and 774 EUR at the top end, plus a Paris to Kilimanjaro return flight of around 800 EUR. The lowest rates fall in April and May, during the long rains. July to September, the migration peak, combines full rates with lodges booked out months ahead.