Tanzania Safaris & Best Tour Packages 2024/25 | From $1140

Yes, Tanzania has a tipping tradition, and this is usually done at the end of the service.

Most of the online sources state that tipping during a safari in Tanzania is not expected, but certainly appreciated.

Well, as far as I can tell, the tourism & hospitality industry has a long history of tipping hence saying that tipping is not expected (meaning it is a surprise when given?) may be a bit misleading.

A specific tipping amount is rather what should be said of unexpected as you should tip based on your satisfaction as well as your budget.

While we strongly recommend that our guests do tipping (especially to the safari guides who play the most important role in the success of the entire tour), tipping is not mandatory and should only be given if the guests are happy with the service they have received.

A clue on what you may tip

We usually suggest that you do tip $ 40 to $ 50 per car per day while in the hotels it is $ 15 to $ 20 per group per day put in a tip box. Porters (in case you climb Kilimanjaro or Meru) are usually tipped separately and it is $ 1 per bag.

Always remember

Tipping isn’t mandatory.

It is important that all our travelers understand that our guides are trained to acknowledge that at times they will get more tips, at times they will get less tip and at times they may get no tips and they must be happy with every situation.

Having said so, you can always tip whatever you consider right, or even not tip at all. I like to believe that you understand the general meaning of “tipping guideline” that you don’t have to do exactly what is in the guideline, it is just a closer idea on what you can do.

In fact, we only set the guidelines a few years ago after most of our customers demanded we give them a rough idea of what would be a fair tip. Coming up with the suggested figure was hard as for others it is seen huge while others consider it being not enough.

If you’re traveling to Tanzania this should be among the top questions that pop in your head, and rightly so.

Well, it should be because it has long been a tradition for the visas to be used when someone enters a foreign country. However, due to different regional integrations and other agreements between a country and another, Visas-free entries are available for some nations to certain countries.

So to answer this question, it well depends on your country of residence.

Visa-free countries

If you’re coming from any of the following countries, congratulations, your entry is Visa-free;

Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, Ashmore & Certie Island, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize, Brunei, British Virgin Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Botswana, Cyprus, Cayman Island, Channel Island, Cocoas Island, Cook Island, Christmas Island, Dominica, Falkland Island, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guernsey, Guyana, Heard Island, Isle of man, Jamaica, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Montserrat, Malaysia, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nauru, Naue Island, Norfolk Island, Namibia, Papua new Guinea, Rwanda, Romania, Ross Dependency, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Island, South Sudan, Swaziland, St. Kitts&Navis, St. Lucia, St. Vicent, St. Helana, South African Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Tokelan, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In the above list, most African countries are Visa-free to Tanzania, while most of the overseas countries require a valid Visa to enter Tanzania.

So if you have not seen your country in the list above, you should not worry.

Referral Visa

Getting a Tanzania Visa is not a headache unless when you’re coming from the country which requires special clearance from the Commissioner General of Immigration or the Commissioner of Immigration (Zanzibar) prior to issuance of the Visa.

This type of Visa is known as Referral Visa. The countries that fall under this category are;

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan Republic, Kyrgystan Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Somali land, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen, and stateless persons or persons with refugee status.

It is strongly advised that you apply for this type of Visa at least two months prior to your Tanzania safari.

A visa you need as a tourist

While Tanzania has up to 7 different types of Visa, the one you need for your safari is Ordinary Visa which is valid for 90 days of a single entry.

This Visa is also known as a single entry visa and it is granted for the purposes of Visit, Tourism, Leisure, Holiday, Attending conferences, Humanitarian and charity activities, family visit, health treatment, or any other purposes that may be decided by the authority.

Tanzania Visa for Americans

However, Americans are required to have a different type of Visa than an Ordinary Visa that is called Multiple-entry Visa. This is the best visa for foreign nationals who visit the country regularly. A good example is directors of companies registered in Tanzania, but they do not reside in the country.

To know more about Visa like;

How to apply for the Tanzania Visa and how much does a Tanzania Visa cost, kindly visit this page for more in-depth information

When it comes to visiting Tanzania, there are the parks that should top your bucket lists. It can be overwhelming to find the top national parks to visit in this noise, but you don’t have to worry. We have carefully put together the parks that every first-time visitor in Tanzania should set their feet if they need a lifetime experience in the country.

Here are our best national parks you should consider in your safari in Tanzania

Serengeti National Park

For more than one occasion, Serengeti has been voted the best safari park in Africa due to its unmatched experiences. To become the top of Africa, SafariBookings conducted an in-depth analysis of over 2,000 reviews of safari tourists and acclaimed travel experts.

In the voting, Serengeti was magnificently rater 4.90/5.

In this best national park in the country, you’ll have several activities to choose from;

• The great migration of over 2 million ungulates (wildebeest, zebras & gazelles)
• Birding to up to 500 species of birds
• Hot air balloon
• Game viewing
• Great wildebeest migration
• Calving experience
• Live predation
• Maasai rock paintings
• Walking safari.

Ngorongoro Crater

This world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera sinking 600 meters deep that hosts wild animals and human beings (Maasai) is a must-do and visit in Ngorongoro.

Tarangire National Park

Perhaps you’re thinking of where is the best place to spot all the Big 5 animals at once.

Well, that park is Ngorongoro.

However, when it comes to seeing the king of all big 5, elephants, there is no better place to visit than in Tarangire Park. It is among the few remaining nature parks on the planet where up to 300 herds of elephants can be spotted.

When it comes to things to do there, you can go on a game drive, guided walking safaris, night game drives, and cultural visits to neighboring villages.

Tarangire is truly the best park to visit for remarkable scenery made of uncountable baobab & acacia trees and if you like birding, there’re hundreds of species.

Lake Manyara National Park

Tree climbing lions aside, I am not sure if there has ever been the best place for birding than in Lake Manyara Park.

Truly, though small, this evergreen park is just beautiful from its scenery to features. Lake Manyara national park is an amazing place to be and enjoy elephants, large flocks of millions of flamingoes, the unusual tree-climbing lions, and the prolific scenery.

Among many activities, the best things to do here are; a day game drive, night game drive, canoeing, cultural tours, mountain bike tours, and the Treetop Walkway.

Did I mention that the park has more than 600 flowering plants and more than 300 species of birds? In fact, Lake Manyara Park is the best place to enjoy both the territorial & migrant birds from Europe and Asia in your holiday in Tanzania making it among the best national parks to visit in Tanzania & East Africa.

Arusha National Park

Without a doubt, the best park for day trips is the closest park to Arusha city.

Arusha Park is home to Mount Meru which prolongs 14,968 feet high making it the 5^th highest peak in the continent.

This park is blessed with prolific birding to more than 500 bird species while it is also home to elephant, the black-and-white colobus Cape buffalo, zebra, warthog, monkey, flamingo, bushbuck, giraffe, and the blue monkey among many.

Game drive, birding, canoeing in the small Momela Lake, mount Meru climbing (takes 4 days), a visit to Ngurdoto crater famously known as a little Ngorongoro, visiting an iconic Fig tree arch as well as cultural tourism to the neighboring community are among the best experiences one may have in this city nearby park.

Kilimanjaro National Park

Can you guess how many travelers make an attempt to climb Kilimanjaro each year?

Any idea, hundreds? A certain ten thousand, maybe?

Well, it’s more than 30,000

In fact, more than thirty thousand adventurous travelers from all over the world try to climb the top of Kilimanjaro and on the way, they usually get rewarded with one of the most incredible sites on the planet.

The top of Kilimanjaro is known to be 5,895 meters, the highest in Africa. Nonetheless, that doesn’t tell it all, this is indeed the highest free-standing mountain in the world making Kilimanjaro national park one of the very best parks to visit.

Kilimanjaro, which is listed in UNESCO World Heritage sites is can be done as a day trip where a partial hike to this mountain will give you an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful vegetation
along with a fantastic view of both Mawenzi and Kibo peaks (the two highest peaks of the Mountain).

Furthermore, in a day trip to Kilimanjaro Mountain, you’ll also be rewarded by a view of the likes of black and white colobus while also having an opportunity to visit a small crater known as Maundi.

What’s more, there is a plateau in Shira which is known as Shira, simply the best place to see the true remains of molten lava, and the deep caldera that expired about half a million years ago. There is nothing that compares the beauty of the Shira rocks and valleys.

Now, if you want to reach the top of this Mountain where you’ll get rewarded with a certificate from Kilimanjaro National Park Authority, you need something from 5 to 8 days.

During these days (regardless of the number of days you decide, they’re well determined by the route you take) have no doubt that you’re going to be treated with among the world’s most beautiful & unique scenery.

Nyerere National Park

It isn’t only it is of the largest National Parks in Africa that makes Nyerere one of the best parks to visit in Tanzania. In fact, nothing compares to Nyerere which is part of the legendary Selous Game Reserve which itself is among the largest remaining animal sanctuaries on Earth.

While Nyerere national park offers among the finest boating safaris than anywhere else in the continent, it receives fewer visitors making it the most undisturbed remaining wilderness of Africa.

From the guided walking tours, traditional game drive, boat safaris around Rufiji River, and birding to more than 400 species of birds in Nyerere, there are good more activities in this park that are liked for being less crowded.

Nyerere National Park is blessed with a wide range of wild animals starting from waterbucks, zebras, impalas, buffaloes, black rhinos, elephants, hippos, crocodiles, and lions just to name a few.

By the same token, the park is beautifully blanketed with the vegetation habitats of acacia-Terminalia woodlands, savannah, and miombo woodlands.

Ruaha National Park

I like to call this park a two in one as it also hosts Usangu game reserve, made of small mountains, great grasses making it an epic to spot animals.

This small game reserve is also home for woodlands and miombo that host elephants, lions, leopards, and buffalos just to name a handful.

Game reserve aside here is a few highlights of Ruaha national park;

• It is the 2^nd largest national park in Tanzania
• It is one of Africa’s most lions and elephants’ populated areas with more than 2,000 lions.
• It is home to the Great Ruaha River which is one of the main tributaries of Rufiji River, the largest in East Africa which provides life to thousands of elephants.

Over and above that, now there is this one this feature that makes Ruaha national park unique, it is among the best places to viewing big packs of wild dogs, the best national park for viewing big pride of lions predating hence attracting up to 21,000 annual visitors.

Saadani National Park

It is uncommon and rare when a wildlife bush meets and ocean.

And in Tanzania, at Saadani National Park is only place where the bush meets the beach! Only National Park in the country that borders the sea.

In your Tanzania safari, it is here in Saadani, you get both wildlife experience and beach experience all at the same time and at right at the same place.

Taking you about only 4-hour drive from Dar es Salaam, you’ll have enough time to exclusively experience;

• Game drive to where you’ll be lucky to spot Elephants, Wild dogs, Zebras, Buffalo, and wildebeest among many.
• Boat safari
• Birding to over 100 species of birds

Another highlight of Saadani Park is hippos and crocodiles thanks to the Wami River which crosses right in the park.

You won’t afford to miss a trip to Saadani if you’re going to do your safari in Tanzania on the Eastern circuit.

Mikumi National Park

If you’re going to be in Dar es Salaam on your trip to Tanzania, Mikumi should top your list in the best national parks to visit in the country.

Needlessly to say, this is the 5^th largest national park in Tanzania only after, Nyerere, Ruaha, Serengeti, and Katavi National Parks.

Apart from being located in the country’s biggest city, Mikumi offers an opportunity to view big numbers of elephants, buffaloes, impalas, giraffes, zebras, lions all seeking to cool their bodies under the baobab trees during the sunny season.

When in Mikumi, you can do some of the following activities;

• Game drives.
• Nature Walks
• Birding to approximately 500 bird species
• Picnics
• Camping

Conclusion

Achieving your Tanzania Safari requires careful done planning and research.

Why?

They’re more than 10 best national parks in Tanzania and focusing on all of them can become a huge distraction.

If you focus on all national parks in the country from; Saanane, Burigi-Chato, Rubondo, Gombe, Mahale Mountains, Ibanda-Kyerwa, Rumanyika – Karagwe, Kigosi, Ugalla, Mkomazi, Udzungwa National Parks plus the other 10 explained in this article, you’ll end up wasting a lot of time.

Start by narrowing down your choices and with a chat or two with our safari planning expert, your safari in Tanzania will start taking shape.

Have I mentioned your favorite national park(s) in Tanzania? Please let me know your favorites and why you’d like to visit them.

Well, it should be because it has long been a tradition for the visas to be used when someone enters a foreign country. However, due to different regional integrations and other agreements between a country and another, Visas-free entries are available for some nations to certain countries.

So to answer this question, it well depends on your country of residence.

Visa-free countries.

If you’re coming from any of the following countries, congratulations, your entry is Visa-free;

Antigua & Barbuda, Anguilla, Ashmore & Certie Island, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Belize, Brunei, British Virgin Island, British Indian Ocean Territory, Botswana, Cyprus, Cayman Island, Channel Island, Cocoas Island, Cook Island, Christmas Island, Dominica, Falkland Island, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guernsey, Guyana, Heard Island, Isle of man, Jamaica, Jersey, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Montserrat, Malaysia, Madagascar, Malta, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nauru, Naue Island, Norfolk Island, Namibia, Papua new Guinea, Rwanda, Romania, Ross Dependency, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Island, South Sudan, Swaziland, St. Kitts&Navis, St. Lucia, St. Vicent, St. Helana, South African Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks & Caicos, Tokelan, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

In the above list, most African countries are Visa free to Tanzania, while most of the overseas countries requires a valid Visa to enter Tanzania.

So if you have not seen your country in the list above, you should not worry.

Referral Visa

Getting a Tanzania Visa is not a headache unless when you’re coming from the country which require special clearance from the Commissioner General of Immigration or the Commissioner of Immigration (Zanzibar) prior to issuance of the Visa.

This type of Visa is known as Referral Visa. The countries that falls under this category are;

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chad, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan Republic, Kyrgystan Republic, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Senegal, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Somali land, Sierra Leone, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Yemen and stateless persons or persons with refugee status.

It is strongly advised that you apply for this type of Visa at least two months prior to your visit to Tanzania.

A visa type you need as a tourist

While Tanzania has up to 7 different types of Visa, the one you need for your safari is Ordinary Visa which is valid for 90 days of a single entry.

This Visa is also known as a single entry visa and it is granted for the purposes of Visit, Tourism, Leisure, Holiday, Attending conferences, Humanitarian and charity activities, family visit, health treatment or any other purposes that may be decided by the authority.

Tanzania Visa for Americans

However, Americans are required to have a different type of Visa than an Ordinary Visa that is called Multiple-entry Visa. This is the best visa for foreign nationals who visit the country regularly. A good example is directors of companies registered in Tanzania, but they do not reside in the country.

Yes, Tanzania has a tipping tradition, and this is usually done at the end of the service.

Most of the online sources states that tipping in Tanzania is not expected, but certainly appreciated.

Well, as far as I can tell, tourism & hospitality industry has a long history of tipping hence saying that tipping is not expected (meaning it is a surprise when given?) may be a bit misleading.

A specific tipping amount is rather what should be said of unexpected as you should tip based on your satisfaction as well as your budget.

While we strongly recommend that our guests do tipping (especially to the safari guides who play the most important role in the success of the entire tour), tipping is not mandatory and should only be given if the guests are happy with the service they have received.

A clue on what you may tip

We usually suggest that you do tip $ 40 to $ 50 per car per day while in the hotels it is $ 15 to $ 20 per group per day put in a tip box. Porters (in case you climb Kilimanjaro or Meru) are usually tipped separately and it is $ 1 per bag.

Always remember

Tipping isn’t mandatory.

It is important that all our travellers understand that our guides are trained to acknowledge that at times they will get more tips, at times they will get fewer tips and at times they may get no tips and they must be happy with every situation.

Having said so, you can always tip whatever you consider right, or even not tip at all. I like to believe that you understand the general meaning of “tipping guideline” that you don’t have to do exactly what is in the guideline, it is just a closer idea on what you can do.

In fact, we only set the guidelines a few years ago after most of our customers demanded we give them a rough idea of what would be a fair tip. Coming up with the suggested figure was hard as for others it is seen huge while others consider it being not enough.

However, if you’re service provider doesn’t have the global saving plan with the country of Tanzania, you’ll find yourself stunned with a hefty cell phone bill.

Thanks to the Airport, Accommodations, and Safari vehicles WIFI service, your communication won’t much of a trouble when you’re here.

While airport WIFI can be unreliable, most accommodations now have WIFI with good connections. Again, our vehicles have a complimentary WIFI that will keep you covered during game drives on your safari in Tanzania.

In addition, If you like (for example when you’re likely to stay for a bit long in Tanzania so you’d like to communicate keep on phone calls among yourselves, you can always get a local SIM card with ease. And together with a new phone and airtime, that may well cost as low as $25.

Some of the most prominent local network providers are; TTCL, Vodacom, Tigo, Airtel, and Halotel.

With that in regard, your guide will always be there to make suggestions that will definitely help you make better decisions.

Further information;

Most hotels have Wi-Fi, and there is a cell phone signal in most areas. You can also buy a SIM card for your phone in the town but need to register it by your name/passport. For security reasons destroy the SIM card after use.

There are telephones in most lodges/hotels but it is too expensive to call from there. The country code for Tanzania is +255

Absolutely, one of the things you should worry less while in your Tanzania Safari is drinking water. However, this one has an exception—when you’re travelling with an unreliable operator.

Most ethical operators take care of their customers’ safety, which includes health safety as they know among many, messing their guest’s health would be bad for their reputation especially if they get regularly ill.

That said, tap water is suspect, but bottled water is widely available and reasonably priced.

While the lodge supplies you with mineral water for brushing your teeth in your room, we will have plenty of mineral water for you in the safari vehicle and you can use that in your room if necessary.

While financial technology has massively advanced over the past decade, Tanzania has not been left behind in this area. This enables you to use your credit card at will when in your safari in Tanzania.

The only important thing here is that with help of your guide, you choose the option that will not cost you more charges.

Generally, in Tanzania credit cards are not frequently used, however, you can always obtain local currency by using your credit card in an ATM or in a change office in the airport. That way, you can use Tanzania Shillings to pay for the services and well, you will end up paying less than if you were to use USD, Euro, or Pound.

The unit of currency is the Tanzanian shilling, divided into 100 cents.

The exchange rate of around US$1 = Tsh 2,230 is reasonably stable, but like most African currencies the shilling has steadily devalued against USD in recent years. Bills come in denominations of Tsh 10000, 5000, 2000 and 1000 banknotes, and 500, 200, 100, and 50 coins.

Most tourist-class hotels quote rates in US dollars, and many will expect to be paid in USD currency.

National park fees and airport taxes are paid in USD. Otherwise, restaurant or bar bills, goods bought at a market or shop, and most other casual purchases prefer to paid in USD though they also accept local currency – indeed, service providers geared towards the local economy seldom have the facility to accept foreign banknotes.

You can use your credit card (visa and master card only) to make some payments in some places but a 4%-5% fee will be charged while paying by credit card (most small hotels, shops and restaurants accept cash only but the big ones accept credit cards). You can also use your credit cards to get money from the ATM (located in all the big towns), but they will only give you local currency.

Foreign currency cash can be changed into Tanzanian shillings at any bank or bureau de change (known locally as forex bureaux). Banking hours are 08.30-15.00 on weekdays. Closed at mid-day on Saturdays and don’t open at all on Sundays and public holidays.

US dollar bills printed before 2006, particularly larger denominations such as US$100 and US$50, are usually rejected by banks and bureau de changes (so only bring banknotes printed in 2006 or later). Small denominations have a lower exchange rate than the larger banknotes (so avoid carrying too much single dollars)

In fact, you can always access the internet when you’re here in your Tanzania safari tour.

Thanks to the Airport, Accommodations, and Safari vehicles WIFI service, your communication won’t much of a trouble when you’re here.

While airport WIFI can be unreliable, most accommodations now have WIFI with good connections. Again, our vehicles have a complimentary WIFI that will keep you covered during game drives on your safari in Tanzania.

Again, you can buy a local SIM card and use it for much cheaper internet in case you won’t be much happy with WIFI. However, most of our guests settle well with WIFI connections.

Perhaps I’m biased, but I believe there is never a bad time to visit Tanzania. That said, however, there are definitely better times, depending on your vacation goals.

High season is from June to early November; in this dry season, animals like to gather at the water pools & rivers to drink and cool off. It is through these moments live predating can be witnessed as the big cats take their chances.

The high season doesn’t tell it all though, from December to March for example is when the massive calving season occurs in Serengeti where at its peak, up to 10,000 calves are born daily for up to 3 weeks.  You may already sense how this calving season can attract hundreds of predators leaving a scandal on the way.

April through May is a great time to find discount safari. Keep in mind that it can be extremely wetter but surely, the season is still rewarding wildlife viewing especially in Ngorongoro crater and in Serengeti is guaranteed the full year.

Most travellers like to grab the best deals in the off-season with the exclusivity of the parks in consideration due to less crowds. Birding is at the best also as the migratory birds from Europe and Asia meets their Tanzania colleagues here making a low season is absolutely lovely.

If there are places on the planet where your heart can be stolen by friendly local people, Tanzania should be there, topping the list, even.

This is no bragging, neither over-exaggerating. Most travellers who visits Tanzania agrees that Tanzania is a country with very friendly people who are always welcoming to the tourists too.

The citizens of Tanzania are very friendly and willing to help at any time there is problem. There is no such a thing like mind your own business for a Tanzanian when he/she clearly sees someone needs help. Whether a stranger or not.

Generosity is like a culture for the Tanzanians, they’re known for this even by the fellow African countries. For this reason alone, most of our guests landed the country as strangers before leaving as friends.

Tanzania has a pleasant tropical climate and to describe its weather, I will use two regions. Dar es Salaam and Arusha since these two regions will give you the best idea of the weather situation in the country.

Dar es Salaam is the most populous city in the country as well as the important economic center in East Africa.

Dar es Salaam will give you an idea of the warmer regions of Tanzania while Arusha, famously known as Geneva of Africa due to its weather like, will give you a taste in colder regions of the country.

Let’s start with Dar es Salaam weather, shall we?

Weather in Dar es Salaam

If you’re tired of cold uninspiring weather, Dar es Salaam may well give you an escape

Dar es Salaam is one of the hottest cities in Tanzania. Do not bring jackets and pullovers in Dar es Salaam, they are worthless there.

With hot and humid weather almost the full year, the simple lightweight outfit will do when embarking best things to do in Dar es Salaam

In Dar es Salaam it rains as well

In a normal year, Dar es Salaam has two rainy seasons usually in April and May as well as in November and December.

Rainy season in Dar es Salaam won’t mean excessive cold though, the city will still be warm though not as much.

Weather in Arusha

Now, this is what makes most visitors fall in love with the city. The cool dry air prevails almost the full year.

It is one of those few regions on the planet where the cold is moderate while the hot weather doesn’t prevail very aggressively.

With temperature usually ranging between 5 and 30 degrees, on most occasions 25 degrees annual temperature is recorded, Arusha has the most rewarding weather in Tanzania.