Zanzibar white-sand beach with a traditional dhow
Zanzibar
Powder-soft sand, warm turquoise water and the historic, spice-scented lanes of Stone Town — the perfect way to end a safari.
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Serengeti landscape at golden hour with acacia trees — 2400×1400
Where Tanzania Begins
Tanzania Destinations
From the endless plains of the Serengeti to the spice-scented shores of Zanzibar, Tanzania holds some of the most extraordinary wild places on Earth. Discover the parks, craters, mountains and coastlines that make it the finest safari country in Africa.
IThe Lay of the Land
A Country of Wild Extremes
Tanzania is vast — nearly a million square kilometres — and almost a third of it is protected as national parks, conservation areas and game reserves. That single fact is why it consistently ranks as the world’s greatest safari destination. Nowhere else can you watch a million wildebeest thunder across open grassland, descend into an ancient volcanic crater teeming with lions, stand on the roof of Africa, and end the same trip barefoot on a coral-white beach.
For most first-time travellers, Tanzania divides into three broad regions. The Northern Circuit — the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara — is the classic, accessible heart of the safari world, easily combined into one seamless journey from our home city of Arusha. The Southern and Western parks — Nyerere (Selous), Ruaha and Mahale — are wilder, quieter and perfect for return travellers seeking true solitude. And the Coast and Islands — above all Zanzibar — offer the ideal way to unwind after the dust and drama of the plains.
How to think about a Tanzania itinerary
The great advantage of the north is proximity: the parks sit within a few hours’ drive of one another, so a week can comfortably take in three or four completely different ecosystems. A typical journey begins in Tarangire or Lake Manyara, climbs to the Ngorongoro Crater, and finishes on the Serengeti plains, timed to the movements of the migration. Add a few days on Zanzibar and you have the trip of a lifetime. Below, we introduce the places our travellers love most — but remember, every WonderNest itinerary is built from scratch around you.
Wildebeest herds crossing the Serengeti plains at sunrise — 1000×750
Northern Circuit
The Serengeti
The Serengeti is the safari every other safari is measured against. Its name comes from the Maasai Siringet — “the land that runs on forever” — and standing on its plains at dawn, you understand why. This is the stage for the Great Migration, the largest overland movement of animals on the planet, as well as some of the highest predator densities in Africa.
Beyond the migration, the Serengeti rewards at any time of year: prides of lions draped over kopjes, leopards in the sausage trees along the Seronera River, and cheetahs hunting on the short-grass plains. The park is enormous, and where you stay matters enormously — we position you in the right region for the season so the wildlife comes to you.
Northern Circuit
Ngorongoro Crater
Two to three million years ago, a volcano larger than Kilimanjaro collapsed in on itself, leaving behind the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world. Today the Ngorongoro Crater is a natural amphitheatre some 260 square kilometres across, its walls rising six hundred metres above a floor of grassland, swamp, forest and soda lake.
The result is one of the densest concentrations of wildlife anywhere on Earth — around 25,000 large animals live within the crater, including the endangered black rhino, giving visitors a genuine chance at the “Big Five” in a single unforgettable day. Descending the crater wall at dawn, with mist still clinging to the rim, is one of the great moments in African travel.
Aerial view of the Ngorongoro Crater floor with wildlife — 1000×750
Elephant herd among baobab trees in Tarangire at golden hour — 1000×750
Northern Circuit
Tarangire National Park
Often overlooked in the rush to the Serengeti, Tarangire is a favourite of ours — a landscape of golden savannah studded with giant, ancient baobab trees, some more than a thousand years old. In the dry season, as water sources shrink across the region, the Tarangire River becomes a magnet for wildlife.
The park is best known for its elephants, which gather here in enormous herds — often hundreds strong — alongside lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe and more than 550 recorded bird species. It makes a superb, less-crowded start or finish to a northern safari.
Wildebeest braving a river crossing during the Great Migration — 2400×1400
Signature Journey
Follow the Great Migration
Every year, over 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle move in a great clockwise circuit through the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, following the rains and the fresh grass. From the dramatic river crossings of the northern Serengeti to the calving season on the southern plains, we time your safari and position your camps to place you at the heart of the action.
Start PlanningNorthern Circuit
Lake Manyara
Compact and astonishingly varied, Lake Manyara packs groundwater forest, open grassland, acacia woodland and a vast alkaline lake into a narrow strip beneath the dramatic wall of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. It is a place of birds — flamingos washing the shoreline pink, pelicans, storks and more than 400 other species.
Manyara is also famous for its unusual tree-climbing lions, often seen draped in the branches of acacias, and for large troops of baboons along the forest tracks. As a half-day or full-day stop, it is the perfect gentle introduction to the northern circuit.
Flamingos on Lake Manyara beneath the Rift Valley escarpment — 1000×750
IIBeyond the Circuit
Wilder Corners of Tanzania
For honeymooners, photographers and returning safari-goers who crave solitude, Tanzania’s southern and western parks offer raw wilderness with a fraction of the vehicles.
Boat safari on the river in Nyerere National Park
Nyerere / Selous
One of Africa’s largest protected areas, offering boat safaris, walking trails and genuine wilderness far from the crowds.
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Lion in the rugged landscape of Ruaha National Park
Ruaha
Remote, rugged and wonderfully wild — huge elephant herds, big prides of lion and a sense of true isolation.
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Chimpanzee in the forest of the Mahale Mountains
Mahale Mountains
Track wild chimpanzees on forested slopes above the sapphire waters of Lake Tanganyika — a bucket-list adventure.
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Tanzania in Pictures
Cheetah on a termite mound scanning the plains
Giraffes silhouetted against an orange sunset
Close-up of a leopard resting in a tree
Hot air balloon drifting over the savannah at dawn
Maasai giraffe walking through acacia woodland
Zebra herd at a waterhole
IVWhen to Visit
Timing Your Safari
Tanzania is a year-round destination, but the experience changes with the seasons. The long dry season (June to October) is the classic safari window: wildlife concentrates around shrinking water sources, vegetation thins for easier viewing, and the great river crossings of the migration usually take place in the northern Serengeti between July and September. This is peak season for good reason.
The short dry season and green season (November to March) brings its own magic. December to March is calving season on the southern Serengeti plains, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest give birth within a few short weeks — and predators follow. The landscapes are lush, the light is beautiful for photography, migratory birds arrive in force, and the parks are quieter and better value.
The long rains (April and May) are the greenest and least crowded time, with dramatic skies and excellent rates, though some remote camps close and a few tracks become tricky. Whatever the season, we know exactly where the wildlife will be — and we build your itinerary around it. Zanzibar, meanwhile, is glorious for most of the year, at its very best from June to October and December to February.
VGood to Know
Destinations FAQ
For a first trip we usually recommend the classic northern circuit — Tarangire or Lake Manyara, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti — which can be combined seamlessly over five to seven days. It offers the widest variety of landscapes and the best chance of seeing the Big Five and the migration.
A rewarding safari is possible in as little as three days, but five to seven days lets you explore several parks at an unhurried pace. Add three or four nights on Zanzibar and you have a beautifully balanced two-week trip of wildlife and beach.
Absolutely — and most of our travellers do. Because everything is close to our Arusha base, we can build a single seamless itinerary that combines a Kilimanjaro climb, a northern safari and a Zanzibar beach stay, handling every transfer and detail along the way.
Tanzania is one of the most politically stable and welcoming countries in Africa, and tourism is very well established. On safari you are always with an experienced, licensed guide. We handle logistics, choose reputable camps and are reachable around the clock throughout your trip.
Begin the Journey
Ready to Explore Tanzania?
Tell us which places are calling you — or let us point the way — and we'll tie them together into one beautifully planned trip.