Tanzania Quick Guide

If you are planning a safari trip to East Africa, the best place to begin your exploration is with a Tanzania Travel Guide. Tanzania, like many other African countries, offers a wide variety of wildlife and scenery. There are vast plains, deep forests and coastline to explore in Tanzania. A Tanzania Travel Guide is essential for anyone embarking on an East African safari.

Tanzania has long been a wildlife hub, but it has recently gained notoriety as a destination for illegal poaching, which threatens to put an end to a long history of success conservation efforts. poaching is partly due to local knowledge and a lack of education in tourism. Many Tanzania safaris are organized by local communities and many include guided tours of the local wildlife. Tourism is still one of Tanzania's main drivers but along with more tourists moving to Tanzania for work, there has been a shift away from ecotourism to tourism.

Tanzania has more than three hundred bird species and more than two thond varieties of mammals, according to the most recent inventory by the World Wildlife Fund. Along with several others, migration is seasonal, so you will see different populations throughout the year. A Tanzania Travel Guide will help you decide what to expect during each season.

A Tanzania Travel Guide will show you how to get around Tanzania. Most visitors head to Dar es Salaam, the largest city, and take a bus, taxi or Mpesetto boat to reach other regions. From there, most visitors use a car or embark on foot to get to other parts of Tanzania. There are also game reserves and camps where you can stay for the night, cook up your dinner and then get ready to hike back to your vehicle. You might want to visit some of the Plains of the Kings for some antelope.

When you visit Tanzania, you will see that it has three major wildlife parks: Selous, Volcanoes and Ngorongoro Crater. Selous is the largest of these and the most popular with tourists. The landscape is diverse and you can hike through grasslands, rocky cliffs and plains. The Selous National park is home to millions of elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, impalas and hippos. There are also lions, cheetahs and wildebeests to be seen in this park.

When visiting Tanzania, there are plenty of places to visit and things to do. One of the highlights of the trip is visiting the Selous Reserve and the surrounding areas. Some of the activities you can do here include camping, hiking, Jeep safari, horseback riding, elephant and camel safaris, game viewing, bird watching, beach volleyball and much more. During the rainy season, you can expect to be able to find water and safe places to sit and rest. Other activities during the wet season include boat riding and rafting.

Many travelers visit Tanzania for game viewing and some of the best spots are at Lake Tanganyika and Selous. Most visitors go to Dar es Salaam National Park for amazing views of mountains and surrounding forest lands. This park is home to millions of elephants, buffaloes, zebra and giraffes. Some of the best spots in this park are Boi Safaris, Turkana National Park and Serengeti Central Park. You can stay at tented lodges in these parks for a comfortable and relaxing night's sleep.

For those who want to do more than just camp and sightsee, they can make their way through the Ngorongoro Conservation and Wildlife Park. The most popular attraction in this park is the Ngorongoro crater, which is also home to millions of rare volcanic rocks. There are many buses that travel between lodges and other destinations in Tanzania. Getting around in Tanzania can be made easy by hiring one of the many car rental companies available in Tanzania. It is advisable to get your own vehicle so that you can avoid paying too much for petrol and hire services.

What vaccinations do I need?

Up to date information for vaccinations before you travel to Tanzania are available from the NHS Fit for Travel website.

Is it safe to travel?

Best time to visit?

Peak season is July to October. The best time to visit Tanzania is from July to October when the country is at its driest. This coincides with the migration river crossings, however, all the parks offer amazing wildlife sightings at this time as the grasses and bush are at their least dense.

Do I need a Visa?

British passport holders are required to obtain a Visa to enter Tanzania. Single entry Visas can be obtained on arrival at the main ports of entry (including International Airports)

See which forms you may need for entry into Tanzania.

What currency do i need?

The official currency of Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shillin (TZS). If you're looking to transfer or spend money in Tanzania you can grab amazing Tanzanian Shillin deals via Wise.com (GBP to TZS).

What about the wildlife?

Zebras, elephants, wildebeests, buffaloes, hippos, giraffes, antelopes, dik-diks, gazelles, elands and kudus. Tanzania is also known for its predators, with Serengeti National Park one of the best places for spotting lions, cheetahs and leopards.

What is the traditional food?

Swahili food? Ugali is the meal that could be considered as Tanzania's national dish. It is a stiff dough prepared with cornmeal (maize meal), cassava flour, sorghum or millet. The dish is usually served with a sauce that contains either fish, meat, cooked vegetables or beans.

What Languages are spoken?

Tanzania is a multilingual country. There are many languages spoken in the country, but no one language is spoken natively by a majority or a large plurality of the population. The Bantu, Swahili language and English You can learn some basic Swahili before you travel to Tanzania and really impress the locals!

How much do you tip?

The currency in Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shillin (At restaurants in Tanzania, especially in major cities, it is customary to tip 5%, if a service charge is not included. Alternatively if you are satisfied with the service you can round the bill up to an even amount. Don't worry about tipping too much thought: locals tend to not tip at restaurants.).

Disclosure: This content is reader-supported. We may receive a small commission from affiliate links you follow from this Tanzania travel guide.

Useful Numbers

  • Police: 112
  • Ambulance: 114
  • Fire: 115
  • UK Embassy: +255 22 229 0000

Time Difference

The GMT time difference is 3 hours

Travel Apps

Grab a travel app or two


Learn Swahili

Learn some Swahili before your trip to Tanzania


Tanzania Guidebook

Stay informed before, during and after your trip to Tanzania by buying a guidebook.