Straight answers for planning a Tanzania safari: when to go, getting there, what a safari day is like, how booking works and what to pack.
These guides answer the questions travellers ask us before they book: how many people share a vehicle, whether children are welcome, what to pack, and how to handle money and tips.
Each guide shows the date it was written or last checked.
Most travellers on a Tanzania safari want to know about group size, children, vehicles, meals, luggage, money and tipping. Our safaris are private unless you choose a shared group, there is no age limit, and you travel in a Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof and a window seat each.
Pack light, neutral clothes in a soft bag of no more than 15 kg, a warm layer for cool evenings, a headlamp and binoculars. Leave plastic bags at home, because Tanzania bans them. Bring US dollars, euros or pounds in cash, your passport, insurance details and any vaccination certificates.
It depends on what you want to see. The herds calve on the southern Serengeti plains from January to March and cross the Mara River in the north from July to October, when Tarangire also fills with animals along its river. The Ngorongoro Crater holds wildlife all year. Kilimanjaro is best climbed from January to early March or from June to October.
Most days start early with a game drive in a Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, where everyone has a window seat. Lunch is a picnic in the park or a meal at the lodge, the hottest hours are for resting, and the afternoon drive runs until the light turns gold. Evenings are at the lodge or camp, where dinner is served.
Most travellers fly into Kilimanjaro International Airport, about 40 kilometres from Arusha, and your guide is waiting outside the terminal. Between the northern parks you travel by road in your safari vehicle, and many journeys end with a short flight from a Serengeti airstrip back to Arusha.
You send an enquiry, and we reply with a written proposal for your dates and group: the route, the camps and the price. Nothing is booked or paid until you accept it. Once you accept, we hold the camps, and your booking is confirmed when the deposit is paid and every camp has confirmed.
Ask us anything about planning a safari, and we will answer it for your dates and your group.