Things to Do in Tanzania: What's Worth It, What's Overrated, and What the Brochures Skip
Things to do in Tanzania: Serengeti and Ngorongoro are worth the hype but crowded July-October. Southern parks (Ruaha, Nyerere) get 1% of visitors and feel like a different planet. Zanzibar’s east coast tides will strand you 300m from the water—book north coast if swimming matters. Say “Mambo” not “Jambo.” Check your dollar bills for tears. Budget $220-400/person/day for safari.
Twenty-three Land Cruisers. I counted them. We were at Ngorongoro last September, supposedly watching a lion, though I couldn’t actually see the thing through the mess of vehicles. Driver behind me shouting into his radio. Dust everywhere. Exhaust fumes. Someone’s side mirror blocking my client’s shot.
She’d saved for two years for this trip.
Three days later we were in Ruaha and went six hours without seeing another vehicle. Four lions on a kill, hyenas circling, vultures overhead. Just us. Same country.
When people ask me about things to do in Tanzania, I don’t give the same answer twice. Depends what they’re after.
What’s Worth the Crowds
Serengeti
I’ve driven this park maybe 200 times and it still works on me.
There’s a smell after rain here—wet flint, crushed sage, warm dust lifting off the plains. Nowhere else I’ve been smells like it. You breathe it in and something in your chest loosens. The Maasai called it Siringet—”the place where the land runs on forever.” They weren’t exaggerating.
The wildlife is absurd. Migration season you might watch 50,000 wildebeest cross a river before lunch. Lions constantly. Leopards in the kopjes if you know where to look. Cheetahs on the open plains doing what cheetahs do.
Central Serengeti around Seronera has consistent game year-round. There’s a spot called the Retina Hippo Pool where you can actually get out of the vehicle and stand on a bank watching maybe 100 hippos at once. Smells terrible—open sewer terrible—but kids especially love it.
July through September in the northern Serengeti gets packed though. The river crossings are spectacular but you’ll share them with a lot of vehicles. I tell clients to come January or February instead. Herds are in the south for calving. Predators go crazy because there’s easy prey everywhere. Quarter of the vehicles. Light is golden.
Fees are $70.80/adult/day currently, kids 5-15 pay $23.60. TANAPA updates these periodically. Concession fees add $71/adult/night if you’re staying inside the park.
Ngorongoro
You’ll see rhino here. Probably. And seeing a rhino in the wild changes something in you—hard to explain, but it does.
You’ll also see it through a gap between three vehicles while a guide behind you yells coordinates into his radio. The crater floor packs 25,000 animals into 260 square kilometres, which sounds amazing until you realise how many vehicles are down there with you.
The $295 vehicle descent fee plus $71/person conservation fee stings. The place delivers though. No question.
What I’ve started doing: stay on the rim overnight, descend mid-morning after the first wave has cleared out. Worse light for photos. Fewer elbows in your way.
Zanzibar
Stone Town humidity hits you walking off the plane—thick air, cloves, diesel, something sweet from the spice markets. Carved doors everywhere, narrow alleys you can touch both walls, call to prayer bouncing off stone. The history is heavy—slave markets, sultans, centuries of trade—but the place is alive in a way that museums aren’t.
The beaches have a catch. East coast at Paje or Jambiani, the tide pulls out 300+ metres. Morning you’re swimming. Afternoon you’re looking at sand and seaweed to the horizon. Good for kitesurfing. Bad if you just want to swim when you feel like it. Nungwi or Kendwa on the north coast stay swimmable all day.
Forodhani Gardens night market in Stone Town is worth a visit. Zanzibar pizza, grilled seafood, sugar cane juice. Agree on prices before you eat—vendors will quote crazy numbers after you’ve already finished. Pay in shillings not dollars.
There’s a restaurant called The Rock at Michamvi Pingwe built on an actual rock offshore. High tide it becomes an island—you boat out. Low tide you walk. Food’s fine, nothing special. Location’s the point. Book ahead; Instagram found it.
One local tip: use red-plate taxis only. White plates are unlicensed private cars—if police stop them you’re stranded while they impound the vehicle.
Where Nobody Goes
Northern circuit—Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire, Lake Manyara—gets 90% of Tanzania’s safari visitors.
Southern and western parks are different. The infrastructure is thinner, access is harder, and that’s the point.
Ruaha: Tanzania’s largest park. Massive elephant herds—during dry season you might see 300 in a day. Huge lion prides. Baobabs the size of buildings, twisted and ancient-looking. Fly in from Dar es Salaam on a small plane. Fees only $35.40/adult/day. I took a couple there last October and we had lions to ourselves for an entire morning. No other vehicles. Just us and four lions on a kill, hyenas circling, vultures overhead. That doesn’t happen at Ngorongoro.
Nyerere (formerly Selous): Size of Belgium. Boat safaris on the Rufiji River watching crocs slide off the banks as you pass. Walking safaris with armed guides. Maybe 1% of Tanzania’s annual tourists come here. Lodges are fly-in only, which keeps numbers down by default. The birding is exceptional if that’s your thing.
Katavi: Far west, near nothing, hard to reach. Dry season the hippos pack into shrinking pools so tight they’re literally stacked on each other—hundreds in a single pool, grunting and fighting. Lions patrol the edges. I’ve only been twice. The roads are rough and there’s nothing luxurious about it. Almost nobody goes, which is either a warning or a selling point depending on what you want.
Mahale Mountains: Lake Tanganyika shoreline. Chimpanzee trekking through rainforest. Pristine beaches on the longest freshwater lake in the world. Accessible only by boat. Annual visitor numbers barely hit three figures. If you want remote, this is it.
First-timers should do the northern circuit—it’s famous because it delivers. Second trip or crowd-averse? Go south.
Strange Stuff
Ol Doinyo Lengai
Active volcano near Lake Natron. Erupts the coldest lava on earth—510°C versus the usual 1,100°C. Comes out black, turns white when it cools. Geologists go crazy for it.
I climbed it once. Started midnight to make the summit for sunrise. Steep loose scree, two steps up one step sliding back. Headlamp bobbing, trying not to twist an ankle. My calves hurt for a week after. Standing in an active volcanic crater watching the sun hit the Serengeti plains spread out below—that was worth it. The summit smells of sulphur and something metallic. You feel very small up there.
Probably won’t do it again though. Once was enough.
Lake Natron
The lake itself is caustic enough to burn skin. pH around 10.5. Water goes red from bacteria and algae. Looks like Mars, or what I imagine Mars looks like.
Flamingos breed here because predators can’t reach their nests on the salt islands—the water is too harsh for anything to wade through. October-November is peak breeding. Thousands of pink birds against red water. It’s also genuinely hot—I went through two litres of water in a single morning last time. Bring more than you think.
Olduvai Gorge
Where Louis and Mary Leakey found some of the earliest human ancestor remains. Small museum—you can walk through it in 20 minutes—but the skull fragments from individuals who lived 1.8 million years ago put things in perspective. Your problems feel smaller after.
Most safari itineraries skip it because it’s “just a museum” between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. If you stop, ask for the Maasai elder who does the oral history presentation. He knows the site, he knows the history, and he tells it well. Tip him generously—he’s not on salary.
Nearby: the Shifting Sands, a crescent-shaped dune that moves about 17 metres per year due to volcanic ash and wind. Weird and worth a look if you’re already there.
Tarangire
Not strange, just underrated. Massive baobab trees that look like something from a children’s book, twisted and bulbous. Elephant herds bigger than anywhere else in the northern circuit. Drier landscape, different feel than the Serengeti. And quieter—fewer vehicles, less pressure.
The swamps in the wet season draw birds—over 500 species recorded. If your kids are getting bored of “another zebra,” give them binoculars and challenge them to spot a lilac-breasted roller. Changes the dynamic.
Costs
I’ll give you actual numbers because the vague pricing on most safari websites drives me mad.
Daily rates per person (two sharing):
- Camping safaris: $150-200
- Mid-range lodges: $220-350
- High-end tented camps: $400-600
- Luxury (Singita, etc): $1,500+
Peak season (July-October) adds 30-50% to everything.
Park fees stack up:
- Serengeti: $70.80/adult/day + $71/night concession if staying inside
- Ngorongoro: $71/adult/day + $295 per vehicle to descend into the crater
- Tarangire: $53.10/adult/day
- Ruaha: $35.40/adult/day
Seven days northern circuit, two people, mid-range lodges: roughly $5,000-8,000 total depending on timing and which properties you choose.
Currency warning: I watched a guy get stuck at a bush airstrip because his $50 had a tiny corner tear. The teller wouldn’t take it. No negotiation. He ended up borrowing cash from another passenger to pay his landing fees.
Get crisp 2021-series bills from your bank before you leave. Keep them in a hard folder so they don’t crease. Anything pre-2016 or with ink marks gets rejected. Tanzanian banks are strict about this—stricter than Kenya.
Local Knowledge
Getting Around
Most people fly into Kilimanjaro Airport for northern safaris or Dar es Salaam for southern parks.
The new SGR train from Dar to Morogoro cut what used to be a 5-hour traffic nightmare down to about 90 minutes. Worth knowing if you’re heading to Mikumi or the Uluguru Mountains instead of the northern circuit.
Morogoro itself is genuinely off the tourist track. The hike to Choma Waterfall or up to Morningside (an old German colonial hut) shows you mountain villages where people actually live. Not the “cultural villages” set up for safari groups—actual communities. I’ve taken maybe three clients there total. It’s not glamorous but it’s real.
Language
“Jambo” is the tourist greeting. People will smile and respond, but they know you just got off the plane.
Use “Mambo” instead—it means “how’s things?” The response is “Poa” (cool/fresh). Just this much changes how people interact with you. The dynamic shifts from customer-service mode to actual conversation.
For older Tanzanians—camp elders, senior guides, the grandmother at the market—use “Shikamoo.” It’s a respect greeting reserved for elders. The response is “Marahaba.” I’ve watched clients earn genuine warmth from lodge staff just by using this. It matters here in a way that’s hard to explain.
Maasai Villages
The roadside “village visits” on the main safari routes are mostly staged. Pay $20, watch a scripted dance, take some photos, leave feeling vaguely uncomfortable. Some people enjoy them. I find them awkward—the performance aspect bothers me.
Maasai Market in Arusha (Thursdays and Sundays) is the real thing. Loud, dusty, chaotic in a good way—actual Maasai trading livestock and goods the way they’ve done for generations. The beadwork costs maybe 70% less than the lodge gift shops charge. Nobody’s performing for you. You’re just there.
Malaria Meds
Your doctor will offer options. Here’s what I’ve seen over 10 years:
Most experienced Africa travelers avoid Larium (Mefloquine) because of the dreams—vivid, intense, sometimes terrifying nighttime hallucinations. “Larium Dreams” are genuinely a thing. I’ve had clients wake up screaming, convinced there were animals in their tent.
Malarone is gentler on most people but expensive. Doxycycline is cheap but makes you burn fast in sun—watched a client turn lobster-red on a Zanzibar dhow because she didn’t realise how photosensitive the medication made her. Painful lesson.
Whatever you choose, start before you arrive and finish the full course after you leave. CDC has current guidance on what’s recommended for Tanzania specifically.
Clothing
Tsetse flies in Tarangire and parts of the Serengeti will bite through thin fabric. I’ve seen women in yoga leggings end up covered in bites because the flies go right through. Loose-fitting trousers create an air gap they can’t reach through.
They’re also attracted to dark blue and black. Blue jeans are basically a “bite me” sign. Khaki, beige, olive—the boring colours work.
Night Sounds
Around the campfire, you’ll hear things. Lions do a phased roar that ends in deep grunts—hugh-hugh-hugh. Hyenas make a rising whoop when calling the pack; the “laughing” you hear in documentaries means they’re stressed or fighting over food. Learn to tell the difference and the night sounds become a show instead of just noise.
FAQs
How many days? 5-7 minimum for safari alone. Add 3-4 for Zanzibar if you want beach time. Kilimanjaro needs 6-9 depending on route—longer is better for acclimatisation. Two weeks is comfortable if you’re doing safari plus either mountain or coast.
Kenya or Tanzania? Similar wildlife. Tanzania has the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, which are hard to match. Kenya has the Mara and better beach access from Nairobi. I do both regularly—the right choice depends on your specific itinerary more than anything else.
Safe? Tourist areas yes. Dar es Salaam has petty crime—don’t flash valuables, use proper taxis, stay aware. Safari camps and beach resorts are secure. I’ve been guiding 10 years without a serious incident.
Visa? $50 on arrival or online in advance. Online moves faster at the airport. They take card but the queue for cash is shorter some days.
Best time? June-October for classic dry season viewing—animals cluster at water sources, grass is short, visibility is good. January-March for calving in the southern Serengeti with fewer crowds. April-May long rains make some roads impassable. November-December short rains are usually manageable.
Self-drive? Technically possible. I wouldn’t recommend it. Roads are rough, signage is inconsistent, and you’ll miss 80% of the wildlife without trained eyes knowing where to look. The logistics aren’t worth the savings.
Combine with Kenya? Works well. The Serengeti and Masai Mara are the same ecosystem split by a border. You can fly between them or cross overland at Isebania with coordinated vehicles on each side. I arrange these combined trips regularly.
What I Actually Tell People
First trip? Do the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. They’re crowded in peak season because they’re genuinely good. Add Zanzibar after if you want beach. Come January or February if crowds bother you—still excellent wildlife, half the vehicles.
Been before? Go south. Ruaha. Nyerere. Katavi if you’re adventurous. These places feel like Africa before the brochures found it.
And if you want something nobody else does—climb Ol Doinyo Lengai at midnight. Find the Thursday market in Arusha instead of the tourist village. Learn to say Mambo instead of Jambo.
Tanzania rewards you for digging past the obvious stuff.
More: Tanzania packages, family trips, private safaris, Amboseli, migration timing, beach combos.
Peter Munene. Edited by Trevor Charles.