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A herd of wildebeest on the Serengeti plains during the Great Migration

Tanzania · Independent Travel Guide

Safaris, summits and the spice coast

Everything you need to plan a trip through Tanzania's great parks and islands — where to go, what to book, and when.

Plan the route

The Northern Circuit

Tanzania's classic safari loop strings its great parks together from the gateway town of Arusha. Follow it stop by stop, then finish on the coast in Zanzibar.

  1. Flat-topped acacia trees on the open Serengeti plains at first light
    Stop 1

    Serengeti National Park

    Great Migration · Big cats

  2. Early light over the Ngorongoro Crater floor with the soda lake and grassland below the caldera rim
    Stop 2

    Ngorongoro Crater

    Day safaris · Black rhino

  3. A traditional dhow with a lateen sail at sunset off the coast of Zanzibar
    Stop 3

    Zanzibar

    Beaches · Stone Town

  4. The glaciated summit of Mount Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds at dawn
    Stop 4

    Mount Kilimanjaro

    Trekking · Bucket-list climbs

  5. Elephants crossing dry grassland beneath a giant baobab tree in Tarangire National Park
    Stop 5

    Tarangire National Park

    Elephants · Baobab landscapes

Follow the herds

When to go

Where you stay matters as much as when you come. This is roughly where the two-million-strong Great Migration is through the year.

Jan – Mar
Southern plains & Ndutu

Calving season — predators follow the herds.

Apr – May
Central Serengeti

Green season, fewer crowds, herds on the move.

Jun – Jul
Western corridor

The columns push north through the Grumeti.

Aug – Oct
Northern Serengeti

The Mara River crossings — the peak spectacle.

Nov – Dec
Returning south

Short rains draw the herds back to the plains.

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