Things to do in Tanzania

The 17 best things to do in Tanzania

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1. 1Arusha

   Drive down into the Ngorongoro Crater

   Ngorongoro is the world's largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera, formed about 2.5 million years ago when a huge volcano collapsed. The bowl covers about 260 sq km, measures about 20 km across and drops 610 m from rim to floor, and its grasslands, swamps, rivers and woodlands hold over 25,000 animals, including elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, lions and leopards. Hyenas, hippos, zebras, gazelles and wildebeest share the floor. Only 4x4 vehicles may go down, every visitor needs a licensed or official guide, and walking safaris are not allowed inside the crater. Visits are game drives on the crater floor, with picnics allowed only at designated areas.

   Tip: Start early, since driving is allowed from 6 AM to 6 PM and the descent gates close at 4 PM, and keep your camera down near local people outside the cultural bomas, where photos are not allowed.

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   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA); Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA)
2. 2Arusha

   Follow the Great Migration across the Serengeti

   Serengeti National Park, established in 1951 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981, protects the plains that carry the Great Migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest, with zebras and predators following them. Lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos live here, along with more than 500 bird species. The park points to June to October, the dry season, for the migration and to January and February for calving. Besides game drives you can float over the plains in a balloon at sunrise or join a guided bush walk. From Arusha it is 7 to 8 hours by road, or about an hour by scheduled flight to Seronera airstrip.

   Tip: Book lodges and camps well in advance for the peak migration months, and wear neutral-colored clothing on game drives.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA, official); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
3. 3Arusha

   Climb Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain

   Mount Kilimanjaro rises to 5,895 m, the highest point in Africa and the world's tallest free-standing mountain. Its top, Kibo, keeps snow all year despite sitting close to the equator, while Mawenzi, the second peak, reaches 5,149 m, and Shira collapsed long ago into a wide plateau. Six trails lead to the summit, and the climb takes 5 to 8 days depending on the route. Every climb must be guided by a licensed operator, as solo trekking is not permitted. Routes start from gates such as Marangu, Machame, Lemosho and Rongai, and climbers come down through Mweka Gate. The park is about 40 km from Kilimanjaro International Airport.

   Tip: Choose a longer itinerary with acclimatization days, since more days on the mountain give you a better chance of reaching the summit.

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   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
4. 4Arusha

   Watch elephants under Tarangire's ancient baobabs

   Tarangire National Park takes its name from the Tarangire River, which crosses its 2,850 sq km. It is known for the densest elephant population in Tanzania, more than 3,000 animals, and for its baobabs, some over 1,000 years old, reaching 30 m tall with trunks over 10 m wide. Termite mounds dot the savanna and serve as lookouts for lions, cheetahs and mongooses. In the dry season, from June to October, wildebeest, zebras and buffaloes gather along the river with the elephants. It is about 2.5 to 3 hours by road from Arusha via Makuyuni, and the gates close at 6 PM.

   Tip: Book well ahead for the dry season, and keep the windows mostly up at low speeds in tsetse areas.

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   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
5. 5Arusha

   See Ndutu's wildebeest calving season

   The Ndutu plains lie inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the edge of the southern Serengeti plains, around Lake Ndutu and the soda lake Masek. From the end of December, the migration herds arrive from the north and spread over the short grass, and thousands of wildebeest calves are born here before the herds start north again around April. The newborns draw predators, and lions, cheetahs, leopards and hyenas live here all year, along with giraffes, elephants and impalas. Acacia trees frame wide views across the lakes. You can stay close by in lodges, tented camps and special campsites.

   Tip: Plan a calving trip between late December and April, when the herds spread over the plains and predators follow.

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   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA)
6. 6Arusha

   Walk the canopy at Lake Manyara National Park

   Lake Manyara National Park covers 648.7 sq km at the foot of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, just south of the town of Mto wa Mbu. It is known for lions that rest in tree branches, for a groundwater forest of mahogany and fig trees that shelters blue monkeys and bushbucks, and for lesser flamingos feeding on the soda lake. One of the longest tree canopy walkways in Africa runs through the forest, with viewing decks for birds, butterflies and monkeys. The park is about 2 to 2.5 hours (about 125 km) from Arusha by tarmac road, and many travelers combine it with Ngorongoro and the Serengeti.

   Tip: Keep food out of reach at picnic sites, where baboons and monkeys are common, and never approach a lion resting in a tree.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
7. 7Arusha

   Take a walking safari in Arusha National Park

   Arusha National Park lies about 45 minutes from Arusha city, which makes it the easiest park to visit on a free day. Mount Meru rises above it, and within a small area you find the green Ngurdoto Crater, nicknamed Little Ngorongoro, with its buffalo herds, the Momella Lakes with flamingos and hippos, the 28 m Tululusia Waterfall, and a strangler fig arch big enough for vehicles to pass through. Giraffes, zebras and colobus monkeys live in the forests and grasslands, along with more than 400 bird species. It is one of the few Tanzanian parks where you can explore on foot with a guide, and you can also canoe on the Momella Lakes.

   Tip: Walking safaris and canoeing run only with authorized guides or rangers, so arrange them before you arrive at the gate.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
8. 8Arusha

   Visit Olduvai Gorge, a cradle of human ancestry

   Olduvai Gorge, on the road from Ngorongoro to the Serengeti, is one of the world's great fossil sites. Over more than 30 years, Mary and Louis Leakey found some of the earliest well-dated remains of human ancestors here, including the Zinjanthropus skull and fossils of Homo habilis, beside stone tools 1.6 to 1.8 million years old. The museum sits on the rim of the gorge, about 6 km from the junction with the Zinjanthropus monument. A new building opened in 2017, and it shows fossils, stone tools and the skeletons of extinct animals, with a sheltered viewing area where guides and curators give talks. There is also a shop and a restaurant.

   Tip: Visiting the actual excavation sites needs an official guide, so ask at the museum, and plan it as a stop on your drive to or from the Serengeti.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA); Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA)
9. 9Arusha

   Hike into Empakaai Crater's flamingo lake

   Empakaai is a volcanic caldera in the Ngorongoro highlands, almost 8 km wide, with a deep soda lake covering much of its floor where flamingos and other water birds gather. Wooded cliffs about 300 m high ring the crater, and the rim reaches about 3,200 m on its western side, so it is often wrapped in mist. From the rim you look out over the volcano Oldoinyo Lengai, the Great Rift Valley and Lake Natron. The walk down to the lake takes about one hour and the climb back about two and a half, depending on your fitness. The area can be visited all year, with June to December the drier months.

   Tip: A walk into the crater must be accompanied by an armed ranger, and the rim's special campsite needs booking in advance.

   USD[fee]Know the fee?
   Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA)
10. 10Arusha

    Climb Mount Meru above Arusha

    Mount Meru, more than 4,500 m high, dominates Arusha National Park and is one of Africa's highest mountains. The climb leads through cloud forests and alpine meadows, and many climbers use it to acclimatize before tackling Kilimanjaro. Trekkers sleep in mountain huts at Miriakamba and Saddle, and the route starts in the same park where giraffes, buffaloes and colobus monkeys live on the lower slopes. Because the trailhead is close to Arusha city, it suits travelers who want a serious climb without a long transfer.

    Tip: Book early for the peak seasons of June to October and December to February, and follow the hut and ranger schedule on the mountain.

    USD[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA); Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA)
11. 11Arusha

    Stand on the black Shifting Sands dune

    The Shifting Sands is a lone, crescent-shaped black dune on the plains about 12 km northwest of the Olduvai Gorge museum. It is made of volcanic ash blown from the active volcano Oldoinyo Lengai, stands about 5 m high and stretches about 100 m along its curve. The wind pushes it westward by roughly 15 to 29 m a year, and its magnetic, iron-rich ash keeps the grains together, which is why it holds its shape on open grassland. You can reach it by vehicle, and it pairs naturally with a stop at Olduvai Gorge on the way to the Serengeti.

    Tip: Ask the curators at the Olduvai Gorge museum about the dune before you drive out, since they can explain how it moves.

    USD[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA)
12. 12Stone Town

    Wander the lanes and carved doors of Stone Town

    Stone Town, on a promontory on the western side of Unguja island in the Zanzibar archipelago, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the finest Swahili trading towns on the East African coast. Its houses are built of coral stone and mangrove timber, and many have elaborately carved double doors, mixing Indian, Omani, European and Swahili designs with brass studs. About 1,709 historic buildings line its narrow, winding lanes. Walking around, you pass the Old Dispensary, St Joseph's Cathedral, the house of the slave trader Tippu Tip, and the Hamamni Persian baths. The lanes are narrow, so the old town is best explored on foot.

    Tip: Dress modestly in the old town, with shoulders covered and no shorts, since local custom is conservative and the authorities can fine visitors for clothing they consider inappropriate.

    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre; Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority (Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar); Government of Canada; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office
13. 13Stone Town

    Visit Christ Church on the former slave market

    Christ Church Anglican Cathedral stands on the site of Stone Town's last slave market, and its high altar marks the spot where the whipping post stood. Building began on Christmas Day 1873 and finished in December 1880. The missionaries who built it came to Zanzibar in the 1860s after David Livingstone's appeals in Oxford and Cambridge about the suffering caused by the slave trade, and the cathedral keeps items linked to him. Zanzibar was one of the main slave-trading ports of East Africa and the base for campaigners against it, which makes this one of the town's most moving visits.

    Tip: It is a working cathedral with daily services, so dress modestly and keep your voice low if a service is on.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Anglican Diocese of Zanzibar; UNESCO World Heritage Centre
14. 14Stone Town

    Eat at the Forodhani Gardens night market

    Forodhani Gardens line the sea wall below the Old Fort on the Stone Town waterfront, and every evening the square turns into the town's open-air food market. It makes a relaxed place for dinner by the sea while the light fades over the Indian Ocean. Next door, the dhow harbor keeps the old trade alive: wooden boats are still built and repaired in yards that have served the waterfront since the Omani period. Come for the sunset, then walk along the seafront as the stalls fill up.

    Tip: Come early in the evening to walk the seafront first, and choose dishes cooked fresh in front of you.

    Pay as you go
    Sources: Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority (Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar)
15. 15Stone Town

    See the Old Fort and the House of Wonders

    The Old Fort, Ngome Kongwe, is the oldest standing structure in Stone Town. The Omanis built it after expelling the Portuguese in 1699, on the site of an earlier Portuguese chapel, and its thick coral-stone walls, four corner bastions and heavy wooden gate still frame the entrance to the seafront. Next to it stands the House of Wonders, Beit el-Ajaib, built in 1883 for Sultan Barghash as the ceremonial seat of government. It was the first building in East Africa with electric lighting and one of the earliest with a lift, and its verandas and clock tower define the waterfront skyline.

    Tip: Pair the two with an evening at Forodhani Gardens right below, when the seafront is at its liveliest.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Stone Town Conservation and Development Authority (Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar); UNESCO World Heritage Centre
16. 16Stone Town

    Trace Freddie Mercury's roots in Stone Town

    Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara on 5 September 1946, and the museum dedicated to him sits in his childhood home on Shangani Street in Stone Town. It tells his story from the beginning: his roots in Stone Town, his Zoroastrian heritage, his schooling in Panchgani in India, and the road that took him to the world's biggest stages. Inside you find rare photographs and personal memorabilia, plus images loaned by Queen Productions. It is a short visit that fits easily into a walk around the old town, and the house is open daily.

    Tip: Visit in the late afternoon, since it stays open into the evening, and then walk on to Forodhani Gardens for dinner.

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    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: Freddie Mercury Museum
17. 17Arusha

    Learn Tanzania's story at Arusha's museums

    The Arusha Declaration Museum, on Kaloleni Street near the Uhuru Tower roundabout in the center of Arusha, opened on 5 February 1977 to mark ten years since the Arusha Declaration set out Tanzania's policy of Ujamaa and self-reliance. Its displays follow the country's social, economic and political history from before colonial rule, through German and British rule and the struggle for independence, to the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar and Tanzania's role in the liberation of Africa. Nearby, the National Natural History Museum, founded in 1987, fills the Old German Boma, a building from the 1900s set in gardens.

    Tip: Save the museums for your arrival or departure day in Arusha, when a short visit fits between transfers.

    TZS[fee]Know the fee?
    Search tickets and tours on TiqetsSources: National Museum of Tanzania (nmt.go.tz); National Museum of Tanzania (nmt.go.tz); National Museum of Tanzania (nmt.go.tz)

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