A safari in Tanzania is one of Africa's biggest experiences. But with must-see destinations such as the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater on offer plus the allure of the island of Zanzibar, it's hard to know where to start when choosing your Tanzania safari. Even more so when you want to see the Great Wildebeest Migration (see our guide for the best time of the year to visit Tanzania) or bring the family!
We've made it easy and divided our top 15 Tanzania safari tours by theme – something for everyone.
A comprehensive tour of Tanzania's classic safari destinations with the added comfort of local flights to take the sting out of long-distance travel, the itinerary includes some of our most intimate and luxurious accommodation. Following a night in Arusha National Park and perhaps a spa treatment or two, venture to Tarangire National Park, home to large numbers of elephants and other safari heavyweights. Embark on exhilarating twice-daily game drives and walking safaris to discover the intimate details of your surroundings.
Your next destination invites you to enjoy a working coffee plantation and farm featuring home-made meals comprising organic produce from the gardens. Embark on full-day safaris on the flat floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. With roughly 30,000 animals within its sheltered walls, you may even be fortunate enough to see the Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) in a single day. Next up is what many consider the core ingredient of the best safari tours in Tanzania, the Serengeti and a chance to witness the Great Migration (time of year dependent).
Experience two of Tanzania's best wildlife destinations, Tarangire and the famed Serengeti – all while staying at luxury safari lodges. You begin with an overnight in Arusha at Legendary Lodge, the perfect safari welcome in Arusha. It's then off to Little Chem Chem situated in an exclusive-use wilderness area alongside Tarangire National Park, to enjoy a hidden gem away from the crowds. Keep an eye out for the infamous tree-climbing lions!
You end at one of Tanzania's finest lodges, Mwiba Lodge where you can revel in off-road game drives, bush walks and spot-lit night drives. Track the areas prolific big cats, watch the endangered wild dogs, and listen for the rumble of safari giants, the elephants. Mwiba Wildlife Reserve is also a fantastic spot for guided walking safaris.
This is one of the Tanzania safaris which fall into our Positive Impact category. These Trips With A Purpose safaris support local communities, wildlife conservation, or environmental work.
Combine four of Tanzania's best safari destinations – Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater –pair it with a private guide, and it makes for an unforgettable experience. Accompanied throughout by some of Africa's renowned safari guides, enjoy incredible sightings and exceptional experiences.
Climb Mount Meru, look up at the age-old baobabs, meet the red-dusted elephants of Tarangire, and visit the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Traverse the vast plains of the Serengeti and, in season, marvel the magic of the Great Migration. Throughout your journey, capture award-winning wildlife images with the help of your knowledgeable guides. By day, game drives and walking safaris are on the menu, by night learn about the African skies and its twinkling constellations.
Balancing game drives with walking safaris allows you to experience Tanzania's natural world in more detail. You'll be in the safe hands of expert rangers and local guides, walking the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro and gazing over the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. There's heavyweight game viewing in Tarangire before you finish with game drives and fly-camping in the Serengeti, a unique opportunity to sleep on the savannah with the starry cosmos as your ceiling.
Looking for something off the beaten track? This fly-in safari opens with a remote setting in the central Serengeti and an area renowned for big cats, before whisking you off to a private corner of Ruaha National Park and a mobile tented camp. Here you'll mix guided walks with day and night game drives in a landscape famous for its heavyweights – lion, elephant and buffalo. The tour ends with hilltop views over the Rufiji River and the best wildlife hotspot in the mighty Nyerere National Park, giving you the chance to explore on foot, by boat and 4X4.
This fantastic 11-day itinerary introduces you to some of the best wildlife destinations in Tanzania while staying at safari properties that take ‘glamping' to a new level. Furthermore, you'll fly between camps – which gives you more time on safari – and stay at a mobile camp in the Serengeti, giving you guaranteed front-row seats to the Wildebeest Migration.
A fly-in itinerary means there's more time to spend on safari, and this tour has plenty of it. It opens in the ‘land of giants' – Tarangire, home to lions, elephants and great buffalo herds – before looking for tree-climbing lions in Lake Manyara National Park. Then sit back on a Big 5 safari into the famous Ngorongoro Crater. Featuring luxurious, romantic accommodation throughout, the tour ends in the Serengeti at a mobile tented camp that moves between three locations to ensure a prime position for the Wildebeest Migration between November and June.
Guarantee yourself a seat at the Great Wildebeest Migration: this fly-in safari takes in both the Serengeti and the Masai Mara and throws in the bonus of Big 5 game viewing at the Ngorongoro Crater. It's a perfect opportunity to see Africa's iconic animals – big cats, elephants, buffalo, giraffe – as well as predator-prey interaction, especially during the Migration. You'll stay in beautiful tented suites with your own bathroom and viewing deck and can look forward to a mix of game drives and bush walks. It's an easy-paced and very comfortable tour – ideal for a special occasion.
Start the tour from the comfort of a grand coffee estate and enjoy a Big 5 safari in the Ngorongoro Crater, before flying into the Serengeti and a camp set up on the path of the Wildebeest Migration. There's always great wildlife viewing here but if it's not the season for the Migration in the Serengeti, then you'll connect with the herds at your next destination. Rekero Camp sits in the Masai Mara – home to the wildebeest herds when they're not in the Serengeti. The fly-in itinerary means you maximise your time on game drives and bush walks.
This journey showcases the best of Tanzania, from volcanic highlands and endless plains to the palm-fringed beaches of Zanzibar. It is an itinerary designed for couples, honeymooners, and wildlife enthusiasts who want to combine luxury Tanzania accommodation with unforgettable safari encounters and a relaxing coastal retreat.
After a night at a plantation lodge in Arusha, travel to the highlands of Karatu. Here, you'll stay at Gibb's Farm, where charming suites and warm hospitality set the tone for a safari experience rooted in wellness and purpose. Explore the Ngorongoro Crater on a private full-day game drive and enjoy the flexibility of having your own guide and vehicle. From here, venture into the Serengeti, beginning with the predator-rich Namiri Plains before moving north to Sayari Camp. Together, these two contrasting regions deliver year-round wildlife and -when timed right – the chance to witness the Great Migration and dramatic river crossings.
The final chapter brings you to Zanzibar's south-east coast where Zawadi Hotel offers an idyllic hideaway. Spend your days diving, snorkelling or kayaking in turquoise waters, or simply unwind with spa treatments and sunset views. After two weeks of adventure and indulgence, you leave Tanzania with memories of spectacular wildlife, warm hospitality, and serene island beauty.
This itinerary proves that unforgettable experiences don't always demand a lavish budget. Blending Tanzania's iconic safari destinations with time on Zanzibar's dazzling coastline, this 11-day journey is perfectly suited to couples, honeymooners, and first-time safari-goers. Carefully chosen lodges and local flights replace lengthy road transfers, ensuring that more of your time is spent soaking up the magic of each destination.
Your adventure begins in Arusha with a stay at a charming coffee lodge at the foot of Mount Meru. After unwinding among the lush plantations, it's on to the Ngorongoro Crater where an authentic tented camp near the rim places you within easy reach of world-class Big 5 game viewing. From there, fly to the Serengeti for three unforgettable nights at a mobile migration camp. Set in prime positions along the wildebeest migration route, the camp delivers front-row seats to Africa's greatest wildlife spectacle, alongside excellent predator sightings.
The grand finale takes you to Zanzibar's north-west coast. Here, white-sand beaches and turquoise waters provide the perfect contrast to the golden savannahs. Days can be filled with diving, snorkelling, yoga, and sunset dhow cruises, or simply savoured with spa treatments and lazy afternoons overlooking the Indian Ocean.
Prepare for one of the best safari tours in Tanzania – exceptional, luxury accommodation and even more incredible wildlife sightings combine to create a superlative experience. Begin by settling in on a coffee plantation in Arusha before answering the call of the wild in Tarangire National Park. Here, elephants are undoubtedly the stars of the show with abundant baobab trees as their backdrop.
The adventure continues in the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a veritable wildlife paradise. Enjoy an abundance of sightings with fascinating landscapes before a charter flight to the Serengeti, Tanzania's most famous national park. Your final few days are spent in a luxury oasis at Sayari Camp. Time passes in a kaleidoscope of game viewing, private picnics, and hot air balloon safaris.
Embark on one of the most biodiverse itineraries through East Africa, combining its most iconic destinations. The journey begins in Kigali, Rwanda, for an acclimating evening – spend some time relaxing by the pool or at the in-house spa. From there, it's time to trek through Volcanoes National Park to find the rainforest's giants, the gorillas. Keep an eye out for smaller primates, bustling butterflies, and exotic birds as you trundle through the rainforest.
After exciting expeditions, a transfer flight to Lake Victoria allows you access to a hidden gem: Rubondo Island. Enjoy exclusivity as you stay at the only camp on the island and enjoy this biodiverse haven. From there, it's time to explore the Serengeti's Ngorongoro Crater and even the Great Migration (at the right time of year). Game drives, nature walks, and wildlife sightings are the order of the day.
This 9-day luxury, hands-on conservation safari showcases two of Tanzania's most untouched reserves, Ruaha National Park and Nyerere National Park. Charter flights between destinations ensure you get to spend the most amount of time on safari. An immersive experience at Roho ya Selous in Nyerere National Park kicks off your tour. Game drives, boating and walking safaris, and even catch-and-release fishing are all available for your enjoyment.
Continuing the Tanzanian safari tour is a hidden gem, Usangu Expeditions Camp, set in the Usangu floodplains. This seasonal camp – open from June to November – falls within the protected Ruaha National Park. The tour comes to a close at Jabali Ridge where game drives, walking safaris, and night drives satisfy your adventurous side while a pool and spa allow for the indulgent relaxation.
Spend 10 days exploring some of Tanzania's most iconic wildlife destinations: the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and Tarangire National Park. Kick start your safari with a night on a working coffee plantation before venturing off to Tarangire National Park and Oliver's Camp. Enjoy walking safaris and game drives while learning about lion conservation efforts in the area.
Following a transfer to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, embrace luxury and relaxation at The Highlands Camp. Witness the sheer majesty of the Olmoti volcano and the mountain forest that borders the camp while engaging with the Maasai tribe. The final leg of your journey begins at Namiri Plains Camp, a luxury tented camp that enjoys some of the best predator sightings in East Africa. Make the most of the incredible wildlife sightings, conservation, and community engagement on this tour.
With over two decades of safaris under our belts, our African Safari Experts have first-hand knowledge and experience of Tanzania and all its offerings. Get in touch and start crafting your dream getaway:
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