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Serengeti National Park

Travel guide · Serengeti, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar

Travelling to Tanzania

The Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro and the beaches of Zanzibar in a single trip. We tell you when to go, what to see and what to eat.

Updated 18 October 2026 · How we make our guides

  • Best time: from June to March
  • Where to eat: a mama lishe (home-cooking stall)
Photo: Giles Laurent · CC BY-SA 4.0

Tanzania in 30 seconds

  • The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Tanzania are from June to March.
  • To eat like a local: a mama lishe (home-cooking stall). Don’t leave without trying: Ugali, Pilau, Zanzibar pizza.

Tanzania in November

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Tanzania. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

November is one of the months when people search most for travelling to Tanzania: book early. More destinations for November

When to travel to Tanzania

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Tanzania are from June to March.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr with warnings
  5. May with warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

More destinations for those dates: where to travel in January · where to travel in February · where to travel in March · where to travel in June

  • April, May

    Long rains

    In April and May it rains heavily: some camps close and the tracks turn to mud.

    What to do: If you go then, prices are lower and there are fewer people, but choose lodges that open all year.

    Best time: June to October

  • April, May

    Long rains

    April and May are the wettest months: muddy tracks and many places to stay closed on Zanzibar.

    What to do: For safaris, June to October or January to February (calving season in the Serengeti) is best.

What to see in Tanzania

The cities and areas most worth your time, with their highlights. Open each one for all the places, where to stay and its day trips.

  • Zanzibar

    Zanzibar

    The spice island: white-sand beaches, turquoise water and Stone Town.

    • Nungwi and Kendwa
    • Paje
    • Jozani Forest
    • Spice farms
    Zanzibar guide
  • Stone Town

    Stone Town

    Zanzibar’s Swahili old town, a World Heritage Site.

    • Carved doors
    • Forodhani Gardens
    • House of Wonders
    • Old slave market
    Stone Town guide
  • Serengeti

    Serengeti

    Endless plains with the planet’s greatest migration and big cats.

    • Seronera
    • Mara River
    • Ndutu
    • Hot-air balloon at sunrise
    Serengeti guide
  • Ngorongoro

    Ngorongoro

    A volcanic caldera with one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa.

    • The crater
    • Lake Magadi
    • Crater-rim viewpoint
    • Olduvai Gorge
    Ngorongoro guide
  • Arusha

    Arusha

    The base for northern safaris, at the foot of Mount Meru.

    • Arusha National Park
    • Central market
    • Coffee plantations
    • Cultural Heritage Centre
    Arusha guide
  • Kilimanjaro

    Kilimanjaro

    The roof of Africa, with multi-day routes up to Uhuru Peak.

    • Machame Route
    • Marangu Route
    • Uhuru Peak
    • Rainforest
    Kilimanjaro guide
  • Tarangire

    Tarangire

    Giant baobabs and big herds of elephants.

    • Baobabs
    • Elephants
    • Tarangire River
    • Silale Swamp
    Tarangire guide
  • Lake Manyara

    Lake Manyara

    A small park at the foot of the Rift, famous for its tree-climbing lions.

    • Tree-climbing lions
    • Flamingos
    • Groundwater forest
    • Rift escarpment
    Lake Manyara guide
  • Dar es Salaam

    Dar es Salaam

    The country’s biggest city, the gateway to Zanzibar and the southern parks.

    • Fish market
    • National Museum
    • Kariakoo
    • Kigamboni beaches
    Dar es Salaam guide
  • Moshi

    Moshi

    The starting town for Kilimanjaro, among coffee farms.

    • View of Kilimanjaro
    • Chagga coffee farms
    • Materuni Waterfalls
    • Chemka Hot Springs
    Moshi guide

Day trips and activities

What’s most worth booking from each city. We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

From Zanzibar

From Stone Town

From the Serengeti

From Ngorongoro

From Arusha

From Kilimanjaro

From Tarangire

From Lake Manyara

From Dar es Salaam

From Moshi

Some links are affiliate links: if you book through them, Bagintravel may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What to eat in Tanzania

To eat like a local: a mama lishe (home-cooking stall), and order ugali with fish or pilau. And don’t leave without trying:

  • Ugali

    Maize dough with stew or fish.

  • Pilau

    Spiced rice with meat.

  • Zanzibar pizza

    A stuffed griddle pancake, at Forodhani.

  • Mishkaki

    Meat skewers.

  • Urojo

    Zanzibar soup.

  • Chipsi mayai

    An omelette with chips.

The typical dish of Tanzania, at home

Chipsi mayai
Photo: iamkevoo · CC BY-SA 4.0

Chipsi mayai

Tanzania’s chip omelette: chips set in egg in a frying pan and served with kachumbari and hot sauce. The most popular street food in the country.

  • Serves 2
  • 25 min

Ingredients

  • 3 potatoes
  • 4 eggs
  • Oil for frying
  • Salt
  • Kachumbari: 2 tomatoes, 1 red onion, coriander, chilli, lime juice and salt

How to make it at home

  1. Cut the potatoes into sticks and fry until golden. Drain and salt them.
  2. Put them in a frying pan with a little oil.
  3. Pour the beaten, salted eggs over the top and let them set over a medium heat.
  4. Flip it with a plate and set the other side.
  5. Chop the tomato, onion, coriander and chilli, dress with lime and salt and serve with the omelette.

The trick: With ketchup and hot sauce, as at the stalls in Dar es Salaam.

The typical food of each city, with a recipe

Curious facts about Tanzania

What guidebooks don’t tell you and will help you understand the country better.

  • Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and can be climbed without technical skills.
  • The Ngorongoro Crater is a volcanic caldera full of wildlife.
  • Freddie Mercury was born in Stone Town, Zanzibar.
  • The Serengeti hosts the greatest mammal migration on the planet.
  • Tanzanite, a blue gemstone, is found only here.
  • On Zanzibar, spices (cloves, nutmeg) have been grown for centuries.

Traditions of Tanzania

Customs and celebrations that will help you experience the country like a local.

  • Great Migration

    Wildebeest give birth in the southern Serengeti between January and March.

  • February (Zanzibar) Sauti za Busara

    An African music festival.

  • Swahili culture

    The carved doors of Stone Town.

  • 26 April Union Day

    The union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

What not to do in Tanzania

First-trip mistakes that are easy to avoid.

  • Don’t travel without your visa sorted.
  • Don’t wear clothes that leave shoulders or knees bare in Stone Town.
  • Don’t get out of the vehicle in the parks.
  • Don’t climb Kilimanjaro without acclimatising and without a licensed guide.
  • Don’t forget malaria prophylaxis: ask at a travel health clinic.
  • Don’t bring plastic bags: they’re banned.

Before you go

Entry requirements depend on your passport and change: always check them with official sources before travelling.

Frequently asked questions about Tanzania

What people search for most before travelling to Tanzania.

What’s the best time to travel to Tanzania?

The months with the fewest warnings to travel to Tanzania are from June to March.

What to see in Tanzania in a week?

The essentials of Tanzania: Zanzibar, Stone Town, Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Arusha. How many places fit into your days, and in what order, depends on your dates and how you get around: the Bagintravel app plans your trip day by day in a minute.

What to eat in Tanzania?

Ugali, Pilau, Zanzibar pizza, Mishkaki, Urojo, Chipsi mayai. To eat like a local: a mama lishe (home-cooking stall).

What is the typical dish of Tanzania?

Chipsi mayai. Tanzania’s chip omelette: chips set in egg in a frying pan and served with kachumbari and hot sauce. The most popular street food in the country.

What should you not do in Tanzania?

Don’t travel without your visa sorted. Don’t wear clothes that leave shoulders or knees bare in Stone Town. Don’t get out of the vehicle in the parks.

Is it worth travelling to Tanzania in November?

Yes: November is a good time to travel to Tanzania. Our data shows no weather or seasonal warnings that month.

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Guide reviewed 18 October 2026. Seasonal data, places and areas: the same ones the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.

Photos: cover, Giles Laurent (CC BY-SA 4.0). Zanzibar, ObonyoML (CC BY-SA 4.0). Stone Town, Fsotc (CC BY-SA 3.0). Serengeti, Agness Abubakar Saidi (CC0). Ngorongoro, Muhammad Mahdi Karim (GFDL 1.2). Arusha, Phase9 (CC BY-SA 3.0). Kilimanjaro, Sergey Pesterev (CC BY-SA 4.0). Tarangire, ProfessorX (Public domain). Lake Manyara, Gaurav Pandit (CC BY-SA 3.0). Dar es Salaam, Dicksonpicha (CC BY-SA 4.0). Moshi, Ruud Zwart (CC BY-SA 2.5 nl).