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🇹🇿Things to Do in Tanzania
From the Serengeti's endless plains to the summit of Kilimanjaro - the essential sights, and how to keep your own record of them.
Travel guide - last updated September 2026
Tanzania holds Africa's highest peak, one of its most famous safari circuits, and the spice island of Zanzibar - a combination that lets a single trip cover mountain, savanna and beach without leaving the country. The Northern Circuit (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire) is the standard safari route, usually paired with either a Kilimanjaro climb or a few days unwinding on Zanzibar afterward. Here are 8 places worth building a trip around.
Top attractions
The sights most first-time visitors build an itinerary around.
Serengeti National Park
One of Africa's most famous parks, home to the Great Migration for part of the year and consistently strong Big Five sightings even outside migration season.
📍 Northern Tanzania
🚉 There is no public transport: light aircraft fly from Arusha and Kilimanjaro to the Seronera and Grumeti airstrips, or it is a seven-to-eight-hour 4x4 drive through the Ngorongoro gate.
Ngorongoro Crater
The world's largest inactive, intact volcanic caldera, with an estimated 25,000 large animals living within its walls year-round - one of the most reliable single-day wildlife viewing spots in Africa.
📍 Northern Tanzania
🚉 The crater rim is three hours west of Arusha by road, and descending into it requires a registered 4x4 with a licensed guide - private vehicles are not allowed down the descent road alone.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Africa's highest peak and the world's tallest free-standing mountain, climbable without technical gear over 5-9 days depending on the route - the Machame and Marangu routes are the most commonly used.
📍 Near Moshi, Northern Tanzania
🚉 Moshi and Marangu are the base towns, an hour from Kilimanjaro International airport, and every climb must be booked with a licensed operator who transports you to the park gate.
Zanzibar
An island off Tanzania's coast known for Stone Town's Swahili-Arab architecture and spice plantations, plus white-sand beaches at Nungwi and Kendwa on the northern tip.
📍 Zanzibar
🚉 Ferries from Dar es Salaam take two hours to Stone Town, and flights from Arusha and Dar take 20 minutes - dala-dala minibuses and taxis then cover the island's beaches.
Tarangire National Park
Known for its baobab trees and some of the largest elephant herds in Tanzania, often used as a first or last stop on a Northern Circuit safari given its proximity to Arusha.
📍 Northern Tanzania
🚉 The park entrance is two hours south-west of Arusha on the Dodoma road, with no bus service - safari vehicles and transfers are the only practical access.
Lake Manyara National Park
A smaller park known for tree-climbing lions (a behavior rarely seen elsewhere) and large flocks of flamingos when water levels are right, often combined with Tarangire or Ngorongoro on the same route.
📍 Northern Tanzania
🚉 Mto wa Mbu village sits at the park gate, about two hours from Arusha on the way to Ngorongoro, and is normally visited as part of a northern-circuit safari.
Mafia Island
A quieter, less-developed island south of Zanzibar, known for whale shark snorkeling (roughly October-March) in a marine park with far fewer visitors than Zanzibar's main beaches.
📍 Mafia Island
🚉 Flights from Dar es Salaam take 30 minutes; there is also a dhow and ferry route via Nyamisati, which is slow and weather-dependent - the island has minimal transport once there.
Olduvai Gorge
A site along the Great Rift Valley where some of the earliest human fossil evidence was discovered, often visited on the way between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.
📍 Northern Tanzania
🚉 The gorge museum is on the road between Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, so it is normally a stop on a safari transfer rather than a separate trip - no public transport passes.
Mark Tanzania, get the stamp
In MyPassportStory, every country you mark - visited, lived in, or still on the list - becomes a stamp like these in your own travel passport. Add the cities you stopped in, draw the route between them, and turn the whole trip into a shareable passport-style image.
Open MyPassportStoryPlanning questions
How many days do you need in Tanzania?
A week suits a Northern Circuit safari (Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire) plus a few days on Zanzibar. A Kilimanjaro climb adds 5-9 days on top of that, usually done separately before or after the safari.
What's the best time to visit Tanzania?
June-October (dry season) is the most popular for wildlife viewing and typically includes Great Migration river crossings in the northern Serengeti. Kilimanjaro's clearest, driest climbing windows are January-March and June-October.
Is Tanzania good for a first-time visit?
Yes, through an organized safari operator, which is how nearly all visitors experience the Northern Circuit - independent self-drive safaris are far less common here than in, say, South Africa.
Do I need a visa to visit Tanzania?
Most nationalities can get a visa on arrival or apply for an e-visa online in advance for short tourist stays; a smaller number of nationalities need to arrange a visa through an embassy. Check the official visa information for your nationality: immigration.go.tz.
What are some things to do in Tanzania on a tight budget?
Joining a shared-vehicle group safari costs considerably less than a private one, Zanzibar's beaches are free to enjoy beyond resort fees, and Stone Town's streets and market cost nothing to wander.
Can I rent a car in Tanzania, and what licence do I need?
You can, but the northern safari circuit is designed around 4x4s with driver-guides, and park fees, gate paperwork and the Ngorongoro descent all assume one. If you drive yourself, a foreign licence with an International Driving Permit is valid for up to three months; beyond that you need a Tanzanian permit. Minimum age is generally 23. Traffic drives on the left, park roads are rough, and a saloon car is useless beyond the tarmac. The Tanzania Revenue Authority and TANROADS handle road matters, with visitor rules published by the Tanzania Tourist Board at tanzaniatourism.go.tz and park information at tanzaniaparks.go.tz.