Country guide

Tanzania

The Serengeti migration, Ngorongoro Crater, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar's spice-island beaches; June to October is the classic window.

Currency

TZS

Language

Swahili

+ English

English

Widely spoken

Payment

Cash preferred

Power

Type G

230 V, 50 Hz

Dialing

+255

Destinations

Tanzania

Arusha

Where the northern safari circuit starts, with an overlooked national park and a volcano to climb on the doorstep.

✓ best Jun-Nov, Jan-Feb

Tanzania

Dar es Salaam

East Africa's great Swahili port city: fish auctions, street food, Tingatinga art and island beaches on its doorstep.

✓ best Jun-Oct, Jan-Feb

Tanzania

Kilimanjaro (Moshi)

The roof of Africa, and the only 5,000-metre summit most people can simply walk up, given enough days to let the altitude catch up.

✓ best May-Mar

Tanzania

Ngorongoro Crater (Karatu)

One of the densest year-round gatherings of big game in Africa, sealed inside the walls of a single volcanic caldera you can see across in one look.

✓ best May-Oct

Tanzania

Serengeti (Seronera)

The largest surviving concentration of big mammals on earth, moving across an ocean of grass that runs flat to the horizon in every direction.

✓ best May-Oct

Tanzania

Zanzibar

The Swahili coast at its richest: a thousand-year trading town of carved doors and clove money, with white-sand beaches an hour up the road.

✓ best Jun-Sep, Jan-Feb

Climate zones, month by month

Tanzania has 6 distinct climate zones. The right month depends on where in the country you're going.

Arusha →

Jan

27°

17°

66mm

11d rain

Feb

28°

18°

65mm

10d rain

Mar

29°

18°

124mm

15d rain

Apr

26°

17°

218mm

22d rain

May

25°

16°

102mm

18d rain

Jun

25°

14°

16mm

5d rain

Jul

25°

14°

7mm

2d rain

Aug

26°

14°

7mm

3d rain

Sep

28°

15°

7mm

3d rain

Oct

30°

16°

24mm

8d rain

Nov

29°

18°

97mm

17d rain

Dec

28°

18°

102mm

17d rain

✓ Best Jun-Nov, Jan-Feb

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Dar es Salaam →

Jan

32°

25°

54mm

4d rain

Feb

33°

25°

71mm

4d rain

Mar

32°

24°

170mm

11d rain

Apr

31°

23°

264mm

17d rain

May

30°

22°

172mm

11d rain

Jun

30°

20°

31mm

4d rain

Jul

30°

19°

16mm

3d rain

Aug

30°

19°

18mm

3d rain

Sep

31°

20°

20mm

4d rain

Oct

32°

21°

77mm

5d rain

Nov

32°

23°

114mm

8d rain

Dec

32°

24°

110mm

8d rain

April Wettest month. 264mm · 17 rainy days

✓ Best Jun-Oct, Jan-Feb · ✗ Avoid Apr

Watch for Nov-Apr cyclones & hurricanes risk · Apr monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Kilimanjaro (Moshi) →

Jan

33°

19°

43mm

4d rain

Feb

34°

19°

39mm

3d rain

Mar

33°

20°

94mm

6d rain

Apr

30°

20°

132mm

12d rain

May

27°

19°

73mm

9d rain

Jun

26°

16°

9mm

2d rain

Jul

26°

15°

4mm

1d rain

Aug

27°

15°

6mm

1d rain

Sep

30°

16°

5mm

1d rain

Oct

31°

18°

25mm

3d rain

Nov

32°

19°

51mm

5d rain

Dec

32°

19°

45mm

4d rain

✓ Best May-Mar

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Ngorongoro Crater (Karatu) →

Jan

25°

16°

145mm

14d rain

Feb

26°

16°

112mm

12d rain

Mar

26°

16°

156mm

16d rain

Apr

25°

16°

184mm

21d rain

May

24°

15°

52mm

14d rain

Jun

24°

13°

22mm

3d rain

Jul

24°

12°

33mm

0d rain

Aug

25°

13°

83mm

1d rain

Sep

27°

14°

17mm

2d rain

Oct

29°

15°

19mm

6d rain

Nov

27°

16°

261mm

15d rain

Dec

26°

16°

174mm

18d rain

November Wettest month. 261mm · 15 rainy days

✓ Best May-Oct · ✗ Avoid Nov

Watch for Nov monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Serengeti (Seronera) →

Jan

25°

15°

182mm

16d rain

Feb

26°

16°

130mm

14d rain

Mar

27°

16°

122mm

18d rain

Apr

26°

16°

153mm

22d rain

May

25°

14°

62mm

16d rain

Jun

26°

13°

19mm

5d rain

Jul

27°

13°

15mm

2d rain

Aug

28°

14°

34mm

5d rain

Sep

29°

15°

33mm

5d rain

Oct

30°

16°

38mm

11d rain

Nov

27°

16°

184mm

20d rain

Dec

26°

16°

147mm

20d rain

✓ Best May-Oct

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions

Zanzibar →

Jan

33°

25°

74mm

6d rain

Feb

33°

24°

51mm

4d rain

Mar

33°

25°

177mm

11d rain

Apr

31°

25°

409mm

18d rain

May

30°

24°

298mm

14d rain

Jun

29°

23°

52mm

5d rain

Jul

29°

22°

31mm

4d rain

Aug

29°

21°

38mm

6d rain

Sep

30°

21°

37mm

5d rain

Oct

31°

22°

116mm

7d rain

Nov

31°

23°

201mm

14d rain

Dec

32°

24°

168mm

12d rain

April Wettest month. 409mm · 18 rainy days

✓ Best Jun-Sep, Jan-Feb · ✗ Avoid Apr-May

Watch for Nov-Apr cyclones & hurricanes risk · Apr-May monsoon flooding risk

Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions