Top 10 Best places to visit in Tanzania
With so much to offer to tourists, here are some 10 best places to visit in Tanzania’s safari paradise.Based on our knowledge and experience planning vacations to Tanzania, we think that these 10 places are the most worth seeing and taking advantage of the experiences they provide.
Explore Tanzania’s top destinations with our guide to the best places to visit in Tanzania. Discover the finest attractions, wildlife, and cultural experiences this vibrant East African country has to offer. Whether you’re drawn to the Serengeti, Zanzibar’s pristine beaches, or the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, we’ve got you covered. Explore the best places to visit in Tanzania and make your African adventure unforgettable.
Tanzania is residence to some of Africa’s most well-known national parks and natural wonders, such as the Serengeti and the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro. As a result, safaris and wildlife-related adventures are the most popular things to do in Tanzania and the reason many people visit the country.
Tanzania has it all, from the peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru to the Indian Ocean Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Tanzania is home to many of Africa’s best and most popular tourist destinations, and the variety and excellence are unparalleled.
Below are the 10 best places to visit in Tanzania enjoy reading them.
1. Serengeti National Park - The Best African Safari Adventure Park
The Serengeti National Park, a vast wilderness of open plains and home to millions of wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebra, is one of Tanzania’s and the world’s most famous parks.
The Serengeti is best known for the annual wildebeest migration, but you can also see the Big Five and nearly 500 species of birds these is the top of the places to visit in Tanzania.
As the third largest national park in Tanzania, In May or early June, more than 1.5 million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle migrate annually. This migration is considered one of the most spectacular natural events and a major attraction for many tourists.
Location: North of Tanzania Mara, Simiyu and Arusha regions
Must Experiences: General game drive, migration of wildebeest, the vast plains, camping ,balloon experience
2. Ngorongoro Crater - Africa's Mysterious World
Ngorongoro Crater, an extinct volcanic caldera in the Eastern (Great) Rift Valley, northern Tanzania. It lies 75 miles (120 km) west of the town of Arusha.
This massive volcanic crater has a constant supply of water, attracting thousands of animals that stay in this area rather than migrating from one park to the next. There are thousands of animals on the crater floor, including lions, elephants, rhinos, Thomson’s gazelles, and buffaloes, but wildebeests and zebras account for more than half of the animals.
Location: Northern Tanzania, Arusha region
Must Experiences: Game drive in the crater floor, calving of wildebeest, the, camping at the crater rim, walking safari
3. Zanzibar Archipelago - the spice islands
Another magical among places to visit in Tanzania for those who are in love with beaches. Zanzibar located in the island of Unguja has beautiful white shores and is a fantastic island vacation destination. Stone Town, its capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage site with fascinating alleyways and closely set Arabian style architecture. Without a guide, it is possible to become lost in the maze, but it does provide a thrilling adventure.
Zanzibar consists of two main islands namely Unguja and Pemba and other small islands which form Zanzibar archipelago, The intense blue waters are ideal for swimming, and you may even see dolphins playing nearby. Pemba Island, part of the Zanzibar archipelago, has some of the best diving and snorkeling in the region. Beautiful coral reefs and vibrant marine life draw visitors from all over the world.
Location: Eastern of Tanzania
Must Experiences: Stone town, prison island, safari blue the, nakupenda sandbank islands, Mnarani Aquarium swimming with turtles and many more like sunset cruise, cuza cave, snorkeling, scuba diving, Water skiing. etc.
4. Top of kilimanjaro Mountain - the roof of Arica
Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent and the tallest freestanding mountain on the planet, standing at 5,895 meters. This mountain is part of the Kilimanjaro National Park, which is known for its diverse fauna. This peak is also one of the most popular Tanzania tourist attractions among adventure seekers because it serves as the starting point for some of the most difficult hiking and trekking trails.
You can climb its legendary slopes in the hope of reaching Uhuru Peak, Africa’s highest point, or simply gaze and photograph its majesty as it presides over the plains and parks below.
Location: Northern Tanzania, Kilimanjaro region
Must Experiences: Trekking, hiking, and camping
5. Tarangire National Park - home to the largest elephant population
Tarangire National Park is an excellent location for wildlife viewing. It is best visited during the dry season, which runs from July to September, when the animals congregate along the Tarangire River in search of water.
Though it is not as well-known as Serengeti and Ngorongoro, it remains one of the best places to go in Tanzania to see African animals such as leopards, lions, zebras, the country’s highest density of elephants, and more. Tarangire National Park is ideal for birdwatching, with over 300 species recorded. Buzzards, vultures, herons, storks, kites, falcons, and eagles are among the species.
Location: Northern Tanzania, Manyara region
Must Experiences: Game drive, walking safaris, birds watching, balloon safari
6. Nyerere (Selous) National Park - Africa’s Largest Wildlife Reserve
Now the Largest National Park in Africa, Nyerere National Park is a newly established Park which is part of what is known as Selous Game Reserve. It accounts for 5% of Tanzania’s total land area. The southern part of the island is a forbidden zone that is undeveloped, heavily forested, and has a series of steep cliffs. Visitors are restricted to the area north of the Rufiji River. Large open grassland, woodlands, rivers, hills, and plains characterize this area of the Selous Game Reserve. The months of July through October are ideal for a visit.
With its largest wilderness area in Africa, Nyerere National park has relatively undisturbed ecological and biological processes, including diverse range of wildlife with significant predator and prey relationship. The might Rufiji with its renown population of hippo and Rhino flows to Indian ocean. The river has been designated as a photographic zone and is a popular tourist destination.
Location: South East of Tanzania
Must Experiences: Game drive, walking safari, fly camping trips, boating safari
7. Gombe streams National Park - Home to Jane Godall Chimps Research
Gombe National Park is the best place for those looking to get off the beaten path and see chimpanzees. This is one of Tanzania’s smallest national parks and is well-known for Jane Goodall’s work. This British researcher arrived in 1960 to study wild chimps, and her work evolved into the world’s longest-running behavioral research program of its kind.
The scenery of Gombe is stunning with most of the 16 major valleys containing swift steams, which flow all year. In this park you can meet the stars of the world famous chimpanzee community. Jane Goodall’s pioneering chimpanzee research began in 1960.It is a thin strip of ancient forest set in mountainous cut with steep valleys clinging to the shores of Lake Tanganyika.
The park is dominated by many steep sided ridges and valleys. This is where you will be on foot if you have come to see the chimpanzees
Location: Western of Tanzania, Kigoma region
Must Experiences: Chimpanzee trekking, hiking and go to the waterfall and guided walk in the forest or along the lakeshore
8. Ruaha National Park - the second largest national park in Tanzania
It is home to large herds of buffalo and gazelle, and has one of the largest concentration of elephants in Tanzania. The Great Ruaha River is the main feature of Ruaha National Park, providing magnificent wildlife viewing on the banks. The river also provides much of the electricity to Tanzania through a hydroelectric dam at Kidatu.
The convergence of vegetation zone in this huge Park has resulted in unusual combination of animals ,Particularly Greater and Lesser Kudu, together with sable and roan antelopes in the Park a feature that is not found in other National Park in the country.
Location: South-central Tanzania, Iringa region
Must Experiences: Game drives, walking safaris, wildlife photography
9. Kitulo National Park - Serengeti of Flowers,
It’s obvious that when you think about Tanzania, the first things that come to mind are wildlife safaris, gorgeous beaches, and Mount Kilimanjaro. However, you might be unaware that Kitulo National Park exist and formed primarily because of its floristic significance. These is among the best places to visit in Tanzania if you if you enjoy flowers.
Host one of the greatest floral spectacle of the world with 350 species of Vascular plants. Including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchid!
Indeed, it is rare botanical marvel, home to a newly discovered monkey species as well as which erupt into a riotous wild flowered display of breathtaking scale and the diversity during the main rain season.
Kitulo support the largest and most important montane grassland community in Tanzania.
Tourists can hike in the special developed trail system. These include open walking across the grasslands to watch birds and wild flowers and hill climbing on the neighboring ranges.
The Highland Mangabey, famously known as Kipunji is the first new monkey species discovered in Africa in 20 years.
Location: Southern highlands of Tanzania, Njombe region
Must Experiences: Walking safari through a beautiful flowering plateau ,hiking Rungwe and Living Stone mountains ,birds watching
10. Arusha National Park - the home to Mount Meru
Despite being smaller than other national parks in Tanzania, Arusha has a variety of habitats, including Mount Meru’s forest, the Ngurdoto Crater in the southeast, and the Momella Lakes, a collection of seven crater lakes. While herds of buffalo, zebra, and warthog are scattered around the swampy bottom of the crater, black and white Colobus monkeys are visible in the surrounding forest. A wide variety of resident and migrating water birds call Momella Lakes home. Visitors come here to view the local wildlife and to climb Mount Meru.
Tanzania’s second-highest mountain, Mount Meru, is one of Africa’s most stunning volcanoes. A thin slope that leads to the peak offers breathtaking views of the volcanic cone that is located in the crater at a height of several thousand feet below. Although there is a hard elevation, the route also travels through parkland, a forest, a large area of heather, and moorland.
Location: Northern Tanzania, Arusha region
Must Experiences: Climbing mount Meru game drives, horse riding safari, walking safaris, cycling tour inside the park, canoeing,
Other places to visit in Tanzania
There are plenty other beautiful spots in Tanzania that are worth seeing in addition to the 10 top places to visit in Tanzania previously mentioned.
With our knowledge and skill to plan trips in Tanzania, we will suggest which places are also worth visiting and how to include them in your itinerary as part of your comprehensive program for your trip to Tanzania.
Below are the other best places to visit in Tanzania that also are worth visiting
11. Lake Manyara National Park - the home to Mount Meru
The landscape of Lake Manyara National Park is made up of wetlands, meadows, and forests. Two-thirds of the park is covered by water, and Lake Manyara is home to a variety of birds, including thousands of flamingos during specific times of the year. The abundance of elephants, lions that can scale trees, and hippos that may be seen in Lake Manyara Park at a much closer range than in other parks are its main attractions. The world’s highest population of baboons resides in this park.
Location: Northern Tanzania, Manyara region
Must Experiences: Game drives, canoeing (when water levels are high enough), mountain bike trips, and bird viewing.
12. Mafia Island - Pure, untouched Island
Divers and snorkelers travel from all over the world to Mafia Island to explore the underwater environment that the Mafia Island Marine Park protects. While Mafia Island experiences its greatest weather from May to October, the best diving conditions are from October to March. It rains a lot in March and April as other parts in Tanzania so not the best time.
Coral gardens, a wide diversity of species, and a calm diving environment may all be found at Mafia Island Marine Park. The area is home to around 400 different types of fish and numerous bird species. Additionally, the green turtle, which is sadly on the verge of extinction, has its historical breeding grounds on Mafia Island.
Location: Costal region of Tanzania
Must Experiences: Scuba diving (all year), Snorkeling (all year), Searching for whales and whale sharks (on a snorkeling/diving tour), Sunset cruise, Cultural island walk, Visit the Kua Ruins, Island excursions.
13. Lake Eyas - Pure, the home to Hadzabe tribe
Lake Eyasi, lake, northern Tanzania. It lies west of Lake Manyara and approximately 95 miles (155 km) southwest of Arusha.
Like all the other lakes in the Rift Valley, this is also a soda lake. Purple lava walls surround Lake Eyasi, which has only one major spring, the Sibiti River. Hadzabe the only bushmen of East Africa, the lake’s native inhabitants and the last remaining group of hunter and gatherers in East Africa, are its principal draw. They have lived at Lake Eyasi for more than 10,000 years. They continue to live according to their traditional way of life, engaging in hunting and gathering various fruits and honey..
Location: Northern part of Tanzania, region of Arusha
Must Experiences: Evening visit to the lake, Hunting with Hadzable people
14. Lake Natron - Pure, breeding ground to a lesser flamingoes in East Africa
Lake Natron is situated in northern Tanzania on the border with Kenya, close to the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Ol Doinyo Lengai, which is visible on the southern part, is close to the lake.
Many thousands of Rift Valley Flamingos the lesser Flamingoes breed in the lake. Between August and October, they use the soda flats to construct their nests. Flamingos in Lake Natron consume the lake’s spirulina algae for food. The lake and its surroundings are protected internationally due to the flamingos’ reliance on them for reproduction.
Location: Northern part of Tanzania, region of Arusha
Must Experiences: Volcanic implosion craters, hiking to the waterfalls, Masai tribe visit ,tour to the lake, game drive
15. Lake Victoria - Second largest fresh water in the world
Near the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania, Lake Victoria shares a border with Uganda and Kenya.
The second-biggest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior in North America, it is the largest in Africa. The River Nile receives fresh water all year round from Lake Victoria as it empties into the river.
Lake Victoria’s biological diversity is in poor shape. More than 500 fish species made up the vast majority of the biodiversity before the 1950s. Due to the introduction of the Nile perch, which was intended to consume water hyacinth but instead fed everything, domestic fish species are now gone. Belgian colonists brought the water hyacinth to Lake Victoria and the area around it.
Location: Northern part of Tanzania, region of Mwanza
Must Experiences: Boat excursions, bird watching ,fishing trip and hiking
Above are the top best places to visit in Tanzania, ranked by visitors demand and popularity. We hope you will make the best decision for your next trip to Tanzania.
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