How to Get Around Tanzania

Getting in. Kilimanjaro International serves the northern safari circuit and is the sensible arrival for the Serengeti and a climb; Julius Nyerere International at Dar es Salaam serves the south and the coast; Zanzibar has its own international airport.

Flying between parks is how most safaris work. Light aircraft run scheduled circuits to the Serengeti, the southern parks and the coast, with strict baggage limits — usually 15 kilograms in a soft bag.

Driving. The northern circuit can be driven, and most safaris use a driver-guide with a four-wheel-drive, which is also the better experience. Roads between the parks are long and rough in places.

Buses connect the main towns and are cheap; the safety record on long-distance routes is mixed, and the better companies are worth paying for. Dala-dala minibuses cover local journeys.

To Zanzibar, fast ferries from Dar es Salaam take about two hours, or a twenty-minute flight. Note that Zanzibar is a separate immigration jurisdiction and your passport is checked on arrival.