Tanzania safari packages · Private tours
Serengeti. Ngorongoro. Tarangire. Zanzibar.
Your dates, your pace, your private safari — designed by a US-registered travel company with local support in Tanzania.
Safari finder
Six quick questions. We’ll match you with the journey that fits your month, your party and the experiences you care about — then you can make it entirely your own.
Why Tanzania
Tanzania holds most of the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, which means the Great Migration spends the greater part of its year on Tanzanian soil. Add the Ngorongoro Crater’s natural amphitheater of wildlife, Tarangire’s elephant herds beneath ancient baobabs and the wild southern parks, and few countries offer so much variety within one journey.
It is also a country of mornings you remember: mist lifting off the crater floor, a lion pride on a granite kopje, the first light over the plains from a balloon basket. Finish on Zanzibar’s white sand and the story closes on the Indian Ocean.
Figures are widely published approximations.
Most-loved Tanzania safaris
Sample journeys to start from — every route, camp and pace is tailored around you.
Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Olduvai Gorge · Central Serengeti
First-time travelers who want the complete northern circuit, with room to breathe
Arusha · Lake Manyara · Central Serengeti · Olduvai Gorge · Ngorongoro Crater
First-time safari-goers and photographers who want real time in the Serengeti without flying
Arusha · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti · Northern Serengeti
Travelers who want the migration at the center of the trip, whatever month they can travel
Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti · Zanzibar
Couples, honeymooners and first-timers who want a complete safari followed by real beach time
Arusha · Tarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti · Zanzibar
Couples who want privacy, a gentle rhythm and a proper beach finish
Arusha · Tarangire · Karatu · Ngorongoro Crater · Central Serengeti
Families with school-age children who want a first safari without marathon drives
The Great Migration
Roughly 1.5 million wildebeest follow the rains in a year-long loop. Choose your month to see where the herds usually are — and where we would base you.
Schematic map — not to scale.
In August
The herds follow the rains, not the calendar. Timing shifts by weeks from year to year, so we confirm positioning close to your dates.
Explore Tanzania
From the northern circuit’s icons to the remote south and the chimpanzee forests of Lake Tanganyika.
Approximate locations — not for navigation.
More wild places
Tanzania’s great plains: the stage for the Great Migration and outstanding big-cat country in every season.
ExploreA vast collapsed caldera where a single morning on the floor can bring lion, elephant and a rare chance at black rhino.
Explore
Baobab country, where dry-season elephant herds gather along the Tarangire River in remarkable numbers.
Explore
A compact Rift Valley park of spring-fed forest, baboon troops and seasonal flamingos, easily paired with the crater.
Explore
Tanzania’s wild south at its most dramatic: baobab hills, sand rivers, big lion prides and space to yourself.
Explore
Boat safaris on the Rufiji, walks with an armed ranger and some of Africa’s wildest country, a short flight from the coast.
ExploreSafari experiences
The moments travelers remember most — add any of them to your plan.
In the air
Drift over the Serengeti at first light as the plains wake beneath you, then land for a champagne breakfast in the bush.
On foot
Leave the vehicle behind and read the bush up close with an armed ranger — tracks, birdcalls and the thrill of being on foot in big-game country.
After dark
Head out after dark with a red-filtered spotlight to find the bush’s nocturnal cast — genets, bushbabies, hunting predators and, with luck, an aardvark.
Culture
Spend unhurried time with a Maasai community on a visit they lead — homesteads, herding life and honest conversation rather than a staged show.
Photography
A private vehicle set up for cameras — fewer guests, a window each, bean bags and a guide who thinks in light and angles.
Bush dining
Dinner by lantern and firelight in the open bush, with the stars overhead and the night’s sounds for company.
Where you’ll stay
Four comfort levels, one standard of care. We match specific camps to your dates and availability — these are the stay styles we plan with.
PremiumCentral Serengeti · Seronera
Tented camp
PremiumNorthern Serengeti · Kogatende
Seasonal mobile camp · Typically open around July–October
LuxuryNgorongoro Crater rim
Lodge
LuxuryZanzibar · private beach villa
Beach villa
Safari + Zanzibar
Your last game drive in the morning, a short flight, and by afternoon your feet are in the Indian Ocean.
The classic balance: Tarangire, the crater and the Serengeti, then a long, easy beach finale.
Plan this combination →A shorter safari with more ocean time — ideal when the beach matters as much as the bush.
Plan this combination →A deeper safari with seasonal camps, then a private villa or island retreat.
Plan this combination →Romantic camps, a bush dinner and a barefoot finale on the Indian Ocean.
Plan this combination →Travel your way
Best time to visit
There is no bad month in Tanzania — only different safaris. Here is how the year typically unfolds.
| Experience | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern circuit game viewing | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair | Fair | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Good |
| Mara River crossings | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Fair | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair | Limited or closed |
| Calving season (Ndutu) | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Fair | Good |
| Tarangire elephants | Fair | Fair | Fair | Limited or closed | Fair | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair |
| Ruaha & Nyerere | Fair | Fair | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Fair | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair |
| Chimpanzees (Mahale) | Fair | Fair | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Limited or closed | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Fair |
| Zanzibar beaches | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Limited or closed | Fair | Good | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent |
| Rainfall | Mostly dry | Mostly dry | Showers | Rainy season | Rainy season | Mostly dry | Mostly dry | Mostly dry | Mostly dry | Mostly dry | Showers | Showers |
| Travel season | High season | High season | Shoulder | Green season | Green season | High season | Peak season | Peak season | Peak season | High season | Shoulder | Peak season |
General guidance — conditions vary from year to year and between camps.
Why African Safari Reserve
Traveler reviews
We only publish genuine, verified reviews. Read what past travelers have written about us on TripAdvisor.
Tanzania travel guide
Honest, practical answers to the questions every Tanzania traveler asks.
Tanzania Planning
Dry season, calving season or green season? An honest, park-by-park guide to when to go on safari in Tanzania.
Tanzania Planning
What really drives the price of a private Tanzania safari, typical industry ranges per night, and how to shape the cost without losing the experience.
The Great Migration
Where the herds usually are each month, what is happening on the ground, and how to plan a private migration safari around the rains.
Safari & beach
How to pair a Tanzania safari with Zanzibar: the main combinations, the bush-to-beach transfer, choosing a coast, the best months and how many beach nights to plan.
Tanzania Travel Guide
Minimum and ideal trip lengths, recommended nights in each park, and how flights, Zanzibar and arrival days change the math.
Tanzania Travel Guide
Who needs a Tanzania visa, how to apply through the official eVisa portal, and how Zanzibar and Kenya fit in, with the details to confirm before you fly.
Good to know
Every journey is quoted individually, because season, comfort level, party size and routing change the price substantially — two similar-looking eight-day safaris can differ by thousands of dollars. Our Tanzania safari cost guide explains every price driver and the typical industry price levels, and your proposal itemizes everything.
June to October is the classic dry season, with excellent game viewing across the northern parks and Mara River crossings in the north. January to March brings the calving season in the southern Serengeti. The long rains of April and May are quieter, greener and softer on price. See our month-by-month guide.
As a general rhythm, the herds are on the southern plains around Ndutu from December to March, moving through the western corridor around May to July, and in the northern Serengeti from July to October. Rainfall shifts the timing every year, so we position your camps around where the herds are most likely to be on your dates.
Six days gives a focused taste of Tarangire, the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Eight to ten days is the sweet spot for the northern circuit at a comfortable pace, and eleven to fourteen allows a Zanzibar beach finale or a second region.
Yes. Every journey we plan uses your own private 4×4 vehicle and professional guide, so you set the pace — early starts, long sightings, or a slow morning at camp. You never share your vehicle with strangers.
Easily. Light aircraft connect the Serengeti and Arusha with Zanzibar, so most travelers add three to five nights on the beach after the bush. See the combinations in our safari and Zanzibar guide.
African Safari Reserve plans and manages your journey; on the ground you travel with professional, licensed guides and stay at camps from our vetted partner network. We do not claim to own parks, lodges or vehicles — we choose the right ones for you. Read how we select our partners.
Tell us your dates and wishes, and a safari specialist designs a proposal with you. You review and refine every detail before anything is confirmed, then pay through our secure payment options.
Share when you want to travel, who is coming and what you hope to see. A safari specialist will design a private Tanzania journey around you — no obligation, and nothing booked until you approve it.
Start Designing My Safari
