Questions travellers ask us

There is no closed season — the parks are good all year, they are just good in different ways.

June to October is the dry season: animals gather at shrinking water sources, the grass is short and sightings come easily. It is also the busiest and most expensive time.

January and February are calving season in the southern Serengeti, which brings the predators in close. The green season from March to May is quiet and much cheaper, with dramatic skies — but afternoon rain and some camps closed.

Three days is enough for a taste of the northern circuit — Tarangire and Ngorongoro, say. Five to seven days lets you add the Serengeti without spending the whole trip driving.

Ten days or more means you can slow down: stay two nights in each place, sit with a sighting rather than rushing to the next one. Most people who have been before come back and ask for fewer parks and more time in each.

Yes — that is how we work. Tell us roughly how long you have, what you want to see and the kind of camps you like, and we will build a route around it. The packages on this site are starting points, not a fixed menu.

Most visitors do. Citizens of the UK, the US, Canada, Australia and most of Europe can get a single-entry tourist visa on arrival, or apply online in advance through the Tanzanian immigration e-visa service.

US citizens are normally issued a multiple-entry visa at a higher fee. Requirements change, so check the official immigration site close to your travel date rather than relying on this page.

Kilimanjaro International (JRO) is the one you want for the northern circuit and for Kilimanjaro climbs — it is about an hour from Arusha. Dar es Salaam (DAR) suits the southern parks, and Zanzibar (ZNZ) has direct flights from several European and Gulf cities.

Neutral colours — khaki, olive, brown. Avoid bright white, black and dark blue: dark blue attracts tsetse flies.

Bring layers. Mornings on the crater rim are genuinely cold and afternoons are hot. A wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, high-factor sun cream, insect repellent and any personal medication. Binoculars are worth more than a long camera lens if you can only bring one.

Soft duffel bags rather than hard suitcases, especially if your trip includes a light aircraft transfer — they have strict luggage limits, usually 15 kg.

Often, but nobody can promise it — these are wild animals in very large parks.

Lion, elephant, buffalo and leopard are all realistic on a northern circuit trip. Rhino are the hard one: Ngorongoro Crater is the most reliable place in Tanzania to see black rhino, though usually at a distance. Anyone who guarantees you the full five is telling you what you want to hear.

It is a continuous loop rather than a single event, so it depends on the month.

Roughly: December to March the herds are in the southern Serengeti and Ndutu for calving. April and May they move north-west. The Grumeti river crossings come around June, and the more famous Mara river crossings between July and September. From October they drift back south.

Rain shifts this by weeks in either direction every year. Ask us when you book and we will tell you where they are likely to be for your dates.

An early start — coffee around 6am and out at first light, which is when the animals are most active. A picnic breakfast or brunch in the park.

Most days you are back at camp through the hottest hours, then out again mid-afternoon until sunset. On full-day drives you stay out with a packed lunch. Nothing is fixed: if there is something worth staying with, you stay with it.

Yes, with notice. Vegetarian, vegan, halal, gluten-free and allergy requirements are all workable if you tell us when you book rather than on the day — camps order supplies days in advance and some are a long way from a shop.

No technical climbing is involved — it is a long walk at altitude, not a climb. No ropes, no ice axes on the standard routes.

What it does need is endurance: five to nine days of walking, several hours a day, ending with a summit night that starts around midnight. Train by hill walking with a daypack for a few months beforehand and you will enjoy it far more.

The longer routes, because they give you more time to acclimatise. Lemosho over eight days and the northern circuit over nine have the highest summit rates.

Machame over seven days is a good balance of cost and success. Marangu over five days is the cheapest and has the lowest success rate — it simply does not allow enough time to adjust. Adding a day is the single best thing you can do for your chances.

Your guides check oxygen saturation and pulse twice daily and watch for symptoms throughout.

Mild headaches and breathlessness are common and usually manageable. If symptoms are serious the only real treatment is to descend, and your guide's decision on that is final — it is not a judgement on you, and it is not negotiable at 5,000 metres.

A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from, or have transited through, a country where yellow fever is present — this includes Kenya and Ethiopia, so it catches a lot of people on connecting flights.

Hepatitis A, typhoid and tetanus are commonly recommended. Malaria prophylaxis is advised for most of the country.

We are not medical professionals: see a travel clinic six to eight weeks before you fly.

Tanzania is one of the more stable countries in the region and tourism is a major part of the economy. Normal precautions apply in cities — watch your belongings, use registered taxis, avoid displaying valuables. On safari you are with a guide throughout. Follow their instructions around animals and in camp at night, and there is very little to worry about.

Yes, and we consider it essential rather than optional. Make sure it covers medical evacuation, and if you are climbing Kilimanjaro check that it covers you to at least 6,000 metres — many standard policies stop well below the summit.

We normally take a deposit to confirm your booking and hold camp space, with the balance due before you travel. Bank transfer and card are both accepted. The exact deposit and payment dates are set out in the quote we send you, so everything is agreed in writing before any money changes hands.

What we can refund depends on how close to departure you cancel and on the terms of the camps and park permits already booked in your name — some are non-refundable once issued. The full terms are in your quote. This is the main reason we recommend travel insurance that covers cancellation.

Park and conservation fees are a large part of the cost of any Tanzanian safari, so we state clearly on every package what is included and what is not. Check the "What is included" list on the package page, and ask us if anything is unclear before you book.

Tipping is customary and makes up a meaningful part of what guides and camp staff earn, but it is discretionary.

As a rough guide, safari guides are commonly tipped per vehicle per day rather than per person, and camp staff through a shared box. Kilimanjaro crews are tipped as a team at the end of the climb, and the amounts are larger because the crew is large. We will give you current suggested ranges in your final documents.