Tanzania Travel Info

Annual Weather Patterns:

January – March: (Hot Season temps: 32/18) (semi humidity & scattered rain)
April – May: (Warm 28/16) (humid, typically rainy season – “low season, cheaper prices”)
June – July: (Cooler 25/14) (dry & no rain)
August – October: (Warm 29/17) (dry & scattered rains)
November – December: (Warm 30/19 ) (humid & medium amount of rain)

Visa:

Tourist visas lasting up to 3 months are readily obtainable at the international airport upon arrival for $100 USD pp for Americans/$50 USD for most other nationalities requiring visas. They can also be purchased online through a relatively new online system here. Sometimes the online system is efficient and other times people recommend to do it in person.

Vaccinations Needed to Travel to Tanzania:

Routine vaccines should be up to date: chickenpox, Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DPT), Flu if desired, Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), Polio, Shingles (50+)
Yellow fever (required if travelling from a country with a risk of YF and/or if having a layover in a country with the risk that is longer than 12 hours)
Typhoid
Hep A/B
Covid-19 (check government website for current requirements)
Cholera
Malaria – prescription medication to prevent malaria available (however in Arusha there is not malaria but along the coast and in Zanzibar there is

Also recommended to take Dukoral Oral Vaccine to prevent traveller’s diarrhea and bring along a prescription of Ciproflaxan in case of severe diarrhea. Some guests also find it helpful to bring Pepto-Bismal tablets (a North American OTC medication for nausea, upset stomach & diarrhea) and chew 1 or 2 each morning as a preventative measure

Main Gateway:

The main gateway to the Northern circuit is the city of Arusha, which is served by Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Typically there are no direct flights to Kilimanjaro are available from overseas. Tourists coming from UK, North America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia usually fly directly into JRO from Amsterdam via KLM Royal Dutch Airlines or via connecting flights through Nairobi in Kenya (Kenya Airways), Addis Ababa in Ethiopia (Ethiopian Airlines) or Dar es Salaam (multiple airlines).

Heart of Africa Safari Tours is located about 1.5 hours from Kilimanjaro airport in the peace & quiet of the Tanzanian countryside.

When to visit Tanzania?

stunning wildlife reserves

The ‘best time’ of year to visit Tanzania depends on what you hope to experience most during your trip.

However, generally from mid-June to October is East Africa’s dry season, this time of year has the most predictable weather and provides ideal safari conditions. The best months to see the migration are from June-September (sometimes October) as scores of Serengeti animals concentrate around watering holes and rivers.

Exact migration river crossings can never be guaranteed to be seen and very much depend on the rains. People can book their safaris around the general time in hopes of seeing the actual crossing, however no guarantees can ever be made. The calving season from late January – February, sometimes early March offers a chance to witness the wildebeest calving but also brings the opportunity for predator sightings, as the big cats are prowling close by, looking to strike when the herds are most vulnerable. Generally, April-May is regarded as the low season when conditions are least favourable for wildlife viewing and there are often heavy rains.