Tanzania travel guide: what to know before you go

The long dry season runs from late June to October. Grass is short, animals gather near water, and the days are clear and mild. It is the busiest time in the parks, and the time the herds of the great migration move through the northern Serengeti.

The short rains come in November and early December, mostly as brief afternoon storms. January to March is warm and green, and it is calving season in the southern Serengeti, when thousands of wildebeest are born in a few weeks.

The long rains fall from April to May. Some camps close, roads can be hard going, and prices tend to drop. Every month has something to offer, so let your plans, your budget and what you most want to see choose the month.

Most visitors need a visa, and the simplest route is to apply online before you travel. Your passport should have at least six months left on it and some blank pages.

Talk to a travel clinic well before your trip. Malaria is present in many areas, so ask about tablets. You may need proof of a yellow fever vaccine if you arrive from, or pass through, a country where the disease is found.

Travel insurance is a must. Make sure it covers medical care, evacuation from remote areas, and every activity you plan, from game drives to a climb. Zanzibar also asks visitors for its own arrival insurance, on top of your own policy.

Tanzania is a safe country for travellers, and the people you meet on a safari are there to look after you. The usual city sense still applies. Keep valuables out of sight in towns, use taxis your hotel arranges at night, and do not walk alone after dark in places you do not know.

In the parks, the rules are simple. Stay in the vehicle unless your guide says you can get out. At camps, wait for an escort after dark, because animals walk through.

Tanzania's laws are more conservative than many visitors are used to. Same-sex relationships are illegal, and public displays of affection of any kind are frowned on. Drugs carry heavy penalties. Treat local rules with care and you are very unlikely to meet any trouble.

Tanzanian food is filling and simple. Ugali, a stiff porridge of maize flour, is eaten with stews and greens. Nyama choma is grilled meat, often goat or beef, shared at a table. Pilau is rice cooked with spices. Chipsi mayai is chips cooked into an omelette, sold at roadside stalls. Mishkaki are small skewers of grilled meat.

Around Kilimanjaro, bananas are a staple and turn up in stews. On the coast and in Zanzibar, food is spicier, with coconut, fish and the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom the islands are famous for. Chai, sweet milky tea, is everywhere.

At safari camps and hotels, the food is mostly international and very good. Tell your operator about any allergy or diet before you travel. Drink bottled or filtered water, skip ice in small places, and peel fruit you buy at the roadside.

Tanzania is home to well over a hundred ethnic groups, and Swahili ties them together. Christians and Muslims live side by side on the mainland. Zanzibar and much of the coast are mostly Muslim.

Greetings matter. People greet before they ask anything, and a hurried question without a hello can seem rude. Shake hands, take a moment, and ask how someone is. Older people are greeted with extra respect.

Dress modestly in towns and villages. In Stone Town and the villages of Zanzibar, cover your shoulders and knees, and keep swimwear for the beach and the pool. During Ramadan, avoid eating or drinking in the street in daytime on the islands.

Use your right hand to give and receive things. Ask before you take a photo of anyone. And bring patience: things move at their own pace here, and a smile helps a great deal.

Most safari visitors land at Kilimanjaro International Airport, between Arusha and Moshi. Others arrive in Dar es Salaam or Zanzibar and take a short domestic flight north.

On safari, you travel in a four-by-four with your own driver-guide. Roads between the parks are a mix of good tarmac and rough dirt tracks, and a day can include several hours of driving. Light aircraft link the larger parks and Zanzibar, which saves time on long routes.

In towns, use taxis your hotel books for you, or apps where they work. Buses and the shared minibuses called dala dala are cheap, but they are crowded and are not a sensible way to reach a park. Self-driving is possible, but the roads, the animals and the park rules make it hard work for a first visit.

Tanzania gives a large share of its land to parks and reserves. The northern circuit, close to Arusha, holds the best-known names: the Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire and Lake Manyara. That is where most first safaris go, and where RedSoil runs its trips.

The country has lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and rhino, along with cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, zebras and huge herds of wildebeest. Birdlife is rich in every season. In the south and west there are wilder, quieter parks that take longer to reach.

Nobody can promise a sighting. A good guide, the right month and enough days in the parks make the most of your chances. Park fees are paid per person per day, and they are a large part of what a safari costs.

On safari, you choose between lodges, tented camps and camping. Lodges are solid buildings with all the comforts. Tented camps put you under canvas, with real beds and private bathrooms, close to the sounds of the bush. Camping is the simplest and the cheapest, with your crew setting up and cooking.

In Arusha and Moshi, there are hotels and guest houses for every budget. On Zanzibar, you can stay in old merchant houses in Stone Town or by the beach on the east and north coasts.

Most trips mix styles. A comfortable lodge after a long drive and a tented camp deep in the park is a common choice.

Buying a local SIM card is easy in the towns and at the airport. You need your passport, and the seller registers the card while you wait. An eSIM works too, if your phone takes one.

Signal is good in towns and along main roads. In the parks it comes and goes, and in parts of the Serengeti there is none at all. Many lodges and camps have Wi-Fi, often in the main area only, and it can be slow. Tell people at home you may be quiet for a day or two.

Power in camps often comes from solar panels or a generator, and some only run it at set times. Bring a travel adaptor for three-pin British-style plugs, a power bank, and a car charger for the vehicle.

Tanzania is a gift to anyone with a camera. A few rules keep it that way. Always ask before you photograph a person, and accept a no with a smile. Some Maasai communities ask for a small payment for photos, which your guide can explain.

Do not photograph soldiers, police, government buildings, airports or border posts. It can lead to serious trouble.

Drones need permits arranged well in advance, and they are not allowed in the national parks without written permission. Unless your operator has sorted this out for you, leave the drone at home.