Questions & Answers about Tanzania

Tanzania has one of the highest bird counts in Africa with over 1100 bird species! Birdwatching is best during the warm season (November to April) when you have the opportunity to spot endemic species as well as migratory birds from Europe and Asia. 

Best birding locations include:

• Arusha National Park with 400+ bird species
• Lake Manyara National Park with 400+ recorded species
• Tarangire with 550+ species 
• Serengeti with 500+ bird species 
• Selous Game Reserve with 440+ recorded listings
• Ruaha National Park with 570+ bird species 

We use custom-built 4WD Toyota Land Cruisers for our safaris. The vehicles take up to 6 clients in 3 rows of seating (guaranteed window seat for all) with a pop-up roof, which can raise for wildlife viewing. The pop-up roof allows for excellent photographic opportunities and also provides shade while enjoying your safari. Our vehicles are meticulously serviced and maintained before and after every safari to ensure our clients’ optimal comfort.

One of the most important facts you need to check when booking your safari is if it includes unlimited kilometres. With limited kilometres, you will NOT maximize your wildlife viewing! Plus, you might get stuck with a safari guide who is bound to prescribed kilometres and refuse to follow a good sighting because of his restrictions. If you don’t take this into consideration, you will probably end up disappointed. 

We offer you unlimited kilometres as we understand the importance of optimising each game viewing opportunity. 

Yes, travelling to Tanzania can be incredibly rewarding for families. We provide excellent child friendly guides and try to limit the amount of time spent in a vehicle. We also offer regular stops along the way when doing a family safari.

The golden rule is to pack as lightly as possible. We recommend comfortable shorts, shirts and long trousers for the duration of the safari. It is crucial to pack warm clothes for the cooler mornings and late evenings as it can be cold. If you wish to swim at the lodges between your game drives, do not forget to pack swimwear. Remember to stock up on insect repellent as you will be in a malaria area.

*Book through eXplore Plus Travel & Tours and receive a detailed 'What to Pack' list based on the area you will be visiting.  

Please note that anyone travelling abroad is obliged to have a valid passport with a minimum of six months validity from the date of return and at least three blank pages.

Most passport holders require a visa for Tanzania. Visas can be obtained from the Tanzanian High Commission or  online. Remember that visa requirements can change with little or no notice. Please double-check foreign entry requirements according to your nationality by contacting eXplore Plus Travel & Tours or the Tanzanian High Commission.

If you are heading to the beach after your safari or travelling with excess luggage, we recommend that you store some of your luggage at our office in Arusha while you are in the bush. We can return it to you before flying out. If you need to use this option, it is practical to use more than one bag when packing.  

The Tanzanian Shilling (TSH) is the official currency of Tanzania. You will always have the option of paying in shillings, but you will have to take the exchange rate in consideration.  Dollars are widely accepted, sometimes even preferred over local currency. Euros are welcome as well. You can use credit cards at larger establishments, where Visa and Master Card are the most widely accepted cards.

Dollar notes printed before 2009 will be rejected.

As with many places around the world, Tanzania does have a few questionable areas that should be avoided. Planning your trip through a reputable travel company will prevent any misunderstandings and allow you to enjoy what will undoubtedly be one of your most memorable holidays. 

Most of the major National Parks in Tanzania have excellent all-around cell phone coverage. Remote parks like Ruaha, Selous, Katavi have limited to no cell phone coverage. A prepaid Tanzanian SIM card with a GSM international cell phone is the most convenient and economical calling solution. 

Most lodges and camps in Tanzania have facilities (plugs) to charge batteries for cameras, video recorders, computers, etc., but it is advisable to bring spare batteries as a backup. The lodges have plugs in their rooms and some of the tented camps offer central charging stations. Bring your own adaptor. Tanzania has the same 3 pin square plugs/sockets as the UK. Electricity supply is 230V.

Organising travel insurance is vital for any trip to Africa and we recommend that you do it when you pay your deposit. Should something unexpected happen and you need to cancel your holiday, it is good to know

that you have insurance cover and may be able to retrieve your money. Insurance is also recommended to cover loss of baggage and flight delays. 

The park is enormous and you need to be in the right part of the Serengeti at the right time. If you’re staying in a lodge in the Southern Serengeti while the herds are in the Western corridor or the North, it is possible to miss them entirely. We specialise in identifying the area (South, Central, West or North) where you will have the best chance of seeing the migration during your journey. For more details, please read our wildebeest migration page.

Yes, you can see the migration year-round in the Serengeti, although there are certain stages of the migration deemed more dramatic than others. We know the migration and the camps/lodges closest to the action at any given time and will gladly advise you.

Many of the roads in Tanzania are hard-packed gravel and because of their heavy use, they're often rutted. Guides joke that travelling on these roads offer you the "African safari massage”. While there are some beautifully paved roads (from Arusha to the Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Highlands), you will be travelling on rougher gravel roads. All the roads in the national parks in Tanzania are gravel roads and visitors should take note that it can be dusty, bumpy and physically demanding.