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Tanzania travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro. Photo: Sergey Pesterev, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
9h 45mflight from London
Tanzanian shillingcurrency
Apply onlinefor UK passports
Type D, Gplugs

Climb Kilimanjaro, see the Serengeti and relax on Zanzibar

Don't miss

  1. Serengeti
  2. Kilimanjaro
  3. Zanzibar
Good forWildlife & safariBeachesMountains & hiking

Best time to visit Tanzania from the UK

Best value: Mar, Oct–Nov. Jun–Oct for safari; Jan–Feb for the calving season. Busiest and priciest: Dec–Feb, Jun–Sep.

27.8 C28°J28 C28°F28 C28°M27.4 C27°A26.4 C26°M25.4 C25°J24.9 C25°J25.1 C25°A25.7 C26°S26.7 C27°O27.4 C27°N27.9 C28°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Dar es Salaam, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Dar es Salaam for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: March and NovemberThe warmest of the best-value months (27–28°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Dec–Feb, Jun–SepUsually 25–28°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Apr–MayAround 26–27°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, though often because of rain or heat.
  • Warmest: February (28°C) · coolest: July (25°C)Temperatures barely change through the year, so the season matters more than the weather.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
27.8282827.426.425.424.925.125.726.727.427.9

Festivals and events

  • Sauti za Busara Feb · Zanzibar
  • Zanzibar International Film Festival Jul · Zanzibar
  • Great Migration river crossings Jul–Sep · Serengeti

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 9h 45m
Distance
7,502 km
Main airport
DAR

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add Tanzania to your bucket list Search flights to DAR

Practical info and travel guidance

Tanzanian shillingCapital: Dodoma
Type D, G · 230VUK plugs fit
Drive on the leftSame as the UK
112
EmergencyPolice, fire, ambulance
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • FCDO adviceAdvises against all but essential travel to parts of TanzaniaCheck which areas before you book.
  • VisaApply online before you goeVisa before you travel
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersSame-sex relations are illegal or prosecutedRead the FCDO LGBT+ advice before you go.
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Tanzania, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 9 October 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Tanzania before you book and again before you go.

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