Mikumi, Nyerere (Selous) and Udzungwa are in southern Tanzania and are reached by a short charter flight from Zanzibar, so they work as day trips or one-night safaris. The Northern Circuit parks are reached via Kilimanjaro Airport and need two days or more.
New guide: Which national parks can you visit from Zanzibar? Jozani, Saadani, Mikumi and Nyerere compared: flight times, park fees, wildlife and day-trip prices.
Southern Circuit — fly-in from Zanzibar
Mikumi National Park
45 minutes from Zanzibar. Lion, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and hippo on open floodplain. Our day-trip park.
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Nyerere National Park (Selous)
Rufiji River boat safaris, hippo and crocodile, wild dog country. About 50 minutes from Zanzibar.
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Udzungwa Mountains
Rainforest hiking to the Sanje Waterfalls and endemic primates, an hour's drive from Mikumi.
Read the guide →Northern Circuit — via Kilimanjaro
Serengeti National Park
The Great Migration and big cats. Fly-in safaris run by our sister site.
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Ngorongoro Crater
Tanzania's best chance of all of the Big Five, including black rhino.
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Tarangire National Park
Big elephant herds and baobab trees, the usual first stop of a northern safari.
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Lake Manyara
Tree-climbing lions, flamingos and groundwater forest.
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Lake Eyasi
Time with the Hadzabe and Datoga peoples in a remote rift valley.
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