Discover Tanzania
Wildlife
Which animals will you see in Tanzania, where do you spot them and when? From the Big Five to species you won’t see anywhere else.
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Karibu - Welcome
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Travel with meaning
The land of iconic animals
Tanzania holds one of the greatest concentrations of wildlife on earth. And the animals live here as they should: free, wild and undisturbed.
Lions stalk through the tall grass of the Serengeti, herds of elephants gather around ancient baobabs and a million and a half wildebeest move across the plains all year round. On this page you discover which animals you can see. For each one we point you to the place where your chances are best.
Simba, tembo, chui, kifaru & nyati
The Big Five
Africa’s five most famous animals all live in northern Tanzania. Our guides know them by their Swahili names and know exactly where to find them.
Simba
Lion
More than three thousand lions live in the Serengeti. Look for them in the morning, sunning themselves on the rock formations (kopjes).
Spot it in serengeti →
Tembo
Elephant
Huge herds gather around the ancient baobabs of Tarangire, sometimes dozens at once at a single waterhole.
Spot it in tarangire →
Chui
Leopard
The quietest of the five. By day it rests high on a branch. Our guides know which trees to scan.
Spot it in serengeti →
Kifaru
Rhino
The rarest of the five. These days you’ll see the black rhino almost only on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater, one of the best places in all of Africa.
Spot it in ngorongoro →
Nyati
Buffalo
In herds of hundreds at a time it grazes across the crater and along the lakes: impressive, and according to the guides the most unpredictable of the five.
Spot it in ngorongoro →
Beyond the Big Five
Species that stay with you
Tanzania is more than the five classics. Some animals, or the behaviour they show here, you’ll see almost nowhere else in the world.
lake manyara
Tree-climbing lions
Lions that escape the heat of the savannah by climbing into trees: a sight found almost nowhere else on earth.
Find out more →
serengeti
The Great Migration
A million and a half wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebra, on the move all year round in a herd that can stretch forty kilometres.
Find out more →
serengeti
Cheetah
The fastest hunter on earth needs the open plains of the Serengeti. This is where your chances of seeing one in action are best.
Find out more →
arusha
Black-and-white colobus monkey
Swings through the mountain forest at the foot of Mount Meru with its long mantle of fur, often on your very first safari day.
Find out more →
lake natron · lake manyara
Flamingos
Pink ribbons of thousands of birds along the soda lakes of the Rift Valley: Lake Natron is East Africa’s breeding ground.
Find out more →
zanzibar
Red colobus monkey
Now found only in Jozani Forest on Zanzibar. Combine your safari with the beach and this rare island resident.
Find out more →
Wildlife through the year
What can you see, and when?
There is no bad season for safari. Every part of the year has its own spectacle. Here’s what you can count on.
Jan – Mar
Calving season
In the southern Serengeti thousands of wildebeest calves are born every day, and the predators are never far away.
Apr – May
Green season
The long rains turn everything deep green. Quiet parks, full waterholes and the best prices.
Jun – Oct
Dry season
Animals gather around the water sources: the best spotting of the year, with river crossings from July to September.
Nov – Dec
Short rains
Migratory birds arrive from the north and the landscape comes back to life: photogenic and surprisingly quiet.
Our guides grew up in Tanzania. Whatever the season, they know exactly where the animals are.
From park to park
What can you see, and where?
Every area has its own residents. Dive into the detail pages for each destination to find the animals, the best time to travel and how it fits into your route.
serengeti
The Great Migration of a million and a half wildebeest and zebra, with lions and cheetahs on the endless savannah.
Find out more →
ngorongoro
The crater with the highest density of wildlife in Africa, and the place to spot the rare black rhino.
Find out more →
tarangire
Huge herds of elephants gathering around ancient baobab trees.
Find out more →
lake manyara
Famous for its tree-climbing lions and the thousands of flamingos along the lake.
Find out more →
arusha
Black-and-white colobus monkeys, giraffes and green slopes at the foot of Mount Meru.
Find out more →
zanzibar
There’s life underwater too: dolphins, sea turtles and, in Jozani Forest, the red colobus monkey.
Find out more →
Conservation
Balance in nature
Wild that stays wild
None of this can be taken for granted. Tanzania’s wildlife survives thanks to vast protected areas and to local communities who benefit from them.
That is why you travel with guides from Tanzania itself, and why we book everything directly with local partners, without middlemen taking the money out of Tanzania. So we help build the nature you came to admire, together with the people who protect it.
Through our lens
Wildlife in pictures
A selection of what our travellers and guides caught on camera along the way, from the savannah of the Serengeti to the Ngorongoro Crater.
Karibu - welcome
Will you soon be face to face with the Big Five?
Tell us which animals are on your list, and we’ll build the route around them. We’d love to talk it through and make your dream safari a reality.