A topi in the tall grass: With its curved horns, the topi strides through the green plain of the Serengeti.

The great wildebeest migration

Self-drive safaris in Tanzania

Tanzania is on the list of countries I plan for, and the one thing that pulls almost everybody there is the great wildebeest migration across the plains.

Parks I have driven myself

Serengeti

What Tanzania is known for: open plains and the migration that moves across them with the seasons. Where the herds are in a given month decides everything about the route, which is why the date matters more here than anywhere else.

Ngorongoro

A caldera with its own resident wildlife, reachable on the same route as the Serengeti. Access and permits work differently from the parks further south, so this is one to plan rather than improvise.

Worth knowing

To be honest: I experienced Tanzania on a guided tour, not as a self-driver. So I only write here about what I know from my own experience, and I pass on what I know about Tanzania honestly as what it is: impressions from a guided trip.

Background: Tanzania is not a typical self-drive country, even though it is possible in principle. Many parks, the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater above all, are mostly visited with a driver and guide. Even so, I am happy to help you plan, whether guided or self-drive.

Entry

Visa required in advance, applied for as an e-visa.

Driving

Left. The main roads are in good condition and tarred. The larger towns have busy traffic: motorbikes and tuk-tuks shape the picture on the roads alongside the tourists' safari jeeps.

Money

Tanzanian shilling; US dollars are usual for park fees. Card payment works well, but the same applies here: carry one tank of fuel in cash.

Malaria

Risk almost everywhere and all year, lower at altitude

Best months

June to October, plus the short dry season in January and February.
Note: more and more pictures of crowded parks in the main dry season between June and October are appearing in the media. That is why I recommend the short dry season, even though in recent years it has not really been dry: it has just rained somewhat less.

Current entry rules from the German Foreign Office (in German)

As of October 2026. Entry rules change, so check with your own foreign ministry before you travel.

Where that is