Tanzania

The mainland is 45 minutes by air from Zanzibar. Most people don't realise how close the Serengeti actually is until they've done the trip: you land, the vehicle is waiting, and within the hour you're watching elephants cross the road. It's that straightforward. Tanzania's parks are on a different scale from anything else in East Africa. The Serengeti alone covers 30,000 square kilometres, and the wildlife density reflects it. The Great Migration isn't a single event you can miss. It's a continuous cycle that runs through the ecosystem all year. The herds calve in the southern Serengeti from December through February, the most tender wildlife photographs you'll ever see. By July they've pushed north to the Mara River, and from roughly July to October the dramatic crossings happen, wildebeest and zebra plunging through crocodile-filled water. There's no guarantee on exact timing, but if you're in the Mara sector during that window, you'll see crossings. Ngorongoro Crater is a different experience from the Serengeti. It's a collapsed volcano, 260 square kilometres of enclosed ecosystem, and the wildlife can't leave easily. Black rhino live in the crater. So do lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and dense concentrations of plains game. It's as close to guaranteed Big Five viewing as Africa gets. For shorter trips, Mikumi National Park works as a day safari from Zanzibar. An early morning flight, three to four hours in the park, back by evening. It's not the Serengeti but it's real wildlife in real bush, and it costs a fraction of the northern circuit. A lot of people who planned one day end up booking longer. You need a visa for Tanzania. Most nationalities can get one on arrival or through the e-visa portal, around USD 50 for most passports and USD 100 for US citizens. Yellow fever vaccination is required if you're arriving from an endemic country. Bring antimalarials for the mainland. The combination of a beach week in Zanzibar followed by even two nights on safari is one of the most complete travel experiences East Africa offers.