Tanzania is East Africa's premier safari destination, home to the legendary Serengeti plains, Africa's highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro, and the pristine beaches of Zanzibar. Experience the Great Migration, explore ancient Stone Town, and discover incredible wildlife diversity.
Top day trips
Handpicked excursions within easy reach.
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro is the collapsed caldera of a volcano that used to rival Kilimanjaro, and the crater floor - about 610 metres below the rim - holds one of the densest concentrations of wildlife in Africa year-round, because animals rarely need to migrate out in search of water or grazing. You spend the day descending by 4x4 onto the floor rather than driving the wider conservation area, so sightings come faster and closer together than in the big open parks. It is also one of the few places left with a realistic chance of seeing black rhino alongside lion, elephant, buffalo and the soda-lake flamingos on Lake Magadi.
Highlights: World's largest intact volcanic caldera · 500+ lion population · Black rhino sightings · Flamingo-covered Lake Magadi · Dense Big Five concentration
Materuni Waterfalls and Coffee Farm
Materuni is a Chagga village on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro, and the day here combines a hike through banana and coffee plantations to a waterfall with a stop at a family-run coffee farm where you see beans picked, roasted over an open fire and ground by hand. It's a low-key, physically active day rather than a wildlife day, and the appeal is watching coffee actually get made from the tree rather than looking at it on a shelf.
Highlights: 80-meter Materuni waterfall with swimming pool · Chagga tribe coffee farm visit · Traditional coffee roasting demonstration · Views of Kilimanjaro on clear mornings · Local banana beer tasting
Bagamoyo Historic Town
Bagamoyo was the last mainland town caravans passed through before crossing to Zanzibar, and later became a major point in the East African slave and ivory trade before serving as the first capital of German East Africa. The town centre still has decaying Arab-Swahili merchant houses, a German colonial boma, and one of the oldest Catholic missions on the African mainland, but very little of it is signposted, so the history has to be explained rather than read off a plaque.
Highlights: 19th century Arab trading port and slave caravan terminal · Kaole Ruins (13th century mosque) · Chuo cha Sanaa arts college · German colonial buildings · Traditional dhow building yards on the beach
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara sits at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment, and the park is really several distinct habitats packed into a narrow strip: a dense groundwater forest right at the entrance, open grassland and acacia woodland further in, and the shallow alkaline lake itself along the park's eastern edge. It's known for its tree-climbing lions, though seeing one is not guaranteed on any given visit, and for very large troops of baboons that gather right along the entrance road.
Highlights: Tree-climbing lions unique to this park · Massive hippo pools at park entrance · Flamingo flocks on the alkaline lake shore · Groundwater forest elephant population · Bird watching (500+ species)
Zanzibar Stone Town Day Trip
Stone Town is the old trading quarter of Zanzibar City, a dense grid of narrow alleys, coral-stone merchant houses and elaborately carved wooden doors built up over centuries of Swahili, Omani and Indian trade. It was also the centre of East Africa's slave trade in the 19th century, and the Anglican Cathedral standing on the former slave market site is the town's most direct reminder of that history. As a day trip from the mainland it's a full but doable day once you account for the ferry crossing on both ends.
Highlights: UNESCO World Heritage Old Town · House of Wonders museum · Birthplace of Freddie Mercury · Forodhani Night Market · Historic slave market Anglican Cathedral
Trips by distance
How far you can go in a day.
Getting there
Transport options for day trips.
- Tours
- Organised day tours from Arusha to Ngorongoro from $150 per person. Zanzibar spice farm tours from $35.
- Private
- Private 4WD hire from $120-180/day in Arusha for park day trips. Includes fuel but not park fees.
- Public
- Dalla-dallas and buses serve Bagamoyo from Dar ($1), Arusha to Moshi ($5), and Zanzibar beaches ($1-3). Unreliable for park day trips.
- Rental
- Car rental from $60/day (2WD) or $100/day (4WD) in Arusha and Dar. 4WD essential for Ngorongoro and Tarangire.
Multi-day tours from Tanzania
If you have longer than a day, these are organised multi-day trips that start here.
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Day trip tips
Make the most of your excursions.
Start safari day trips at 6AM to reach park gates at opening time and maximise cool morning game-viewing hours before the midday heat.
Book Ngorongoro Crater day permits ($60 pp) online through NCAA website at least 2-3 days in advance - the crater entrance quota fills up.
The Zanzibar fast ferry (2 hrs, $40) allows a full day in Stone Town from Dar es Salaam - take the 7AM boat and return on the 8PM service.