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Embark on an unforgettable journey with Overlanding Tanzania: Where Nature, Culture, and Adventure Meet. This epic road trip takes you deep into Tanzania’s raw and breathtaking beauty—from the vast Serengeti plains and towering Mount Kilimanjaro to the shores of Lake Tanganyika and the spice-scented streets of Zanzibar. Along the way, connect with welcoming local communities, witness incredible wildlife in their natural habitat, and camp under star-studded skies. Whether you're a self-drive adventurer or joining an overland tour, Tanzania offers the perfect mix of rugged exploration and rich cultural encounters for those craving something real, wild, and truly transformative.
Arusha and the Serengeti
We depart Nairobi early in the morning and immediately find ourselves in hot savannah grasslands with acacia trees providing the only shade. Various game, usually zebra and giraffe can be seen as we head south and cross the border into Tanzania. We spend the night at Meserani Snake Park, on the route from Arusha to the Serengeti.
Over the next 3 days you can take our optional Add-on to enjoy a safari into the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater. These areas are one of the world's great wildlife hotspots, and you are sure to see a huge variety of different game species including Elephant, Lion, Cheetah, White Rhino, Buffalo, Hippo, Antelope, Crocodile and Pink Flamingos as well as vast herds of wildebeest roaming the plains.
For those who don't want to add this safari experience onto the trip, there are options to visit the Snake Park, visit a local Masai Village to learn about their culture and way of life. You can also arrange day trips into the Serengeti or Ngorongoro Crater.
Arusha to Marangu and Bagamoyo Beach
After leaving Arusha we pass a number of small towns and villages along the way and, if the weather is clear, we may see the towering peak of Kilimanjaro. We will stop off for a couple of nights at the village of Marangu where you have the opportunity to climb to Kilimanjaro base camp, or take a walk through the lush surroundings passing through coffee plantations, rivers, waterfalls, caves and visiting a local blacksmith.
Leaving Marangu, a day's drive brings us to the coast and some welcome time on a beautiful Indian Ocean Beach at Bagamoyo before we continue to Dar Es Salaam. The truck will be based here for 4 nights while the group heads to Zanzibar.
Zanzibar Island
We leave the truck and tents behind this morning and take the ferry from Dar es Salaam to Zanzibar for our included four night stay on the island. During our time there we'll visit the bustling streets of Stone Town and its famous spice markets, old slave forts and dungeons. We'll also spend 3 nights relaxing on Zanzibar's famous white beaches, where there are many options available locally to arrange scuba diving, snorkelling, and dolphin boat trips.
Dar es Salaam to Malawi
After meeting the Zanzibar ferry we begin our journey through the interesting and mountainous hinterland of Tanzania. In the afternoon, after negotiating some appalling roads, we pass through the peaceful Mikumi National Park. African safari travel is synonymous with wildlife, and in this national park we usually see Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope from the roadside. Passing through lush mountainous landscape and plantations we finally leave Tanzania and enter Malawi.
Oasis Overland Trips that Include Tanzania
You can travel to Tanzania on many of our overland adventures including our classic 76 day Grand Adventurer.
NAIROBI TO CAPE TOWN (76 DAYS) GRAND ADVENTURER
Trek to see the mountain gorillas, swim with dolphins or relax on sandy tropical beaches. Add in a few adrenaline activities such as bungy jumping, white water rafting or quad biking along with stunning gameparks such as the Maasai Mara and Etosha will make this a trip to remember.
For those short on time or wanting a taster of overlanding, have a look at our 14 day trip from Nairobi to Zanzibar:
NAIROBI TO DAR ES SALAAM (14 DAYS) GAMEPARKS & ZANZIBAR
On this overland tour you have the opportunity to get up close to the amazing wildlife in the Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, home to Zebra and the migration site of 1.5 million Wildebeest. As well as sight-seeing, you can chill out on the beautiful white sandy beaches of Zanzibar and explore the history and culture of Stone Town.