Tanzania (Serengeti & Zanzibar)

The Serengeti is the centrepiece: 30,000 km² of grassland with the highest lion density in Africa and a resident cast of elephant, leopard, cheetah and giraffe. Ngorongoro Crater is a collapsed caldera holding around 25,000 animals, including one of the best chances of seeing black rhino anywhere.

Round out the circuit with Tarangire, superb for elephant and baobabs from July to October, and Lake Manyara for tree-climbing lions and flamingos. Most itineraries start in Arusha and run 5-8 days by road, or fly between airstrips to save time.

Two million wildebeest and zebra move in a rough clockwise loop, so when you go determines where you stay. December to March: calving season on the southern Serengeti plains around Ndutu, with huge herds, newborns intense predator action.

April to May: the herds move west and north through the rains. June to July: the Grumeti River crossings in the west. August to October: the famous Mara River crossings in the northern Serengeti near the Kenyan border. Book camps in the right sector for your dates, a Serengeti lodge in the wrong region can be hundreds of kilometres from the herds.

Stone Town is a UNESCO-listed maze of Swahili, Omani and Indian architecture, carved doors and spice markets: give it a full day and a night, and eat at the Forodhani night market. Then head to the beaches: Nungwi and Kendwa in the north have swimmable water at all tides and the liveliest scene; Paje and Jambiani in the southeast are kitesurfing country with dramatic tidal flats; Matemwe and Pongwe are the quiet choices.

Snorkel or dive at Mnemba Atoll, take a spice-farm tour, or visit Jozani Forest for red colobus monkeys. Four to six nights after safari is about right, the contrast is the point.

Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) is a non-technical trek but a serious one; success rates rise sharply on longer routes. Choose the 8-day Lemosho or 7-day Machame over the short Marangu route, and go in January-March or June-October.

Fly into Kilimanjaro (JRO) for the safari circuit and Zanzibar (ZNZ) or Dar es Salaam (DAR) for the coast; internal flights link them daily. Most nationalities need a visa (available online). Yellow fever certificates are required if arriving from an endemic country, and malaria prophylaxis is strongly advised. On Zanzibar, dress modestly away from the beach: it's a conservative Muslim island.

June to October is the dry season: the safest all-round choice for wildlife, Kilimanjaro and the coast. January to February is the other excellent window: calving season, hot beach weather, fewer crowds. Avoid the long rains of April and May, when many camps close.

Tanzania is more expensive than most of East Africa because park fees are high. Allow roughly $350-600 per person per day for a quality mid-range safari including guide, vehicle and park fees, then far less on Zanzibar: comfortable beach hotels sit around $100-250 per night for two.