Tanzania

Tanzania holds an unusual concentration of headline experiences: the Serengeti and the wildlife-packed Ngorongoro Crater for safari, Kilimanjaro for the continent's highest trek, and Zanzibar's spice-island beaches to finish. You can do all three or pick a lane. The northern safari circuit is the core of most trips, with the Serengeti's migration and the crater's dense game viewing within a few hours of each other.

The classic loop runs the northern circuit — a few nights split between the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, where a single descent into the caldera turns up lions, elephants, and often rhino in one morning. From roughly June to September the migration herds gather in the western and northern Serengeti for the Mara River crossings, the safari's most dramatic set piece. Many then fly to Zanzibar for beach time, or arrive early to climb Kilimanjaro over five to eight days. Camps run from basic to luxury, and that choice sets the budget.

It is logistically heavy and rarely cheap. Park and conservation fees here are among the highest in Africa, internal flights and good guides add up, and a Kilimanjaro climb is a serious, altitude-driven effort that catches unprepared trekkers out. Seasonality is unforgiving: the long rains from March to May flood tracks and shutter some camps, so the best months are also the priciest and busiest. The migration crossings draw a wall of vehicles when they happen. Plan around the dry season, budget honestly, and few places stack this much into one trip.