Safari destinations
One country, endless safari worlds. From the northern circuit's iconic parks to the wild, uncrowded south and the beaches of the Indian Ocean — here's how it all fits together, and how we help you choose.
Find your next chapter
Wildlife, mountain air or a slower island pace. Explore the places that make your journey yours.
14 destinations to discover
Arusha · Tanzania
Arusha is the gateway to northern Tanzania's safari circuit, set beneath Mount Meru and close to Arusha National Park. It is a natural starting point for private safaris, Kilimanjaro journeys and carefully planned Tanzania…
East Africa · Tanzania
Serengeti National Park is Tanzania's legendary wildlife destination, famous for the Great Wildebeest Migration, exceptional big-cat sightings and vast open plains. Explore the Serengeti on a private safari designed around the…
East Africa · Tanzania
Tanzania is Africa's most complete safari country — the Serengeti and the Great Migration, the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire's elephants, the wild southern parks and Zanzibar's coast. Every Emnel safari here is private, and…
Northern Circuit · Tanzania
A remote Rift Valley soda lake near Ngorongoro and home to the Hadzabe hunter-gatherers and Datoga pastoralists — a deeply human counterpoint to the game drives of the north.
Northern Circuit · Tanzania
A compact Rift Valley park of groundwater forest, elephants, baboons and birdlife, famous for its tree-climbing lions — an easy first game drive on the road from Arusha to Ngorongoro.
Coast & Islands · Tanzania
Tanzania's first marine park — a whale-shark stronghold, world-class diving on untouched reefs, and the quietest, most unhurried of the archipelago's islands.
Southern Circuit · Tanzania
Southern Tanzania's most accessible safari: open floodplains with lions, elephants, giraffe and hippo pools, within reach of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
Northern Circuit · Tanzania
The world's largest intact volcanic caldera, home to lion, black rhino and vast herds on a crater floor 600 metres below the rim — the heart of every northern Tanzania safari.
Southern Circuit · Tanzania
Africa's largest national park, built around the Rufiji River, and the only major Tanzanian park where boat safaris and walking are part of every stay.
Northern Circuit · Tanzania
A compact park on the slopes of Mount Meru, an hour from Arusha: walking safaris, colobus monkeys, giraffe and flamingo lakes on a first or last safari day.
Coast & Islands · Tanzania
Zanzibar's quieter, greener sister island — the world's leading source of cloves, a serious diver's destination, and a place that still takes its own reputation for magic seriously.
Coast & Islands · Tanzania
A different kind of chapter to close a Tanzania trip on — coral sand, a nine-hundred-year trading history, and a coastline with several genuinely distinct personalities of its own.
Southern Circuit · Tanzania
Tanzania's second-largest national park, and its most genuinely remote major safari destination — baobab-studded, lion-dense, and still largely uncrowded.
Northern Circuit · Tanzania
Tanzania's elephant country: ancient baobabs, a lifeline river, and some of the northern circuit's quietest game drives, two hours from Arusha.
A message from Nelson Laizer · Founder
I grew up in Arusha, at the foot of Mount Meru, with Kilimanjaro visible on clear mornings. The guides who work with us have spent years in these parks — not as observers, but as people who understand how the bush moves. When guests ask me which park is best, I ask them a question back: what does a good day in the bush look like to you? That answer shapes everything. We don't sell packages — we design safaris around people.
“We don’t sell packages. We design safaris around people.”
Tanzania safari FAQs
Planning a first safari raises a lot of questions. Here are the ones we're asked most — answered the way we'd answer them in person.
It depends mainly on the season, the number of days and the lodges you choose. Our private northern-circuit itineraries start from about US$3,100 per person for five days in Classic comfort, and rise with Mid-Luxury and Luxury camps. Park and conservation fees are set by the government and make up a significant share of every safari, and they are included in our prices. Every itinerary page shows a starting price per person, and we quote exactly for your dates.
Yes. You have your own vehicle and your own guide for the whole safari, and the daily pace, start times and stops are set around you, never around a group.
One of Emnel's own guides. The team that plans your safari is the team that runs it. About two weeks before you arrive, we send your trip companion, with your guide's details and everything else you need for the journey.
Tanzania offers excellent game viewing all year. June to October is the classic dry season, with easy game viewing and the migration in the north. January to March brings the calving season in the southern Serengeti. The long rains of April and May are quieter and greener, and some camps close. We will recommend the best timing and route for what you most want to see.
Tell us your dates and ideas, and we will design an itinerary and send a detailed proposal. To confirm, we ask for a 30% deposit plus any domestic flights, which are issued on confirmation. You then receive your official confirmation, and about two weeks before you travel, your trip companion with every final detail.
Yes. A short flight from the Serengeti or Arusha takes you to Zanzibar's beaches. We recommend at least one night in Stone Town alongside your beach stay.
Start planning
Tell us your dates and what you have in mind — a local expert will build a tailored plan. No payment needed to start.