Travel in Tanzania

“Okay, now do the blob,” whispered Mark Thornton, the founder of Mark Thornton Safaris and our guide in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. His words, barely audible, were the first anyone had spoken in an hour, and they spurred our group of five into action. We linked arms and began moving slowly, rugby-scrum style, so as to appear a nonthreatening part of the landscape (a large bush or perhaps a boulder), toward a trio of spirited male warthogs whose long, foppish manes rippled in the breeze as if in an '80s hair-band video.

Marriott is doubling down on luxury safari lodges with the signing of two forthcoming camps in Kenya: The Ritz-Carlton, Masai Mara Safari Camp and JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp.

Luxury tour operator Abercrombie & Kent has long set the luxury travel bar with its epic continent-hopping private jet journeys—and now it’s launching one of its best offers yet. Travelers who book the 25-day Ancient Kingdoms & Dynasties: A Journey by Private Jet itinerary will get a complimentary nine-night pre-trip cruise with its sibling company Crystal Cruises. “This unprecedented collaboration … offers travelers a unique opportunity to experience the pinnacle of both air and sea adventures in one extraordinary experience,” said Ann Epting, Abercombie & Kent’s senior vice president of product development, in a statement to Travel + Leisure. 

When people marvel at how “brave” I am for traveling with a toddler, I tell them I’m not uniquely courageous—just battle-hardened. I’ve been traveling with my 2.5-year-old son, Julian, since he was five weeks old. His first adventure beyond our home state of Minnesota was ice fishing in Wisconsin. As I steeled up my nerves (and started getting more than three hours of sleep a night), I got gutsier about where I was willing to take him. At 10 months old, we planned a family trip to San Diego; it was a low-key disaster. Ever the optimist, I didn’t let that deter me: When Julian turned one, we took him to an all-inclusive resort in the Mexican Caribbean. When he was 16 months, he joined my husband and me on our honeymoon in the Faroe Islands and Iceland. And when he turned 20 months old, I took him on a 23-day solo venture to Tanzania, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates.

Jan 18, 2025 • 13 min read

After embarking on some of the longest flights in the world, sitting in a plane cabin for hours on end is beginning to feel normal.

Jan 16, 2025 • 7 min read

After two nights at Kilindi, I wondered how there were any hibiscus flowers left on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania. Each day, the bright pink orbs were strewn across my king-size bed, garnished my daily coconut water, and were thoughtfully stuffed into rolled-up beach towels.

Whether you're staying in a five-star canvas tent at the edge of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park or heading on a budget safari in South Africa's Kruger National Park, a safari vacation is dotted with hidden costs.

Last year, an alarming video posted online recorded four-wheel-drive safari vehicles in Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve racing after hunting cheetahs and nearly scaring them off their kill.

When a film’s as massive and world-conquering as The Lion King, it’s only a matter of time before someone thinks “Let’s do another one…” In Mufasa: The Lion King, Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands and father of Simba from the original, gets his own origin story. Orphaned, lost, and alone after a flood kills his family and carries him away from his homeland, the young Mufasa is rescued by a friendly lion cub called Taka (who later becomes Scar), the heir to a royal bloodline, who always wanted a brother. Adventure ensues.

The moment the bush plane touched the runway at the Sasakwa Airstrip in Tanzania, I knew the safari experience at Singita Sabora Tented Camp would be different.

Traveling with kids is the stuff of legend—or nightmares—depending on who you ask. The stories we bring home can be hilarious, sweet, or horrendous (sometimes all of the above).

Packing for a 20-day trip, regardless of location, is a challenge.

When I landed in Tanzania, fellow travelers, lodge staff, and safari guides were amazed that I had made it all the way from Colorado.

If you were looking to this list to help you narrow down your options for the best places to go in Africa in 2025, we’re going to apologize right now: Given the abundance of thrilling new openings to choose from, chances are, when you finish reading, your travel wish list will be longer than ever. But before you blow your budget entirely, a good place to start could be figuring out your “why”—what is it that excites you most about your next trip, and why do you travel?

There's a lot of pressure when it comes to a safari vacation.

As the Toyota Land Cruiser begins its trek up to TAASA Lodge in the northern part of Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, the sound of voices grows louder and louder.

The sound of hyenas crunching on bones is one Sophie Serrano will never forget.

Last Thanksgiving, Dennis Friedrichsen, a 43-year-old tech worker from Minnesota, found himself dining on the banks of the Nile, sharing a feast of kebabs and chickpea stew with 11 strangers from three continents. Then he spent Christmas in Tanzania. Like a growing number of travelers, Mr. Friedrichsen saw the holidays as the perfect time for a solo adventure.

As a teenager who lived in a small town, I became obsessed with travel, collecting piles of books written by authors who'd traversed the globe under their own steam. I vowed to do the same and got a job at a bookshop to pay for it. There's nothing like working all hours to make you appreciate money, and I vowed not to waste a cent when I did get to see the world.