What most travellers need, what changes by nationality, and why you should check the official source rather than a blog.
Entry requirements change, and they differ by nationality. What follows is general guidance to orient you — always confirm the current position with the Tanzanian immigration authority or your nearest Tanzanian High Commission or Embassy before you travel, and check your own government's travel advice as well.
Visas
Most visitors need a visa. In general terms, tourists from many countries can either apply online in advance through Tanzania's official e-visa system or obtain a visa on arrival at the main entry points, including Kilimanjaro International Airport, Julius Nyerere International in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar's Abeid Amani Karume International.
Applying in advance is the calmer option. Visa-on-arrival queues at Kilimanjaro can be long when several international flights land together, and you will have been travelling for a day already.
Nationals of some countries — the United States among them — are issued a different visa class with different validity, and a small number of nationalities must obtain a referral visa in advance. Check your specific case.
Passport
Your passport should generally be valid for at least six months beyond your date of entry and have blank pages available for stamps.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is part of Tanzania, so you do not need a separate visa. You do pass through an immigration desk when flying between the mainland and the island, so keep your passport accessible rather than in your checked bag. Zanzibar separately requires arriving visitors to hold travel insurance, and there is a mandatory insurance product sold to those who do not.
Health
A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from, or have recently transited through, a country with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Arriving directly from Europe or North America, it is generally not required — but transiting through certain African airports can change that, so check your specific routing.
Malaria prophylaxis is strongly advised for the safari areas and Zanzibar. Speak to a travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure, which also gives time for any routine vaccinations to be brought up to date.
Insurance
We require every guest to hold travel and medical insurance including emergency evacuation cover. This is not a formality — the parks are remote and an evacuation from a Serengeti airstrip is expensive. Our safari days include Flying Doctors cover, but that is not a substitute for a proper policy.
Other things worth knowing
Single-use plastic bags are banned in Tanzania and will be taken from you at the airport. Camouflage-pattern clothing is not permitted for civilians. Drones require permits that are difficult to obtain and are banned in the national parks.
