Nearly 25% of country's area is protected as national parks or game reserve. Tanzania remains the one of the most popular destination for travelers seeking safari adventure. Three national parks: Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Selous Game Reserve are one of the world's fines wildlife sanctuaries.
The Ngorongoro Carater, due to its geography, has a unique ecosystem and is home to to almost every species of African plains mammal and has the densest population of lion in Africa. Organized safaris are mostly done through safari operators based in Arusha. Another option is to hire independent driver in town Karatu, just 10 km (6 miles) from the gates to the crater.
Serengeti National Park is a large conservation area located in the northern part of Tanzania. The wildebeest migration makes Serengeti a famous safari destination and is the most impressive phenomenon of its type anywhere in the world. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June.
One great option to see the animals, particularily during the migration is to take a hot air balloon ride over the plains of Serengeti.
Tanzania's most popular hiking destination is Mount Kilimanjaro which is the highest mountain in Africa and also the world's highest free-standing mountain. It’s possible to walk to the summit without ropes or technical climbing experience. You need to be accustomed to high altitudes though. The climb is pretty expensive (need to hire guides and porters, plus equipment) and should be done with right preparation. The cost varies between $2000 and $5000 per person.
The trek from the gate to the peak is like traveling from the equator to Antarctica in a few days. The routes cross five major climatic zones and temperatures vary considerably with the altitude and time of day. Due to Mount Kilimanjaro's great height, the mountain creates its own weather. It is extremely variable and impossible to predict.
Tanzania's 804 km (503 miles) coastline has many great tropical beaches, some within easy reach of Dar es Salaam, like Kunduchi, Mbwa Maji and Mjimwena. The most famous beach destination is Zanzibar Island, but other possibilities include Mafia and Pemba islands.
There are extensive coral reefs off the east coast of Tanzania and they are excellent for diving and snorkeling. The main snorkeling and diving destinations in Tanzania are the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Further south is Mafia's Chloe Bay is part of a protected marine park. Mafia archipelago is particularly recommended to those for whom diving is the prime reason for visiting Tanzania.