Tanzania Self-Drive Tours & Safaris
At Roadtrip Africa, we offer a unique and flexible way to experience Tanzania's wonders. Our adventurous self-drive tours include 4x4 car rental, park permits and accommodation, combining freedom and flexibility with comfort. Our well-planned routes and Tanzania safari tours range from a short 8-10 day circuit (to possibly combine with a Zanzibar add-on) to an exciting 20+ day roadtrip, showing you all the marvels and diversity that Tanzania has to offer. Would you like a customized itinerary? Let us know and we'll create a tailored route for you.
Are you not so keen on driving yourself? Then rent a car with a local driver! Our team at Roadtrip Africa works with well-trained and truly lovable driver guides, who can give you all the insights on beautiful Tanzania.
At Roadtrip Africa we do not work with intermediaries, so rest assured that we handle all hotel reservations, car rentals, and roadside assistance ourselves, while offering the most competitive rates.
Tanzania self-drive tours
- Reliable rental vehicle
- Carefully designed itinerary
- Hand-picked lodges | best price-quality
- Park entrance permits
- Airport pick up & drop off
- 24/7 roadside assistance
- Driver-guide (optional)
Pick your self-drive tour in Tanzania
Northern Circuit - Classic
Tanzania is gifted by Mother Nature, but its northern region is the spoiled kid. One legendary safari park after the next; the Northern Circuit is the classic safari self-drive circuit of Tanzania.
This is an ideal itinerary for Tanzania first-timers who primarily come for safari, have limited time, or want to combine their road trip with a Kilimanjaro or Zanzibar add-on.
We recommend 10 days / 8 car rental days for this Tanzania self-drive tour.
Northern Circuit - Off The Beaten Track
This circuit encompasses the top safari parks in Tanzania along with some undiscovered treasures. It involves picturesque self-drives on lesser-known routes, diverse hiking opportunities, and once-in-a-lifetime cultural experiences. Due to its diversity, this is also a great Tanzania self-drive itinerary for families. This route is among our favourites!
You'll explore Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Lake Natron and West Kilimanjaro.
We recommend 14 days / 13 car rental days to follow this Tanzania self-drive itinerary.
Bush to Beach
The bush-to-beach Tanzania safari is the ultimate one-way road trip and righteously our most popular one! Start in Arusha and hand over your car in Dar es Salaam (or vice versa). This Tanzania itinerary is ideal for those looking to combine the classic safari experience with mountain scenery, culture, and beach while keeping away from the crowds and high-end resorts. Because of its variety, this is also a great itinerary for family holidays.
We recommend 20+ days to follow this Tanzania self-drive itinerary.
What to expect on a self-drive tour in Tanzania
Tanzania is Africa’s ultimate safari destination and a roadtrip paradise. The Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Zanzibar are justifiably popular, but there are so many more hidden gems to explore.
At Roadtrip Africa, we design well-paced and varied itineraries for your Tanzania self-drive tour. We take care of all the details, including the park entrance permits and reservation and payment of accommodations. The tours below are sample routes. Would you like a customized itinerary? Let us know and we'll create a tailored route for you.
We handpick outstanding small-scale and eco-conscious lodges and campsites. The lodges we select for our tours fall within the mid-range and luxury price segment, as we find these places offer the best price-quality ratio. Do you feel like splurging it for some nights? Just let us know, and we can include some high-end properties on request. Our team of experts knows Tanzania inside out, so you can trust us to guide you to the very best spots in the country.
Planning your self-drive tour in Tanzania
Are you keen on exploring Tanzania in a 4x4? Keep these tips in mind when planning your self-drive in Tanzania:
- When travelling during the peak season (July - Sept, Dec - Feb), you must confirm your car rental and hotels many months in advance. When booking a self-drive tour with us, we will of course help you with that.
- Make sure you read through our Practical Information Guide before visiting Tanzania. Here, we try to cover all the essential information and practical tips for independent travel in Tanzania. We share the spec sheets of our safari cars so you know which vehicle to choose; we tell you about visa and entry requirements, what the road conditions are, how to drive safely, the entrance costs of the safari parks, and much more.
- If you like to read up on things to do in Tanzania before committing to a certain itinerary or tour, then check out our Tanzania travel blog. Here you'll find many destination guides about fun things to do and the best places to visit in Tanzania.
Great road trip in Tanzania
Janet from the UK
We chose to go with a driver which worked very well for us as our driver Stanley was very knowledgeable about birds, wildlife and the local area. He took us to the best places to see animals and birds and we did not have to worry about driving, fi...Read all reviews
Self Driving the Tanzanian Game Parks
Andrew from Spain
The vehicle we hired was very reliable and performed well on some challenging roads. The team was always available if you had questions or decided that you would take a driver/guide for a few days! Self drive with Roadtrip Africa gives you the fre...Read all reviews
My experience with Roadtrip Africa was 5 stars
João from Portugal
Tanzania is incredibly safe and beautiful to self-drive and we loved the experience, being doubtless one of the reasons we enjoyed this trip so much. Can't recommend enough!Read all reviews
How about other self-drive destinations in Africa?
Uganda
Uganda is emerging as an up-and-coming travel destination. It’s a wonderful country for primate lovers, and a great place to experience an African safari for a considerably lower budget than in one of the neighbouring countries.
The warm hospitality of the locals, well-maintained roads, and its relatively compact size make Uganda an ideal choice for a self-drive adventure.
UgandaKenya
There is no better place in the world to watch herds of elephants than in Amboseli National Park. And did you know that Masai Mara is home to one of the highest concentrations of wildlife on the planet? While travelling on your Kenya self-drive tour, make sure not to skip the beautiful coastline. A stunning blend of African, Indian and Arabic culture, the Swahili coast feels wildly different from the rest of Kenya.
KenyaMadagascar
Few places on earth offer such an intense kaleidoscope of nature and cultural heritage than Madagascar, and getting there is half the fun. Enjoy endless white sandy beaches, rain forests, baobabs, the remarkable Tsingy, and national parks that only see 100 visitors a year. Combine this with a melting pot of mixed African and Asian cultures and French cuisine, and you can understand why we happily obeyed your wishes of adding Madagascar as our latest Roadtrip Africa destination.
Madagascar