Tanzania

Walkable without technical climbing, but acclimatisation usually makes it a six to eight day trip. A guide is mandatory.

The name itself is Maasai for endless plain. Two million wildebeest move around it in a yearly circuit.

Animals are concentrated inside a 20km caldera, so a single day covers it. Black rhino still live there.

Arab, Indian and African influences meet in its lanes and carved doors. The traces of the slave trade are here too.

The east coast has a large tidal range and the water pulls far out. The north stays swimmable all day.

Large elephant herds move between huge baobabs. Animal density is especially high in the dry season.

One of the few places where the annual movement of wildebeest and zebra survives intact. The area is vast.

A mixed site where the Maasai are permitted to live with their herds. Olduvai, source of early hominin fossils, lies within it.

Vegetation layers by altitude, from rainforest at the base to glaciers at the summit.

More than a thousand years of Indian Ocean trade is legible in the street pattern.

Every northern circuit trip starts here. Kilimanjaro International Airport is close.

Several days by four-wheel-drive. Light aircraft shorten the Serengeti leg.

A semi-autonomous region with its own immigration check. Reached by ferry or short flight.

The gateway for international flights and ferries. A transit point more than a destination.

The climbing trailhead, surrounded by coffee farms. The mountain shows better than from Arusha.

Far fewer people than the north, over a larger area. It costs more and takes longer to reach.

Wildebeest give birth almost at once and predators gather. The most dramatic window.

To see the Mara crossings you must be in the north then. Camps book out early.

Good roads and animals concentrated at water. Also the better window for climbing Kilimanjaro.

Some camps close and dirt roads become difficult. The lowest prices of the year.

Broadly matches the mainland safari calendar. April and May are wet.

Korean passports do need a tourist visa. Getting an e-visa in advance saves waiting at the airport.

Passports are checked even on a domestic flight, and mandatory insurance is required. Check the terms before you fly.

Separate from accommodation, and Ngorongoro adds a vehicle fee. Check what your quote covers.

Proof of yellow fever vaccination is required depending on transit countries. This is a malaria area, so discuss prophylaxis.

National parks often will not take local cash. Carry a card or US dollars.

The population is largely Muslim, so covering shoulders and knees in town is the courtesy. Resorts are relaxed.

Signal drops inside the parks. The guide radio and camp network are the practical channel.