FAQs when traveling in Tanzania

Where is Tanzania Located?

Tanzania is located in East Africa between longitude, 29 degrees and 41 degrees east and latitude 1 degree and 12 degrees south. Tanzania borders Kenya to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south, and is the largest country in East Africa (943,000 sq km), comprising both the mainland and the Zanzibar Archipelago.

A large central plateau makes up most of the mainland (at between 900m and 1800m) and the mountain ranges of the Eastern Arc and the Southern and Northern Highlands cut across the country to form part of the Great Rift Valley.

Tanzania is a land of geographical extremes having the highest peak Mount Kilimanjaro, the lowest point Lake Tanganyika, and the largest Lake Victoria, on the continent.

What is the climate in Tanzania? As Tanzania lies just south of the equator, there is little seasonal variation in temperature, but it is slightly cooler in June/July and warmer in January and February. There is much more variation between the coastal and low lying regions and the high plains and mountainous regions.

There are two rainy seasons - the long rains during late March and late May and the short rains in November. The rest months are categorized as dry season. In practice the rainfall pattern is neither regular nor predictable. The Great Northern Parks lie at an altitude of 5,000 to 19.340 feet, Kilimanjaro being the highest to have a pleasant climate with warm days and cooler evenings year round.

Between June and October, temperatures range from around 10°C in the northern highlands to about 23°C on the coast. On the plains and the lower-altitude game reserves, the temperatures from June to October are warm and mild. On the coast, these months are some of the most pleasant to visit, with balmy, sunny weather much of the day and cooling ocean breezes at night. From December to March, the days are hot and sunny with often no even a cloud in the sky. Temperatures range from the mid-twenties to the low thirties throughout the country while visitors flock to the parks and beaches to escape the dreariness of late winter in colder climes.

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