Private safari
Thirty-two journeys, every one rebuilt around you
Safari in Tanzania, on your own terms
Private, guided travel built around your sensory, mobility, and health needs. Experienced without compromise, accommodated without friction, and designed so you never have to explain yourself.
- Based in Moshi, TanzaniaAt the foot of Kilimanjaro
- Private by designYour own guide, vehicle, and party
Where do we start?
- Credentials are verified before displayDocument scans will be added when supplied
Discover Tanzania Through Expertly Crafted Private Journeys
Built on uncompromising safety, local expertise, and seamless care. We design private Kilimanjaro climbs and custom wildlife safaris tailored to every traveler’s unique needs.
Accessible travel
Measured, dated, and marked where unchecked
Travel with Pride
Private, discreet, and honest about the law
Our Popular Journeys
Twelve starting points, spread across the north, the south, the mountains and the coast. Each one is rebuilt around the people travelling before a single night is held.
7 days / 6 nights
The northern parks in a week, with light aircraft replacing the long transfer days. You trade four hours in a vehicle for forty minutes in the air and spend the difference in the park.
Indicative from$8,075$8,5005% offper person sharing
5 days / 4 nights
A short northern circuit by road, for travellers with a week rather than a fortnight. Three parks, no internal flights, and a pace we will slow down if you ask us to.
Indicative from$5,700$6,0005% offper person sharing
6 days / 5 nights
The southern parks, which hold a fraction of the northern circuit's vehicles across a far larger area. Fly in, stay put, and accept that the wildlife is harder to find and better to watch.
Indicative from$7,410$7,8005% offper person sharing
9 days / 8 nights
Five nights in the Serengeti, then three on the Zanzibar coast, with the flight between them handled for you. The classic combination, built so the second half is genuinely a rest rather than another itinerary.
Indicative from$9,975$10,5005% offper person sharing
6 days / 5 nights
The islands without the safari, for travellers who have seen the parks or who want the sea and nothing else. Marine activity is seasonal and we will tell you honestly what your month is likely to give you.
Indicative from$4,940$5,2005% offper person sharing
5 days / 4 nights
A private coastal charter between the mainland, Zanzibar and the Pemba Channel. This is a concept, not a product: no vessel is named or specified until one is contracted in writing.
Indicative from$11,875$12,5005% offper person sharing
4 days / 3 nights
Stone Town and Bagamoyo, read as the two ends of the East African slave route that they are. Guided by people who work with the museums, and written to inform rather than to entertain.
Indicative from$3,325$3,5005% offper person sharing
5 days / 4 nights
The mountain without the summit: forest edges, coffee farms, waterfalls and a scenic flight along the glaciers. Built from the start for travellers who cannot climb, rather than adapted from a trek that they cannot do.
Indicative from$5,225$5,5005% offper person sharing
4 days / 3 nights
Walking in Arusha National Park at a distance and gradient set by an individual assessment, not by a brochure grade. Nothing on this journey is described as accessible until the specific route has been walked and measured for you.
Indicative from$3,990$4,2005% offper person sharing
3 days / 2 nights
How tanzanite is found, cut, graded and exported, with licensed dealers and the paperwork explained before you buy. No mine entry is promised, because access to a working shaft is not ours to grant.
Indicative from$3,610$3,8005% offper person sharing
4 days / 3 nights
Time with Datoga and Hadzabe communities on terms the communities set, at an agreed fee that is published to you. If a community would rather not receive visitors in your week, that is the end of it and we will say so.
Indicative from$4,275$4,5005% offper person sharing
14 days / 13 nights
Two weeks that takes in the northern parks, the mountain, the heritage coast and the islands, with every sector itemised. The point of the length is the rest days: nowhere on this journey do you move two nights running.
Indicative from$17,100$18,0005% offper person sharing
Nothing in that category yet. Tell us what you want and we will design it.
Every figure above is a placeholder, including the struck-through one, and the 5% is not yet approved. Nothing here is an offer until Benny confirms it. How pricing works. (subject to confirmation)
Explore Tanzania in Three Dimensions
21 places our journeys actually visit, each at its real coordinates on OpenStreetMap boundaries. Drag to rotate, scroll to zoom, and select a place for a photograph, the ground conditions and the journeys that go there.
National park
Coast & islands
Mountain
Lake
Town
The raised blocks are protected-area boundaries, not land height. Each park and reserve is extruded to a fixed height so it can be picked out from above; the result is a three-dimensional diagram of where the protected land is, and it does not show terrain elevation. Boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), stored with the site.
Every place we go
Select any of them for a photograph, the ground conditions and the journeys that go there.
National park
Serengeti
Fourteen thousand square kilometres of plain, woodland and kopje, and the circuit the migration moves around all year.
- Ground
- Flat and mostly firm. Black-cotton soil in the west turns to glue after rain and is the one place a vehicle genuinely gets stuck.
- Best months
- June to October for dry ground; January and February for calving.
5 journeys go here
- Horizon Fly-In Circuit7 days / 6 nights
- Sanctuary & Spice Escape9 days / 8 nights
- Grand Montero Expedition14 days / 13 nights
- Classic Northern Circuit & Sunrise Ballooning7 days / 6 nights
- Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari8 days / 7 nights
National park
Ngorongoro Crater
A collapsed caldera twenty kilometres across with its own resident population, including the black rhino that are hard to find elsewhere.
- Ground
- The floor is flat and the driving slow. The descent and ascent roads are steep, rough and one-way.
- Best months
- Year round. The rim sits at about 2,300 m and is often in cloud.
4 journeys go here
- Horizon Express Run5 days / 4 nights
- Complete Big Five & Ngorongoro Crater Floor4 days / 3 nights
- Serengeti & Crater Fly-In Express4 days / 3 nights
- Grand Montero Expedition14 days / 13 nights
National park
Tarangire
Baobab country, and the elephant herds that gather along the river through the dry months.
- Ground
- Firm and generally good, with short distances between the gate and most camps.
- Best months
- June to October, when the animals concentrate on the river.
4 journeys go here
- Tarangire Baobab & Elephant Kingdom3 days / 2 nights
- Horizon Fly-In Circuit7 days / 6 nights
- Classic Northern Circuit & Sunrise Ballooning7 days / 6 nights
- Professional Photographic Safari Circuit9 days / 8 nights
National park
Lake Manyara
Groundwater forest under the Rift escarpment, and a soda lake that changes size by the month.
- Ground
- The forest section is firm; the lake shore is soft and seasonal. Park roads are short.
- Best months
- Year round. Bird numbers peak November to April.
3 journeys go here
- Horizon Express Run5 days / 4 nights
- Swahili Heritage & Coffee Plantation Safari5 days / 4 nights
- Great Rift Valley Eco & Active Biking Safari6 days / 5 nights
National park
Ndutu plains
Short-grass plains where half a million wildebeest calves are born across about three weeks, with every predator in the ecosystem watching.
- Ground
- Open and flat. Off-road driving is permitted here, which it is not inside the national park.
- Best months
- Late December to March. Outside that the herds are elsewhere.
2 journeys go here
- Southern Serengeti Calving Expedition5 days / 4 nights
- Professional Photographic Safari Circuit9 days / 8 nights
National park
Northern Serengeti
Kogatende and Lamai, where the herds cross the Mara River in the season that made the migration famous.
- Ground
- Firm, rolling country. The river banks are steep and the crossing points change year to year.
- Best months
- July to October, and nobody can give you a date.
1 journey goes here
- Great Migration River Crossing & Air-Bush Safari8 days / 7 nights
National park
Western corridor
The Serengeti's western arm, following the Grumeti river out towards Lake Victoria, with far fewer vehicles than the centre.
- Ground
- Wetter and more wooded than the plains. Black-cotton in places.
- Best months
- May to July, when the herds pass through.
1 journey goes here
- Lake Victoria & Western Serengeti Water Explorer7 days / 6 nights
Mountain
Kilimanjaro
The highest mountain in Africa, and the one we live under. We do not operate the summit climb; we run the forest, the coffee slopes and the scenic flight.
- Ground
- Tarmac to the gates, then forest track. The foothills are drivable; the mountain is not.
- Best months
- January to March and June to October for the clearest views.
3 journeys go here
- Kilimanjaro Barrier-Free5 days / 4 nights
- Kilimanjaro Climb & Serengeti Victory Fly-In10 days / 9 nights
- Grand Montero Expedition14 days / 13 nights
Town & gateway
Arusha & Meru
The gateway town, Mount Meru behind it, the Momella Lakes, and the tanzanite trade at Mererani an hour to the east.
- Ground
- Tarmac in and around town. Park tracks in Arusha National Park are short and mostly firm; the forest is neither.
- Best months
- June to October and January to February.
2 journeys go here
- Mount Meru Adaptive Trek4 days / 3 nights
- Tanzanite Vaults & Gems3 days / 2 nights
Lake
Lake Eyasi
A soda pan on the Rift floor, and the communities around it — Hadzabe, Datoga, and Iraqw farmers on the escarpment above.
- Ground
- Uneven, sandy and rocky. The road down from Karatu is poor and impassable after heavy rain.
- Best months
- June to October. The road decides this, not the wildlife.
2 journeys go here
- Ethical Indigenous Encounter4 days / 3 nights
- Indigenous Tribes & Cultural Heritage Odyssey8 days / 7 nights
Mountain
Lake Natron & Lengai
An alkaline lake where most of East Africa's lesser flamingos breed, under the only active carbonatite volcano on earth.
- Ground
- Rough track in from the escarpment. The lake crust gives way; the volcano is loose ash at up to forty degrees.
- Best months
- June to October and January to February. It is extremely hot year round.
1 journey goes here
- Oldoinyo Lengai & Maasai Sacred Lands5 days / 4 nights
National park
Nyerere & the Rufiji
The Rufiji river, its lakes and channels, and the only proper boat safari in the Tanzanian portfolio.
- Ground
- Flat along the river, soft black-cotton away from it. The tracks go in the rains.
- Best months
- June to October. Boat safaris depend on river level, not the calendar.
3 journeys go here
- Nyerere River Boat & Bush Safari4 days / 3 nights
- Wild Southern Solitude6 days / 5 nights
- Southern & Western Circuit Grand Fly-In Odyssey12 days / 11 nights
National park
Ruaha
Tanzania's largest national park: sand rivers, baobabs, big lion prides and one of the last strongholds of the African wild dog.
- Ground
- Sandy and rough. The sand river crossings are impassable in the rains.
- Best months
- June to October. Several camps close from March to May.
3 journeys go here
- Wild South: Ruaha National Park Fly-In5 days / 4 nights
- Wild Southern Solitude6 days / 5 nights
- Southern & Western Circuit Grand Fly-In Odyssey12 days / 11 nights
National park
Katavi
The third largest park in the country and one of the least visited. In the late dry season the Katuma shrinks to pools holding hundreds of hippo.
- Ground
- Remote and rough. Reached by air; there is no sensible road option.
- Best months
- August to October, when the river has shrunk to its pools.
1 journey goes here
- Southern & Western Circuit Grand Fly-In Odyssey12 days / 11 nights
National park
Mahale & Tanganyika
Forested mountains dropping straight into Lake Tanganyika, with habituated chimpanzee groups tracked on foot through the slopes.
- Ground
- Steep, rooty, slippery forest with no graded path. Camps are reached by boat because there is no road.
- Best months
- June to October is driest; the chimps are often lower in the wet months.
2 journeys go here
- Western Circuit Chimp Trekking & Lake Tanganyika6 days / 5 nights
- Southern & Western Circuit Grand Fly-In Odyssey12 days / 11 nights
Lake
Lake Victoria
The largest lake in Africa, the granite kopjes around Mwanza, and the fishing communities of Speke Gulf.
- Ground
- Tarmac around Mwanza. Boat landings are beaches and small jetties.
- Best months
- Good year round; the western corridor beside it peaks May to July.
1 journey goes here
- Lake Victoria & Western Serengeti Water Explorer7 days / 6 nights
Coast & islands
Zanzibar
Stone Town, the spice farms, and beaches on every coast with a different sea on each one.
- Ground
- The coast is flat. Beach approaches are sand, and the tidal range is large enough to change what a beach day means.
- Best months
- June to October and December to March. April and May are the long rains.
5 journeys go here
- Sanctuary & Spice Escape9 days / 8 nights
- Coastal Solitude & Marine6 days / 5 nights
- Ultimate Safari & Zanzibar Spice Island Escape10 days / 9 nights
- Heritage & Freedom Trail4 days / 3 nights
- Grand Montero Expedition14 days / 13 nights
Coast & islands
Pemba
Greener, quieter and far less visited than Unguja, with steep channel walls that are genuinely world-ranked for diving.
- Ground
- Hilly and green inland. Few flights a day.
- Best months
- June to October and December to February.
2 journeys go here
- Coastal Solitude & Marine6 days / 5 nights
- Zanzibar & Dar Coastal Yacht5 days / 4 nights
Coast & islands
Mafia
A quiet island with a gentler sea than Pemba, and whale sharks in season.
- Ground
- Flat and low. Very limited infrastructure and few flights.
- Best months
- Whale sharks roughly October to March, subject to confirmation.
1 journey goes here
- Coastal Solitude & Marine6 days / 5 nights
Coast & islands
Bagamoyo
The mainland terminus of the nineteenth-century caravan routes, and the port captives were shipped from. A memorial town, not an attraction.
- Ground
- Flat. Coral stone underfoot in the old quarter, uneven and often wet.
- Best months
- June to October and December to March.
1 journey goes here
- Heritage & Freedom Trail4 days / 3 nights
Town & gateway
Dar es Salaam
The commercial capital and the gateway to the southern parks and the coast. Most journeys pass through rather than stop.
- Ground
- City traffic. Allow far more time than the distance suggests.
- Best months
- Year round; humid throughout.
3 journeys go here
- Zanzibar & Dar Coastal Yacht5 days / 4 nights
- Wild South: Ruaha National Park Fly-In5 days / 4 nights
- Nyerere River Boat & Bush Safari4 days / 3 nights
Why travel with Montero?
Millimetres,
not adjectives
Door widths, ramp gradients, bed and transfer heights — measured by our own team, with the date recorded.
We publish
the “no”
Where a camp falls short, the page says what it lacks. An honest refusal beats a hopeful yes.
Private
by default
One vehicle, one guide, one booking name. Nothing in a camp's file states a reason.
Guides on a
conduct standard
Signed before meeting you, and briefed on your needs so you never arrive as a surprise.
Medical
handled properly
Refrigerated medication, oxygen and evacuation cover, confirmed in writing before departure.
We move you,
at our cost
If a camp falls short of what we promised you, you move that night and we carry the cost. It is written into your proposal before you pay.
Routed
around you
Drive times built from your tolerance, not the standard circuit. Fewer camps, longer stays.
Local, and
employed directly
Guides, cooks and crew are Tanzanian and employed by us directly, not hired by the day through a broker.
What you can verify about us · How we measure access · Whether we are the right match · Why there are no reviews here
Find Your Best Time to Visit Tanzania
Tanzania changes with the seasons. Choose a month to see typical conditions, what the wildlife is usually doing, and how busy it gets.
Dry season
Green season
Long rains
Short rains
Green season
January
Mid-summer in Tanzania
- The short rains have usually finished. Hot, mostly clear, with the odd afternoon shower still possible.
- The southern Serengeti and the Ndutu area are green, and the wildebeest calving season is normally under way there.
Sunny, occasional rainConditions
26°C / 79°F day, 15°C / 59°F nightTypical temperature
Wildebeest calving, southern plainsWildlife
BusyHow busy
Green season
February
The calving month
- Usually the hottest and clearest month of the green season.
- Calving continues around Ndutu. Predators concentrate there, which is why February is the month most photographers ask for.
Hot and brightConditions
27°C / 81°F day, 15°C / 59°F nightTypical temperature
Peak calving and predator activityWildlife
BusyHow busy
Long rains
March
The long rains begin
- Rain usually arrives in the second half of the month, often as heavy afternoon storms rather than all-day drizzle.
- Black-cotton tracks in the western Serengeti start to become a problem. Routes need to stay flexible.
Building rainConditions
27°C / 81°F day, 16°C / 61°F nightTypical temperature
Herds moving north and westWildlife
QuietHow busy
Long rains
April
The wettest month
- The wettest month in most of the country. Some camps close.
- Landscapes are at their greenest and the parks are nearly empty. Travel times between places go up, sometimes a lot.
WetConditions
26°C / 79°F day, 16°C / 61°F nightTypical temperature
Birding at its best; game harder to findWildlife
Very quietHow busy
Long rains
May
The rains ease
- Rain usually eases through the month, though the first half can still be very wet.
- A good month for value if you can accept that some roads and airstrips are still affected. Check camp access close to travel.
Easing rainConditions
25°C / 77°F day, 15°C / 59°F nightTypical temperature
Grass long; wildlife dispersedWildlife
Very quietHow busy
Dry season
June
The dry season opens
- Dry conditions return across the north. Mornings get properly cold, especially on the Ngorongoro rim.
- Wildlife begins to concentrate around permanent water, which is what makes the dry months easier for game viewing.
Dry and clearConditions
24°C / 75°F day, 13°C / 55°F nightTypical temperature
Herds usually in the western corridorWildlife
BuildingHow busy
Dry season
July
High season begins
- Reliably dry and cool. The busiest month in the northern parks, and the month camps sell out first.
- River crossings in the far north normally begin somewhere in the July-to-October window. Nobody can book a crossing.
Dry and coolConditions
23°C / 73°F day, 13°C / 55°F nightTypical temperature
Crossings possible in the far northWildlife
Very busyHow busy
Dry season
August
Peak dry season
- Clear skies and firm tracks almost everywhere. Dust is the trade-off.
- The Mara River crossings are most often reported in August and September, but they depend on rain hundreds of kilometres away.
Dry, clear, dustyConditions
24°C / 75°F day, 13°C / 55°F nightTypical temperature
Crossing season, northern SerengetiWildlife
Very busyHow busy
Dry season
September
Dry and settled
- Much like August with slightly fewer people and slightly warmer days.
- One of the best months for the southern parks, Ruaha and Nyerere, where the dry season concentrates game on the rivers.
Dry and settledConditions
25°C / 77°F day, 14°C / 57°F nightTypical temperature
Southern parks at their bestWildlife
BusyHow busy
Dry season
October
The end of the dry
- Hot and dry, with the first storms sometimes arriving late in the month.
- Game viewing stays strong right up to the break in the weather, and the parks begin to empty.
Hot, first storms lateConditions
27°C / 81°F day, 15°C / 59°F nightTypical temperature
Concentrated around waterWildlife
EasingHow busy
Short rains
November
The short rains
- Short, sharp showers, usually in the afternoon, rarely all day.
- The landscape greens quickly and visitor numbers drop. One of the better months for value in the north.
Short afternoon showersConditions
26°C / 79°F day, 15°C / 59°F nightTypical temperature
Migration moving south againWildlife
QuietHow busy
Green season
December
Green, and then festive
- Warm with scattered showers. The first half is quiet; the second half is one of the busiest periods of the year.
- Festive-season rates and minimum stays apply at most camps from around the twentieth.
Warm, scattered showersConditions
26°C / 79°F day, 15°C / 59°F nightTypical temperature
Herds returning to the southern plainsWildlife
Quiet, then very busyHow busy
Patterns, not forecasts. Rainfall and temperature vary by region and year, and wildlife movement is seasonal rather than scheduled — no operator can promise a river crossing or a calving herd on your dates. These figures are indicative and have not yet been checked against a dated meteorological source. (subject to confirmation)
Before you travel
Do You Need a Visa to Visit Tanzania?
Visa requirements depend on the passport you travel with, and they change. Choose your passport country, then confirm the current rule directly with Tanzania Immigration before you book anything.
Choose a country to see the official visa guidance link.
Check official visa guidance
A Letter from Our Founder
Why we started Montero
I founded Montero Private Safaris because I saw too many travelers sold a version of Tanzania that simply doesn’t exist—rushed itineraries, claims of accessibility made by people who never measured a single doorway, and hidden costs that appeared only after arrival.
We built Montero to set a different standard. Operating directly from Moshi, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, our team provides complete clarity on every detail of your journey. We tell you exactly what we have personally inspected, how each facility operates, and what to realistically expect on the ground.
We measure our success by precision, safety, and honest guidance. I would rather you arrive with complete confidence and clear expectations than vague promises.
Benard Nyakunga
Founder, Montero Private Safaris · Moshi, Tanzania
Stories from Montero
See Tanzania through the places, people, and moments that make each private journey its own.
See Our Stories
The northern plains
Room to follow the wild
Open horizons, patient game drives, and a route shaped around the season rather than a fixed checklist.
Explore the SerengetiKilimanjaro country
From mountain air to open plains
Begin in the highlands, take the day at your pace, and let the landscape change gradually around you.
Explore the highlandsThe Swahili coast
Let the journey slow down
After the bush, trade early starts for warm water, Stone Town lanes, and unhurried island days.
Explore the coastWant to Be Part of Our Stories?
Come to Tanzania, travel with Montero, and design a safari that feels like yours.
The Guide to Tanzania
The things worth knowing before you choose a month, a park or a route — written to be useful rather than to rank.
- How much does a private safari in Tanzania cost? Planning · 12 min read
- Accessible safari in Tanzania: what to ask before you book Accessible travel · 11 min read
- The Great Migration explained: where the herds are each month Wildlife · 10 min read
- Safari and Zanzibar: how to plan a bush-and-beach trip Planning · 9 min read
- Tanzania safari packing list, including luggage limits Planning · 10 min read
Tell us what you have in mind.
No deposit, no itinerary PDF, no pressure. One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are right for you.
Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.