Private yacht charters
A concept page, deliberately. We have no vessel under contract, so there are no specifications, no cabin photographs and no access claims on this page.
Guide section 8.8 is explicit about this, and it is the clearest example on the site of a rule costing us a sale: no vessel specification, cabin photograph or accessibility feature is published until a named vessel is confirmed with written supplier documentation. A brochure full of somebody else's boat is how this part of the industry usually works, and it is not how we are going to work.
What we can describe is the water. The Zanzibar archipelago, the sandbanks that appear at low tide and are gone by evening, Msasani Bay at sunset, the islands off Dar es Salaam, and the Pemba Channel, which is deep, clear and almost empty.
Charter prices are per party rather than per person, which is why any range is wide and why a group of six is far better value than a couple. Nothing is approved. subject to confirmation: supply vessel documentation, or keep this page as a concept.
Who this suits
You are a party of four to eight travelling together and want the whole thing to yourselves.
A boat appeals more than a hotel.
You want an empty anchorage and a sandbank lunch rather than a resort beach.
You can be flexible, because the weather will decide some of the route.
What a day looks like
Indicative rather than fixed — this is a shape, not a schedule.
Sunset in Msasani Bay
A few hours out of Dar es Salaam, which is the easiest version of this and the one most people start with.
Bongoyo and Mbudya
Island day trips from the mainland coast, with snorkelling and a beach landing from a tender.
The archipelago
Zanzibar's west coast, the sandbanks, and the fishing villages, with the tide setting the schedule.
The Pemba Channel
Deep, clear and quiet. Diving by arrangement with a licensed operator; a charter vessel is not a dive centre.
A longer charter
Seven to ten days reaches Mafia to the south or well north of Pemba.
When is the best time to go?
Every month in Tanzania is a different trip. Choose one to see what the weather and the wildlife usually do, and how busy it gets.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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 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 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 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.
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.
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.
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)
Practical and safety notes
| Point | Detail |
|---|---|
| Weather | The kaskazi and kusi monsoons set what is comfortable. We route around swell rather than through it, and we say so in advance. |
| Safety | Life jackets for every person on board including children's sizes, and a stated man-overboard procedure, both in writing from the operator. |
| Passenger limits | Set by the vessel's certification, not by us. |
| Marine park fees | Vary by area and are quoted at proposal stage. |
| Access | Nothing claimed. Most vessels of this size have a companionway, which is a staircase in a small space. We would assess a specific boat and report what we found. |
Everything on this page that depends on a real-world fact — a price, a permit, a seasonal pattern, a supplier — is a draft and is registered in CHANGE-LATER.md. Nothing here is a quotation.
Questions
Which boat is it?
We are not going to tell you, because we do not have one under contract. When a vessel is contracted this page will name it and specify it.
Is the price per person?
Per boat. A party of six is far better value than a couple.
What if the weather is bad?
The route changes. On rare occasions a charter is cut short or does not sail, and what happens then is in the charter terms — subject to confirmation: confirm the weather and cancellation terms with the operator before this is sold.
Journeys that do this
Starting points. Each one is rebuilt around the people travelling.
Tell us what you have in mind.
One conversation with the person who would plan it, and an honest answer about whether we are the right company for the trip.
Free, and with no obligation. A real planner replies within 24 business hours, East Africa Time. No payment is taken to enquire.