Top 10 Viewpoints in Tanzania
Tanzania holds the highest mountain in Africa, the largest intact volcanic caldera on earth, and some of the greatest wildlife spectacles in the world. From the glaciated summit of Kilimanjaro to the vast plains of the Serengeti and the spice island of Zanzibar, the country's viewpoints span an extraordinary range of altitude and landscape. These ten capture Tanzania's mountains, craters and savanna at their most spectacular.
Uhuru Peak, Kilimanjaro
The summit of Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak at 5,895 metres, is the highest point in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. The multi-day climb ends with a dawn arrival at the crater rim, with the shrinking summit glaciers and a view across the clouds to the plains far below. It is one of the great trekking summits on earth, requiring no technical climbing but serious endurance.
Ngorongoro Crater rim
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest intact volcanic caldera, 600 metres deep and 20 kilometres across, its floor teeming with wildlife. Viewpoints from the rim road at around 2,300 metres look down into the green bowl, where elephants, lions and flamingos are visible far below. It is one of the most spectacular wildlife viewpoints in Africa.
Serengeti plains
The Serengeti's endless plains are the stage for the great migration of wildebeest and zebra. Viewpoints from kopjes — isolated granite outcrops rising from the grassland — give elevated views over the herds and the savanna stretching to the horizon. The word Serengeti means "endless plains," and the viewpoints make the scale visible.
Shira Plateau, Kilimanjaro
On the western approach to Kilimanjaro, the Shira Plateau at around 3,800 metres is a high, open moorland giving views of the Kibo summit cone above and across the clouds to Mount Meru. It is one of the most scenic stages of the climb, an ancient caldera floor offering a sense of the mountain's vast scale before the final ascent.
Mount Meru
Tanzania's second-highest mountain, Mount Meru reaches 4,562 metres in Arusha National Park. Its summit, reached by a steep multi-day climb, gives a dramatic view across the horseshoe crater and, at dawn, the silhouette of Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds 70 kilometres away. It is a quieter, equally rewarding alternative to its famous neighbour.
Lake Manyara escarpment
Lake Manyara lies at the foot of the Rift Valley escarpment, which rises sharply behind the soda lake. Viewpoints from the escarpment and the park frame the lake, its flamingos and the forested slopes, with the famous tree-climbing lions below. The contrast of the cliff, the lake and the savanna makes it a fine elevated viewpoint.
Stone Town rooftops, Zanzibar
The historic Stone Town of Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is best seen from its rooftop terraces, which look out over the maze of coral-stone buildings, the old harbour and the Indian Ocean. Sunset over the water, with dhows on the horizon, is the classic Zanzibar view, atop centuries of Swahili and Arab trading history.
Empakaai Crater
Near Ngorongoro, the Empakaai Crater holds a deep soda lake often pink with flamingos, ringed by forested walls. A trail descends from the rim viewpoint, which looks down into the crater and, on clear days, across to the active volcano of Ol Doinyo Lengai and even Kilimanjaro. It is a quieter, dramatic crater viewpoint.
Ol Doinyo Lengai
The active volcano of Ol Doinyo Lengai, the "Mountain of God" to the Maasai, rises to 2,962 metres in the Rift Valley. The summit, reached by a steep night climb, gives a view at dawn over the unique carbonatite lava and across the rift to Lake Natron. It is one of the most unusual volcanic viewpoints in Africa.
Lake Natron
Lake Natron in the northern Rift Valley is a soda lake stained deep red by algae, backed by the cone of Ol Doinyo Lengai. Viewpoints from the surrounding area frame the surreal red water, the salt flats and the volcano, with vast flamingo breeding colonies. The extreme, alien landscape is one of the most striking in the rift.
Explore on the map
From the summit of Kilimanjaro to the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti plains, every viewpoint above is plotted on the interactive map. Use it to see which require a multi-day climb or a safari drive, which are crater rims or rooftop terraces, and plan a route across the mountains and wildlife country of Tanzania.