For Travelers from India
Tanzania Safari from India
Six hours nonstop from Mumbai, a two-and-a-half-hour time difference, and the Serengeti at the other end. Book with the operator in Arusha instead of an agency reselling one, and every rupee you spend goes into the safari itself.
Itemised quote in USD, replied within a day.
At a Glance
Quick facts for Indian travelers
Flights
Getting there from Mumbai and Delhi
Air Tanzania flies nonstop from Mumbai to Dar es Salaam, about 6 hours, several departures a week. It is the only direct route between the two countries, and most Indian travelers still do not know it exists.
From Delhi or the south, you connect once. Kenya Airways routes through Nairobi, Ethiopian through Addis Ababa, Qatar Airways through Doha, and the first two can drop you at Kilimanjaro Airport, right at the start of the safari circuit. Return fares run ₹45,000 to ₹70,000 booked a couple of months out.
Flying into Dar es Salaam? We add the short domestic hop up to Arusha as part of the itinerary, so you never book an internal flight yourself.
Visas
The visa takes ten minutes online
Indian passport holders apply for the $50 single-entry eVisa at visa.immigration.go.tz. Upload a passport scan and a photo, pay online, and approval usually lands within 5 to 10 business days.
Apply on the official government portal only. Third-party visa sites charge a service fee for filling in the same form, and some of them sit at the top of Google results looking official.
No yellow fever certificate is needed on a direct flight from India. It only becomes a requirement if you transit certain African countries for more than 12 hours, which a Nairobi or Addis connection under that time does not trigger.
Pricing
Skip the agency chain
Most safaris sold in India follow the same path: you book with an agency in Mumbai or Delhi, the agency forwards everything to a ground operator in Arusha, and the price you pay carries both margins. The markup on packaged African trips commonly runs 20 to 40%. The lodges do not change. The vehicle does not change. Only the price does.
We are the Arusha end of that chain. Every quote we send is itemised, in US dollars, with lodges named and park fees listed, so you can verify each line against the lodge's own website and TANAPA's published fees. Our park fee tables publish the government numbers most operators keep vague.
One honest caveat. Direct booking suits travelers comfortable arranging their own international flights, since we only handle the flights inside Tanzania. If you want one invoice covering everything from your home airport, an agency still earns its margin. Most of our guests decide the difference buys a better camp deeper in the Serengeti instead.
Get the local price for your dates
Tell us your travel month and group size. Itemised USD quote within a day.
Food
Vegetarian on safari, done properly
The question we hear most from Indian guests, before parks, before prices: what will we eat? The answer is better than you expect. Arusha has had a Gujarati and Punjabi trading community for over a century, Indian restaurants are part of the town, and every safari lodge treats vegetarian cooking as routine rather than a special order.
Tell us your requirements once at booking, pure veg, Jain, halal, and it travels with you through every lodge and picnic lunch on the itinerary. We confirm it with each property directly instead of hoping a note in a booking field gets read.
Muslim travelers: halal food is the norm across Tanzania, and our safaris run with halal meals as standard. More on our halal safari page.
FAQ
Questions from India
Are there direct flights from India to Tanzania?
Yes, one route. Air Tanzania flies nonstop from Mumbai (BOM) to Dar es Salaam (DAR) in about 6 hours, currently the only direct link between the two countries. From Delhi, Bangalore, or anywhere else, you connect once: Kenya Airways via Nairobi, Ethiopian via Addis Ababa, or Qatar Airways via Doha. If your safari starts in Arusha, the Nairobi and Addis routes can land you at Kilimanjaro Airport (JRO) directly, which saves a domestic hop. From Mumbai's direct flight, we add the short Dar es Salaam to Arusha leg as part of your itinerary.
Do Indian citizens need a visa for Tanzania?
Yes. Indian passport holders apply for the ordinary single-entry eVisa at visa.immigration.go.tz for $50, valid for up to 90 days. Apply on the official government portal only and allow 5 to 10 business days. Visa on arrival exists at the airports, but the queue after a long flight is a poor start to a holiday, and the eVisa costs the same. No yellow fever certificate is required if you fly from India, only if you transit certain African countries for more than 12 hours.
How much does a Tanzania safari cost from India?
It depends on the lodges, the season, and how many of you travel, which is why we price every itinerary individually rather than selling fixed packages. What we can tell you: our safaris are fully private, your own 4x4 and guide, with mid-range to luxury lodges only, and because you book the Arusha operator directly, the same trip costs less than an Indian agency reselling it. Flights from India add ₹45,000 to ₹70,000 return if booked ahead. The industry prices in US dollars, so any quote you see in rupees has a conversion buffer built in. Send us your dates and group and we reply with an itemised USD quote within a day.
Why book directly with a Tanzanian operator instead of an Indian agency?
Because the Indian agency is not running your safari. They forward your booking to a ground operator in Arusha, add their margin, and the markup on packaged African safaris commonly runs 20 to 40%. We are the Arusha end of that chain. Booking direct means the same lodges and the same parks at the local price, an itemised quote you can check line by line, and a WhatsApp number that reaches the people actually operating your trip.
Serengeti or Masai Mara: which is better from India?
Kenya wins on flight convenience from India, and the Mara is spectacular. But it is one reserve of about 1,500 sq km, while the Serengeti is nearly 15,000, and the Great Migration spends around nine months of its year on the Tanzanian side. The famous river crossings happen in both countries; calving season, with up to 8,000 wildebeest born per day, happens only in Tanzania. If you are flying this far, Tanzania also stacks Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire into the same circuit. Fewer vehicles per sighting, more days of migration.
Is vegetarian food available on safari?
Everywhere, and properly. Every lodge and camp we use handles vegetarian meals as a standard request, not an afterthought; tell us at booking and it follows you through the whole itinerary, Jain preferences included. Arusha itself has had a Gujarati and Punjabi trading community for over a century, so Indian restaurants and Indian grocery shops are part of the town. For Muslim travelers, halal food is the norm across Tanzania and standard on all our safaris.
When is the best time to visit from India?
June to October is the dry season: short grass, wildlife concentrated at water, cool mornings around 12°C in Arusha. It lines up with the June school holidays better than the May break, which falls in the long rains. Travelling around Diwali? October is excellent; November brings short afternoon showers but also empty parks and lower rates. December to February is calving season in Ndutu, the most predictable predator viewing of the year and a strong fit for a winter holiday or honeymoon.
Can I combine the safari with Zanzibar for a honeymoon?
This is the routing most of our honeymoon couples take: safari first, then 3 to 4 nights on a Zanzibar beach, flying home rested from Zanzibar's international airport. A private safari is already a couples' trip, your own vehicle and guide with no strangers, and Zanzibar adds Stone Town, spice farms, and Indian Ocean villas. Our safari-plus-Zanzibar honeymoon starts at $5,245 per person including the internal flight.
What is the time difference between India and Tanzania?
Two and a half hours. Tanzania is GMT+3, India is GMT+5:30. You land with no real jet lag, sleep normally, and are watching wildlife the next morning. Carry US dollars in cash for tips and extras, in notes printed after 2009, since older bills get refused. Cards work at most lodges. Budget $300 to $500 per couple for a week.
Ready to plan from India?
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We reply with a real itinerary and an itemised price in USD, usually within a day.
WhatsApp +1 519 721 3872 · hello@salehsafaris.com