Tanzania or South Africa?
The practical differences, drawn from our own write-ups rather than from a brochure. We are not going to tell you which is better - they are different trips. What follows is what actually changes between them.
Places written up here 84 337
UNESCO listings among them 6 17
Cost level Mid-range Mid-range
Busiest month in our write-ups July September
Currency Tanzanian shilling (TZS) Rand (ZAR)
Plugs and voltage D, G - 230 V C, M, N - 230 V
Everyday languages Swahili, English English, Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and more
Driving side left hand side left hand side
Region Eastern Africa Southern Africa
Capital Dodoma Pretoria
Tanzania
Pole pole - slowly slowly - is advice and identity; Swahili courtesy opens everything.
What we have written up
- Amani Nature Reserve nature reserve
- Amboni Caves cave
- Arusha National Park national park
- Bagamoyo old town
- Bongoyo Island island
- Bukoba lake town
Worth knowing before you go
- Cash US dollars (newer bills) plus cards cover most travel
- Park fees are premium - the Serengeti is worth every cent
- The migration is in Tanzania roughly November to July - opposite calendar to Kenya's Mara
South Africa
Eleven languages, staggering landscapes; braai fires and safari dawns bookend the days.
What we have written up
- Addo Elephant National Park national park
- Afrikaans Language Monument monument
- AfrikaBurn festival
- Algoa Bay Islands island
- Aliwal Shoal dive site
- Amarula liqueur
All 337 places in South Africa →
Worth knowing before you go
- Cards work nearly everywhere; keep small cash for tips
- Load-shedding power cuts may pause things - locals have apps tracking it
- Wine-country tastings cost pocket change by world standards
Counts describe this site, not the countries: "places written up here" means how many pages we have finished, and it keeps growing. Currency, plugs and languages are practical facts and change rarely; check anything visa-related with the relevant official source before you book.