Destinations · Head-to-head
South Africa vs Tanzania
South Africa and Tanzania, side by side: live travel advisories, our resort catalog's real guest data, and each destination's honest weather picture. Everything you need to break the tie.
By the numbers
| South Africa | Measure | Tanzania |
|---|---|---|
| Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution (better) | U.S. travel advisory | Level 3: Reconsider Travel |
| 0 | Resorts in our catalog | 15 (better) |
| – | Average guest rating | ★ 4.6 |
| – | Nightly rates | $75–$560/night pp |
| 0 of 0 | Adults-only resorts | 0 of 15 |
| No hurricane season | Hurricane exposure | No hurricane season |
| November–March (southern-hemisphere summer thunderstorms) | Rainy season | Long rains mid-March–May (April is seriously wet), short rains November |
| April–September for dry, mild weather; also prime safari season inland | Sweet spot | June–October and December–February |
| 11 official languages – English widely spoken | Language | Swahili & English (English widely used in tourism) |
| South African rand (ZAR) | Currency | Tanzanian shilling (TZS); USD widely accepted |
| 230V, large Type M/N plugs (special adapter needed) | Power | 230V, Type G (UK-style) plugs – bring an adapter |
| On the left | Driving | On the left |
| Durban (DUR) or Johannesburg (JNB) | Main airport | Zanzibar / Abeid Amani Karume (ZNZ) |
| ~15–17h from the US East Coast (often via Europe or the Gulf) | Flight time | ~16–19h+ from the US, with a connection |
Advisory levels sync from travel.state.gov; catalog figures reflect the resorts we've researched, not every hotel in the country. A marked row is one we are willing to call; rows without a mark are a matter of taste, or we have no comparable figure for both sides.
On the map
South Africa
Tanzania
Weather, month by month
| Measure | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa · high °F | 82 | 83 | 82 | 79 | 77 | 74 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 77 | 79 | 81 |
| Tanzania · high °F | 89 | 90 | 90 | 87 | 84 | 84 | 83 | 83 | 84 | 86 | 88 | 89 |
| South Africa · rain (in) | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.0 |
| Tanzania · rain (in) | 3.0 | 2.4 | 5.9 | 15.3 | 7.8 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 3.5 | 8.0 | 5.5 |
Approximate climate normals for KwaZulu-Natal coast (Durban) and Zanzibar: planning guidance, not a forecast. A deeper tint is a higher number, read within its own row.
Where you'd actually stay
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