Tanzania is the safari Australians dream about — the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, the climb up Kilimanjaro, then a few days on the beaches of Zanzibar to recover. It is often booked together with Kenya, and it rewards proper planning, because three things catch travellers out here more than almost anywhere else: malaria on Zanzibar, the yellow fever certificate rules, and the altitude on Kilimanjaro.
This guide covers the vaccinations and precautions Australians should consider for Tanzania. It is general information only and depends on your itinerary, season and health history.
Do you need vaccinations to travel to Tanzania?
Not if you fly in from Australia, but this is where Tanzania gets confusing. Tanzania requires a yellow fever certificate from travellers arriving from a country with yellow fever risk — and Kenya is one of them, so the classic Kenya-then-Tanzania safari needs a certificate. The rule also applies if you spend more than 12 hours in transit at an airport in a risk country. On the ground it is applied unevenly: officials sometimes ask for a certificate from travellers who technically do not need one, including on arrival in Zanzibar, and people without one have been asked to pay a fine.
For your own protection, yellow fever vaccination is generally not recommended for Tanzania itself, apart from long stays and very cautious travellers. So the real question is paperwork: whether your route needs a certificate, or a medical exemption letter if the vaccine is not suitable for you. That depends on your exact flights and stops, so bring your full itinerary to your consult. Travel Doctors Brisbane is a yellow fever accredited clinic.
Recommended vaccinations for Tanzania
For almost every traveller
- Hepatitis A — spread through contaminated food and water; recommended for essentially all travellers.
- Typhoid — recommended for essentially all travellers to Tanzania, safari lodges included.
- Routine vaccines — tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, MMR (measles), polio and seasonal influenza should be up to date.
Depending on your trip
- Rabies — rabies from dogs is a significant risk in Tanzania, and safari camps and mountain routes can be a long way from anywhere that stocks post-bite treatment. Worth serious discussion for longer stays, trekkers, cyclists, remote itineraries and anyone travelling with children.
- Hepatitis B — for longer stays, or if medical or dental treatment, tattoos or new sexual partners are possible.
- Yellow fever — not usually needed for protection, but your route may need the certificate (see above). Discuss it at your consult.
- Cholera — considered for aid and volunteer work, visiting family, and travellers with higher medical risk.
- Dengue — the risk is low and mostly on the coast around Dar es Salaam and Tanga, including Zanzibar. A dengue vaccine (Qdenga) is now available at our Bulimba clinic (see our guide to the dengue vaccine); whether it suits you depends on your age, your trip and whether you have had dengue before.
- Chikungunya — low risk; a vaccine is considered for long stays or trips with a lot of time outdoors.
- Polio — your childhood course covers most trips. A one-off adult booster is recommended if you are going to Mwanza Region on Lake Victoria, where vaccine-derived poliovirus has been picked up in environmental testing.
- Mpox — only for people at higher personal risk; your travel doctor will advise.
Malaria: yes, Zanzibar too
This is the single most important point for Tanzania. Malaria prevention tablets are recommended for all travellers to areas below 2,500 metres — which is almost the whole country, including Arusha, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Dar es Salaam, and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. A lot of people assume the beach leg is low risk. It is not. Almost all malaria in Tanzania is the most dangerous type, and transmission runs all year, peaking in the wet season from roughly November to May. The only areas without risk are above 2,500 metres, such as the upper slopes of Kilimanjaro, but you pass through risk areas to get there, so climbers need tablets too. There are several tablet options with different dosing and side-effect profiles, and the right one depends on you, your trip length and any other medicines you take. Bite prevention matters as well: repellent with DEET or picaridin, long loose clothing from dusk, and a treated net or screened room.
Kilimanjaro and altitude
The summit of Kilimanjaro is close to 5,900 metres, higher than most people have ever been. Altitude sickness is common on the mountain and can become life-threatening, and the quickest itineraries, which summit on day five, are poorly tolerated and genuinely risky. There is no vaccine. The best protection is a route with more acclimatisation days, and your travel doctor can discuss acetazolamide (Diamox) for prevention, the warning signs to watch for, and when descending is the only safe option. If Kilimanjaro is the point of your trip, book your consult early and bring your route.
Lakes, safari parks and fresh water
Schistosomiasis (bilharzia), a parasite picked up through the skin in fresh water, is common across Tanzania — around Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi, along parts of the coast, and on Zanzibar. Avoid swimming, wading or washing in lakes, rivers and freshwater pools; the ocean and chlorinated pools are fine. If you have been in fresh water, tell a doctor when you get home. In Manyara Region and a few western game reserves, tsetse flies can carry African sleeping sickness. The risk is low, but long sleeves in light, neutral colours help, because tsetse flies are drawn to dark blue and black.
Food, water and safety
Travellers' diarrhoea is a high risk across Tanzania and still a moderate risk in the best lodges and hotels. Drink sealed bottled or boiled water, be careful with ice, salads and buffet food that has been sitting, and carry a treatment kit your travel doctor can prescribe. On safety, some governments currently advise travellers to reconsider travel to Tanzania because of unrest, crime and terrorism risk, so check Smartraveller for the latest Australian advice before you book and register your trip. Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover is essential for safari and Kilimanjaro trips, where serious medical care can be a long way away.
When to see a travel doctor
Book your pre-travel consultation 6 to 8 weeks before you fly so any multi-dose vaccines have time to work, malaria tablets can be planned, and any yellow fever certificate is valid in time (it needs to be given at least 10 days before you arrive). Even last-minute travellers benefit — there are still options close to departure.
At Travel Doctors Brisbane in Bulimba, we tailor recommendations to your exact Tanzania itinerary, prescribe malaria prevention, and issue Yellow Fever certificates where required. See our Tanzania destination health advice, browse our travel health services, and book your consultation.
This article is general information only and was reviewed against our subscription travel health database in October 2026. It does not replace personalised medical advice. Vaccination needs and disease risks change and depend on your itinerary, season, length of stay and health history — always confirm with a travel health professional and Smartraveller before you travel.