Zoology & Wildlife Sciences Study Abroad Programs in Tanzania

Cannot recommend this program more! The staff and homestay are so lovely and completely make the program. The coursework and travel make for great hands on learning that is hard to beat. Doing this program was the best decision I made!

Cannot recommend this program more! The staff and homestay are so lovely and completely make the program. The coursework and travel make for great hands on learning that is hard to beat. Doing this program was the best decision I made!

Cannot recommend this program more! The staff and homestay are so lovely and completely make the program. The coursework and travel make for great hands on learning that is hard to beat. Doing this program was the best decision I made!

Going to TZ for a semester abroad with SIT was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I feel incredibly grateful for all the experiences I had and wonderful people I met--many of whom I stay in touch with today! The semester was an exciting mix of camping in national parks, observing incredible wildlife like elephants, lions, giraffes, and birds, and doing a homestay for 3 weeks. I really appreciated the cultural immersion, between the homestay and opportunities to interview community members for research/class. The SIT TZE staff is top-notch when it comes to support, kindness, and truly making you feel like family. This program has added depth to my life and I'm currently trying to return to the region because of how much I loved my experience.

I completed the Wildlife Conservation Programme in Tanzania in 2021 and it was honestly an amazing experience that I still remember to this day. Everyone was so kind and helpful, and I learned so much about wildlife and conservation during the programme. The classes in nature were amazing and it was great to be able to learn about wildlife while actually being surrounded by it. The weather was great, the people were lovely, and there was always something new to learn and experience. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I’m really glad I had the opportunity to take part. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves wildlife, nature and travelling.

This study abroad experience was truly life changing. I had never been camping before and was a little intimidated, but the instructors and staff were so kind and helpful. I also got the experience of a lifetime on the safaris! I got to see lots of elephants, lions, giraffes, and zebras. Would highly highly recommend!

Studying abroad in Tanzania with SIT was the best decision I’ve ever made. I made so many incredible memories while on safari, staying with my host family and even completing my own wildlife research. It was such an educational and enriching experience. I learned so much about the country, the people, the wildlife as well as myself. Tanzania is still my favorite place I’ve ever traveled!

This program absolutely changed my worldview! Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the immersive experiences and connections that I have as a result of this program. The staff are unbelievably inviting, talented, and caring. They are highly knowledgeable and invested in the learning, development, and wellbeing of students. If you are looking for a unique opportunity to expand your world while gain valuable research experience, this is the program for you.

This program was absolutely incredible. The staff, both the support staff and the teachers, were incredible. They made efforts to connect with each student on a personal level, and I am deeply grateful for at home they worked to make us feel. In what scenario are you doing school work and group projects while in National Parks and Widlife Reserves in Tanzania?! I learned a lot both academically and about myself as a person. So much love for this program!!

I had a really impactful experience studying abroad in Tanzania in 2020. The teaching staff were all so valuable, insightful, and friendly, and we as students all felt taken care of during our time there. I learned so much through hands-on experience in the national parks on safari and learning Swahili while staying with my host family. This semester abroad has left a lasting impact on me and I hope to visit Tanzania again in the future.

This program is amazing for anyone looking for cultural immersion, language immersion, incredible field experiences, and resume building research experience. Class is literally watching lions in the Serengeti.

This experience was an amazing one. I grew so much as a person. Not only did I learn a lot, but the experience was so immersive that learning could be connected to real life examples. During this time I got sick, and the staff were nothing short of amazing. They all came together to help me in whatever way they could. The people, the classes, the country, it was all amazing. I can’t recommend enough to other students.

There’s not one thing about SIT Tanzania that wasn’t amazing. If you’re looking for an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, meet new people, and explore such a unique, incredible country, then this program is for you. From the incredible staff and unforgettable experiences I couldn’t recommend this program enough!

This program genuinely changed my life. I’m not joking it really opened my eyes and allowed me to fully immerse myself in a culture extremely different from mine and very far away from home! It also allowed me to develop new communication skills as well as research skills. This is my most favorite thing to talk about and was definitely a huge contributor to what made me stand out when applying to vet school! With all that being said, the staff was extremely supportive and the kindest, brilliant people you will EVER meet. The staff is extremely hard working literally always and are a huge inspiration to me. I could not tell more people to chose this program. Truly once in a lifetime experience.

My semester abroad in Tanzania was life changing! A truly once in a lifetime experience that I truly recommend. The SIT program staff are the kindest most welcoming people you can imagine. Additionally, from game drives in national parks to home stays the cultural immersion and wildlife I was able to learn about and experience was amazing! I truly learned so much and had a wonderful time exploring Tanzania!

We were able to experience so much throughout the semester through cultural immersion and wildlife observations that went far beyond my expectations. The staff and teachers were all so welcoming and helpful, and I learned so much while having an amazing and fun semester.

I really cannot say enough amazing things about this program, it truly was a life-changing experience. From the moment I arrived in Tanzania, the teachers and staff made me feel immediately welcomed and at home. Their knowledge and expertise in the field were extremely impressive and helped create an engaging and supportive learning environment. One of the most impactful aspects of the program was the hands-on, immersive experience. We spent 30 nights camping and participated in daily game drives, where I saw more wildlife biodiversity than I ever imagined. These experiences brought the course material to life and deepened my understanding of wildlife conservation in a real-world context. The homestay is another unique immersive opportunity and was one of my favorite parts of the program! I felt my homestay family quickly became like my real family and I am still in touch with them today. It was also incredibly meaningful to engage with and learn from local Maasai communities. Through these interactions, I developed crucial skills for ethical social science data collection and gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of community perspectives in conservation work. The independent study project is another amazing opportunity to conduct research on a topic you are passionate about. I studied the impacts of climate change on the predominantly women-run seaweed farming industry. The program offered a great balance of independence to explore a topic of interest while also providing valuable on-the-ground connections and support from faculty.This program had a lasting impact on my academic and personal interests, and I am currently in the process of publishing my research through the Middlebury Journal of Global Affairs.

SIT was one of my favorite parts of my college experience, and probably my life. I met some of my best friends to this day on this program. You get to know your classmates and professors very well and they become a second family. From camping in the Serengeti and seeing the Great Migration pass by my very eyes, to living with a host family that takes care of you as their own, I had the study abroad experience of a lifetime.

Traveling to Africa was always an experience I was looking forward to, however, I never thought that I would be able to immerse myself in the culture for a whole semester. I was able to learn a completely new language, live with a host family, see animals I have dreamed about since I was a little kid, and I made so many lasting connections. We were also pushed academically to complete and independent research project. Mine was on wildlife veterinarians so I was able to interview veterinarians and even got to shadow a sanctuary veterinarian. I would do it all over if I had the chance.

Mt. Kilimanjaro served as the backdrop for many of our field drives in Amboseli National Park. The timing of our trips, an early beginning to the wet season as it were, obscured many carnivores from being found. For those who are unaware, an unfenced park such as Amboseli may serve as a dry-season refuge for the wildlife. When the rains return, the animals migrate out and into the community areas. We were lucky to be in the park on the day of one of the most famous of these migrations: the elephant migration. Cars idling, the air hot and humid, and our breaths shallow we watched hundreds of elephants cross just meters ahead of us. Behind us, Kilimanjaro stood proudly, not a cloud for kilometers to block its view. We were literally living the moment shown in postcards (be wary though, if you see a postcard in Tanzania with Kilimanjaro and elephants, it was actually taken in Amboseli National Park, Kenya), and if for one day the beauty of the largest of land herbivores reigned dominant over all others. I chose it for the location, the immerse home-stay aspect, the language (Swahili) classes, and the research opportunity.