THE NETHERLANDS - SafariBookings.com conducted an in-depth analysis of 3,061 reviews of safari tourists and acclaimed experts and concluded that both have voted Tanzania as the best safari country of Africa.

Over the past two years a distinctive SafariBookings taskforce searched for those who have been on safari and invited them to write a review. As a result, over 1,000 people from 53 nationalities wrote more than 2,300 user reviews.

To complement these user reviews, reputable guidebook authors -working for Lonely Planet, Rough Guides, Frommer's, Bradt and Footprint- teamed up in the SafariBookings Expert Panel and wrote 756 expert reviews.

The overall average rating of Tanzania in both the user and expert reviews is 4.8 out of 5 stars: the highest score of all 8 major safari countries.

5,169 Tanzania Tours

Why is Tanzania such a great safari destination?

  • Superb wildlife viewing in top-class parks. Two are Unesco World Heritage Sites.
  • The annual great migration where over 2.5 million wildebeest and zebra migrate from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.
  • Authentic African wilderness with unfenced parks, dirt roads and endless plains.
  • A wide range of budget, mid-range and luxury safari options.
  • Beach holiday extensions on Zanzibar Island, including kite-surfing.
  • Best chimp tracking of Africa in Gombe- and Mahale Mountains National Park.
  • Extend your safari holiday by climbing Africa’s highest mountain; Mount Kilimanjaro.
  • Direct flights from abroad make the northern and southern safari circuits easily accessible.
  • Politically stable and generally safe country.

Ratings for the 8 major safari countries

  • 1. Tanzania

    4.84/5(Experts: 4.85/5 - Users: 4.84/5)

  • 2. Botswana

    4.75/5(Experts: 4.70/5 - Users: 4.79/5)

  • 3. Kenya

    4.66/5(Experts: 4.50/5 - Users: 4.83/5)

  • 4. Zambia

    4.58/5(Experts: 4.56/5 - Users: 4.60/5)

  • 5. South Africa

    4.55/5(Experts: 4.33/5 - Users: 4.77/5)

  • 6. Namibia

    4.54/5(Experts: 4.38/5 - Users: 4.70/5)

  • 7. Uganda

    4.16/5(Experts: 3.88/5 - Users: 4.44/5)

  • 8. Zimbabwe

    4.14/5(Experts: 4.00/5 - Users: 4.28/5)

When looking at the ratings above it can be concluded that all 8 countries are excellent safari destinations as they all have a rating of 4 stars and up. In general the experts were more critical than normal safari tourists, which is to be expected as they have visited far more countries and parks and have a better sense of what’s on offer. Of the user reviews 42% came from first time safari goers and, in general, they are more easily impressed.

What the experts say about Tanzania

  • Mary Fitzpatrick From United StatesUS - Author of 6 Lonely Planet guides to Africa, incl. Tanzania.

    Rating:

    4/5 stars

    “With its abundant wildlife, excellent species diversity and evocative acacia- and baobab-studded landscapes Tanzania is one of Africa's most rewarding safari destinations.” Full review
  • Philip Briggs From South AfricaZA - Author of 7 Bradt guidebooks to Africa, incl. Tanzania.

    Rating:

    5/5 stars

    “There is arguably no better safari destination than Tanzania. And, to be honest, I’m not even sure I should be using the word ‘arguably’ here!” Full review
  • Lizzie Williams From South AfricaZA - Author of 4 Footprint guidebooks to Africa, incl. Tanzania.

    Rating:

    5/5 stars

    “Tanzania's parks and reserves are home to a staggering range of African game and its one of the most popular safari destinations on the continent.” Full review
  • Tim Bewer From United StatesUS - Author of 10 Lonely Planet guidebooks to Africa, incl. Tanzania.

    Rating:

    5/5 stars

    “Tanzania is home to Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater; and this fact alone makes a solid case for declaring it Africa’s best safari country.” Full review

What safari tourists say about Tanzania

104 people from 23 nationalities
The word cloud above is generated by gathering all the words from all user reviews for Tanzania. The more often a word occurred the larger it appears. ‘Serengeti’ and ‘Ngorongoro crater’ are the two most famous parks of Tanzania. Both are located in the northern safari circuit and both are Unesco World Heritage Sites. ‘Arusha’ refers to Arusha National Park and Arusha city, from where most safaris to the northern circuit start. Zanzibar is a tropical island and a popular destination for beach extensions. The rest of the larger words speak for themselves.

Tanzania’s top rated parks

  • Serengeti National Park

    4.91/566 reviews
    Classic safari, Big 5 present (rhino rare), many big cats, wildebeest migration
    Ranks #1 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Selous Game Reserve

    4.56/527 reviews
    Walking, boat or classic safari, Big 5 present, healthy population of wild dogs
    Ranks #11 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Ruaha National Park

    4.55/527 reviews
    Walking and classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), cheetah and wild dogs
    Ranks #12 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Ngorongoro Crater

    4.50/567 reviews
    Classic safari, abundant wildlife in the volcanic crater, includes the Big 5
    Ranks #15 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Mahale Mountains NP

    4.40/511 reviews
    Excellent chimp tracking, several other safari animals present but rarely seen
    Ranks #21 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Gombe National Park

    4.40/59 reviews
    Excellent chimp tracking, famous for Jane Goodall’s chimp research
    Ranks #22 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Katavi National Park

    4.35/515 reviews
    Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), abundant wildlife in the dry season
    Ranks #24 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Tarangire National Park

    4.00/547 reviews
    Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), abundant wildlife in the dry season
    Ranks #42 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Lake Manyara National Park

    3.87/551 reviews
    Classic safari, 4 of the Big 5 (no rhino), big cats present but difficult to spot
    Ranks #47 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

  • Arusha National Park

    3.61/525 reviews
    Classic safari, hiking, antelope species and black-and-white colobus monkeys
    Ranks #50 of Africa's top 50 safari parks

Best time to visit Tanzania by user rating

The monthly user ratings show that Tanzania can satisfy safari tourists at any time of the year. The consistent high ratings were surprising, since we projected lower ratings for the wet seasons (the long rains in March to April, and the short rains of November and December). The occurring rains (often in the form of afternoon showers) don’t typically hamper a safari , yet wildlife viewing in Tarangire, the southern and western circuit parks is considerably less rewarding during these times and could, therefore, effectively lower ratings.

Our point of view lends itself to the dry-season (June to October) being the best time to visit Tanzania. Wildlife viewing in the northern safari circuit is good at any time of the year. The best chance to see the wildebeest migration in the Serengeti is during June and July, while January to February is the time to see the wildebeest calving.

Please read our ‘Best time to visit Tanzania’ page for a more in dept recommendation.

Demographics of the reviewers (interactive charts)

User reviews: 2,305
Expert reviews: 756
Nationalities: 53

Percentage of reviews by country
All user reviews. Move your cursor over a country to get the number

Age and gender (Percentage)
All people who wrote user reviews. Move your cursor over the chart for more details

Safari Experience Level (Percentage)
All people who wrote user reviews. Move your cursor over the chart for more details

 


By Wouter Vergeer
Netherlands NL

Wouter found time to combine his professional expertise with his greatest passion- the African Safari. In this union of business and leisure, SafariBookings was born.

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