Tanzania Travel Guide

Amazing safari parks, lots of diversity, beautiful views, amazing birding.

Tanzania is the country which is most famous in the world for the safari parks.

It's not a zoo - it's out in the wilderness. It's something my family hasn't seen before. The country seemed so natural, and in some ways - healing.

Beautiful country with a wide variety of safari options

Tanzania has many safari options, from luxury hotels in the heavily visited Ngorongoro to unserviced campsites in Mikumi National Park. In general the main roads outside the cities are OK but other roads are often dirt. However, in my experience safari companies are well aware of this and bring appropriate transport (as always, you get what you pay for).

Tanzania has some unmissable sights: Ngorongoro, Serengeti (an extension of the Mara in Kenya) and, if you are fit enough, climbs up Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro.

Safari options range from basic camping (in parks where it is allowed) to all-inclusive luxurious hotels in the middle of the savannah. Often it is a good idea to get a park ranger to accompany you if available - they often offer - and because they work in the park all the time, they can be more knowledgeable about recent animal sightings.

If you are visiting the parks in the north of Tanzania you probably won't have much reason to visit Dar es Salaam, and you probably won't miss much either. It isn't a particularly interesting place and many people just pass through on the way to Zanzibar.

Tanzania is a haven for parks. While some are more off-the-beaten-track than others, nearly all of them provide unparalleled wildlife viewing activities and stunning scenery.

Classic game parks, but spoiled by too much industrial tourism.

The very names of the Tanzanian National Parks can fire the imagination! Serengeti... Ngorongoro.... However, while the wildlife viewing is superb, the experience is tainted by industrial tourism, poor facilities and outrageous entrance fees. Many times I have heard foreign visitors say they don't mind the high cost, as it is an investment in conservation. Unfortunately, there is little evidence of tourism dollars being directed towards conservation. That said, if one makes a little effort to avoid the crowds, the safari experience in Tanzania can be excellent.

Book an organised safari in advance!

We drove down from Kenya (Masai Mara to Arusha via Nairobi in one day - I don't recommend it) and tried to have a look around Tanzania on our own. It didn't work. Immigration kindly informed us that our very expensive visas were only valid for six days, so we booked into a post hotel in Arusha, had a curry for tea, and frantically searched the town for a four day safari to Ngorongoro leaving immediately. Fortunately, Arusha is full of tour operators, so we found one. Unfortunately, it consisted of a mental Michael Schumacher wannabe driving a decrepid Land Cruiser with a cook whose main contribution was to eat all the meat before the tourists got it. The drive to and from the crater was hairy. As such, I would recommend anybody going to do the sensible thing and book a good tour with a reputable company.
The Serengeti and Ngorongoro are amazing parks. The best Leopard action I've ever had, and loads of other excellent animal and bird encounters. The campsites are pretty good aswell. Prices are very high, as they are elsewhere in East Africa, compared with similar parks in southern Africa.
Due to our visa predicament, we didn't have time to see anymore of Tanzania. I'd love to go back though, and go to Zanzibar and the Selous.

Tanzania was a fantastic safari destination - it is less congested than other locales and offers good value for money.

Amazing wildlife, but among crowds of people

Tanzania is a wonderful country to visit, I stayed over a month, and could see just a corner. Besides the well known parks in the north corridor, there´s the more tranquil parks in the south, some of them scarcely visited, and of course Zanzibar is a mandatory destination, and many more places worth your time if you are in the mood for some adventure. Unfortunately, wherever there´s a main tourist attraction, entry fees are extremely high. Outside the north corridor, distances are long and travel is slow. Public transportation leaves room for desire. Wildlife is just unbelievable. Accomodation ranges from very poor to extremely luxurious, you can stay by very cheaply (outside the parks) or enjoy an incredible confort in amazing locations, but in this cases -inside the national parks- prices are very high by any standart. BE careful when choosing your safari company.

A raw jewel, from dust tracks to flush green areas! Great people.

On our first visit to Tanzania me and my wife decided to spend a week or two working in an orphange. Such a rewarding experience, the people and kids all eager to learn and friendly unlike many in the UK!

We then moved on to a tented lodge in Arusha, gave a great feel of sights and sounds of the countryside. This prepared us for our main event climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (via the Mechame route). What a fantastic trip, hard work physically and mentally with beautiful scenery looking to Meru, each days scenery changed getting less and less dense of forest. We successfully completed our trek to the summit With Forsters Safari's on Boxing Day 2009! Unbelievable...

We returned to base and went back to our tented lodge for a few days to relax, then we took a few days safari around Manyara, Ngorongoro & Tarangire. Ngorongoro is a must, what a setting full of animals, like Jurrasic Park! We stayed in the Rhotia Valley afterwards which was lush and green, people working the fields with ox and their hands. We then visited Manyara which was a different type of reserve on the lakeside then moved on for a few days at Tarangire which was different again in the bush, true dirt tracks, river crossings in the 4x4 and loads of the smaller birds and animals too.

The hustle and bustle of the towns can feel intimidating to some though we enjoyed it, visit the Masai markets for local crafts. The country is much more relaxed and everyone stops to help if you if you need it. A really nice place to visit.