Great experience!
We did a 3-day tour in Tarangire, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro. It was amazing to see those very different parks and all the wildlife there. Out of the big 5 we saw 4 (unfortunately no leopards). Out of the 3 parks Ngorongoro was our highlight. Because we were travelling during the rain season there was a lot of water everywhere (Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro). Because of that we could not see some of the animals well. On the other hand the landscape was so incredibly green. I would definitely come back during wet season.
Our tour operator (Tanzania Go Adventures) was amazing, as well as our tour guide Amos! The company is a local one (compared with many of the big ones owned by westeners). Our experience was very pleasent. Definitely come back another time and highly recommend it.
BR
Email Barbara Barbosa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing Wildlife, great people
Late March 2024 I did a solo Safari with Soul of Tanzania to Serengeti and Ngorogoro. My driver, Losioki was the best I could have asked for. Very respectful and polite, and with an impressive ability to spot animals (because of him I was lucky enough to see a leopard!). Apart from that, People are very welcoming, services providers are well trained, and polite, you can trust them. As a solo woman traveler I felt safe. Right now, I wish a haven't had gone just to have this experience again.
US
Email Kristopher Munn | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A trip to Tanzania truly is a trip of a lifetime
Tanzania is a place where you feel most welcome the minute you step onto its African soil. The people are abundant in their warmth and are quick to let small talk turn into real conversations about their lives and families. The guides and the government show great care in how they manage the national parks, and it is evident in the conditions as you travel throughout these vast and diverse regions. I came to see the many animals of this land; but what I really saw was a place that needs to be felt and touched by shaking the dust off of your hat and feeling the winds blow across your neck - the adventure is so much more than what a safari might look like on the internet. From the shores of Zanzibar to the openness of the Serengeti; the land reaches into your heart and makes you realize that wherever you may be now, your true wish was that you were back there again. I truly thank the people of Tanzania, and my tour operator Ozon Light Tours for the memories and stories I'll have for my lifetime.
US
20-35 years of age
Breathtaking parks, mountains, unforgettable meeting with wild animals!
Would you like to spend morning with the lions? Have a lunch with one hundred hippos in the pool? Or maybe take a ride to the bottom of the biggest volcanic caldera in the world so you can see some huge elephants ? Tanzania is one of the best destination in the world. Just two of them Serengeti National Park and Crater Ngorongoro are the must to visit for every traveler. Meeting with Masai warriors- one of the kind.There are friendly people and every bigger or smaller town offers place to sleep and good food. Arusha is a good place to start your journey in exploring parks. Spending couple days in Serengeti for sure you'll meet Big African Five.
I think the best time to visit Tanzania is October-November when great migration takes place.
It could be hot during the day and cooler in the evenings. So always have right clothes with you. I also recommend to visit Zanzibar. Beautiful island that belongs to Tanzania. Warm Indian Ocean, white beach, unique City of Zanzibar with Stone Town and parks with endemic animals will satisfied everybody. If you need more information visit my blog
http://www.travelpod.com/members/ania12
LU
35-50 years of age
Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and you'll never ever forget your time there!
Tanzania is a great destination - with a heady mix of exotic wildlife, vast landscapes, and even beaches to relax and take it all in. Add in super-friendly people, who love to help the tourist and teach Swahili, and I can't recommend it enough.
Logistically, it's surprisingly easy to visit - with many tours and transport links designed to take tourists to all the major destinations without a problem. Even when you go off the beaten path, the hospitality of the people make it easy - one nice man even ran a few hundred meters to talk to a bus driver for me, and just gave a big smile when I said "Asante sana" (thank you!).
I'd recommend going to Ngorogoro first, then the Serengetti - this works you up from parks in terms of size. Follow that up with 3-4 days on Zanzibar and you have the ingredients to a perfect holiday.
Note - I would definitely avoid Dar Es Salaam; there's not a lot there from a tourist perspective, and it has it's unsavoury parts. The smaller towns of Tanzania are far more enjoyable.
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.
My African Dream (if you can forget the Africa of today)
We travelled as a family of five- and we did enjoy all of the trip. Went from Arusha through Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Kainokaoa, Serengeti to Mwanza and across Lake Viktoria. Went down to Lake Tanganjika, crossed it to the south on the MS Liemba. Stayed at Lake Shore Lodge near Kipili and made our excursions to Katavi from there. Staying there was just a dream, best place ever we have been to. Made a long way home from there to Daressalam and Europe. We havebeen to Bali, Laos, Thailand, Mauritius and a lot of other places: we never were so sad when we had to go home as we were after our trip to Tanzania. These things said one more thing: please consider ecological and social aspects when chosing your tour operators; ask your european travel agent to ask their african partners! We still feel a bit ashamed that we did not do that enough-and we realized that we should have done so only during our trip. Should you go to Tanzania? YES! Go! All the best.
AR
20-35 years of age
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.
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.
Our expectations exceeded
My wife researched many of the safari operators before selecting Gosheni. Boy, did she get it right! This company is exceptional. Peter, the Managing Director, responded immediately to her email enquiries and tailored a tour to our expectations and needs.
We were met on arrival at Kilimanjaro Airport by Jonas, our driver/guide, and taken to Arusha for lunch with Peter and then off we went. We immediately struck up an excellent relationship with Jonas who was full of fun. When we were out animal observing he really demonstrated his skill in finding and understanding the animals' behaviours. One example: as we drove around the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater we encountered another vehicle watching the long grass and bush alongside the road. We stopped and discovered that they were watching a leopard moving about in the scrub. After a time the leopard disappeared and the other vehicle moved off. Not Jonas though,who said that the animal will show itself again in a few minutes. And so we sat there for several minutes when the leopard suddenly moved out onto the road and walked along passing the vehicle within a meter while observing us. And so it went. He was able to find some exceptional sights and experiences for us - surrounded by elephants, a herd of 26 female lions and two young male brothers, a giraffe that had survived a lion attack, a pride of lions patiently waiting for a wounded cape buffalo to weaken, and so on. We were there in the middle of the annual great migration of the wildebeest which also was another amazing experience.
The company's vehicles were late models, beautifully maintained (we saw three other vehicles break down), and comfortable, the accommodation was excellent, the food first rate, We flew back to Arusha from the Serengeti airstrip and were again met on arrival and taken to lunch where we de-briefed with Peter before being taken to Kilimanjaro Airport for the return flight.
Our safari was flawless and the experience of a lifetime. We have no hesitation in recommending Gosheni.
