TANZANIA SAFARI TOURS
From the great migration of the Serengeti to the more remote parks, a Tanzania safari tours offers superb game viewing in a dramatic setting of snowy peaks, volcanic craters and the Masai steppe of endless plains. Tanzania is renowned for its sheer numbers of wildlife. There are lots of big cats, and herds of wildebeest, zebra and Thompson’s gazelle that migrate across the grasslands every year, with dramatic river crossings along the path of this Great migration.
Few countries can compare with Tanzania’s natural beauty and cultural diversity – with Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater all in one country. If you’re energetic or adventurous, go on a multi-day walking safari in the Serengeti or Ruaha National Parks or tackle a trek to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak and the world’s highest free-standing mountain. Don’t miss a visit to the exotic spice Ilands of Zanzibar for an infusion of aromas and architecture in historic Stone town
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Where to go in Tanzania
Northern safari circuit in Tanzania
The northern safari circuit is bookended by Lake Victoria and Rubondo Island in the west and Mount Kilimanjaro in the east. To the north lies the Kenyan border with the Masai mara and Amboseli reserves located just across the frontier. Tarangire National Park is regarded as the most southerly tourist attraction in this diverse and breathtaking safari region. Within a relatively compact geographical area, safari goers will have access to a multitude of other iconic parks and major tourist attractions, including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Oldupai Gorge, Lake Natron, Ol Doinyo Lengai, Mount Meru, Arusha National Park and Lake Manyara.
Highlights
First-and-foremost amongst a profusion of highlights on the northern safari circuit is the Serengeti National Park, encompassing 14,750 square kilometres and making up 50% of the wider Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, this is an iconic wildlife area. Sensational scenery dominated by expansive savannah grasslands and peppered with distinctive flattop acacias and balanites trees make this one of the most picturesque landscapes in all of Africa. Throw in 1.7 million wildebeest, 300,000 zebra and 400,000 gazelles and you have a wildlife spectacle second to none. Whether your budget stretches to incorporate a visit to the luxurious lodges within the exclusive Singita Grumeti concessions of the western corridor, or is limited to the budget offerings of Ikona Wildlife Management Area, the Serengeti and its surrounding reserves offer safari accommodations and experiences to suit most budgets.
Adjoining the south-east of the Serengeti National Park lies the exclusive Legendary Lodges concessions of Mwiba and southern Maswa that wrap around into the extensive Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Most visitors only ever see the Ngorongoro Crater, but if you have your own vehicle you have a unique opportunity to leave the safari hordes behind and explore the wider conservation area that is a mixed-use area for wildlife and Maasai pastoralists. Within this protected area, the vast Oldupai Gorge (originally misnamed Olduvai) is an archaeological site made famous by the Leakey family for being home to some of the continent’s most important hominid fossils. The Ngorongoro scenery is sensational and provided you visit outside of the peak safari season months (June – September) you will fall in love with this attractive crater packed full of habituated wildlife and mesmerizing scenery.
Mount Kilimanjaro is an anomaly. Located virtually on the equator, this 5,885 metre high conical, free-standing volcano seems so out of place with its snow-capped peak dwarfing the rift valley below. Whether you come to Tanzania to climb its legendary slopes to stand atop Uhuru Peak, or simply to gaze and photograph its majesty, as it presides over the plains and parks below, it would be wrong to come to Tanzania and not spend some time appreciating this grand old mountain that forms the roof of Africa.
Zanzibar and the Indian Ocean Islands
From the often-overlooked and largely undeveloped tropical paradise of Pemba Island in the north to the classy utopia of Mafia Island in the south, Tanzania’s tropical east coast islands offer a welcome respite at the end of a rewarding safari. Nestled between Pemba and Mafia is Zanzibar with its eclectic mix of white-sand beaches, warm water, nightlife and powerful cultural history.
Highlights
The lion’s share of Tanzania’s island visitors gravitate towards world-renowned Zanzibar. Zanzibar has an almost overwhelming choice of over 800 tourism establishments to suit every budget and taste.
It almost goes without saying, but this is not a place you should come to if you don’t want to see other tourists. While some parts of Zanzibar are less intensively developed than others, this island is about as far from a pristine wilderness escape as you can get with almost the entire coastline developed, but most especially in the northeast and southeast.
Zanzibar – an exotic island kingdom of former slave traders and fishermen – has reinvented itself as a tourism hotspot. For those with deep pockets and a healthy budget, nothing beats the exclusive satellite island of Mnemba off the north-eastern tip of Zanzibar. With one exclusive; Beyond lodge, Mnemba is the very pinnacle of tropical island beach-chic luxury. Alternatively, there is a dizzying array of hotels, beach resorts, guesthouses and other accommodation options to choose between on the main island.