From the highest mountain in Africa to vast plains, colorful lakes, tropical rainforests, waterfalls and craters. In what are perhaps the most impressive national parks in East Africa, you can spot the big 5 and many other exotic animals and birds. Timon and Pumbaa as well as elephants scurry about, impalas hop next to the wildebeest, the zebras graze with the giraffes and hungry lions and leopards hide in between, waiting for a meal. This is Africa at its best! But how do you arrange a trip along all this beauty? Here are my tips for arranging a safari in Tanzania!
WHICH PARKS DO YOU WANT TO VISIT?
Before you arrange your safari in Tanzania, it is good to think about which areas in the country you want to visit. Most people who visit Tanzania for the first time go for the so-called Northern Circuit. This tour includes the Serengeti National Park (with a bit of the big trek if you are lucky), Tarangire National Park, the famous Ngorongoro crater, Lake Manyara National Park and Arusha National Park. Most people choose at least the first three, we also attached the last two. I found the whole list worthwhile since each park has its own character.
✈ Tip: We really liked Arusha National Park because this is the only park where you can do a walking safari. No cats live in this park and you can therefore explore part of the park on foot under the guidance of an armed ranger. Very cool to walk among the giraffes!
HOW MUCH TIME DO YOU SPEND IN THE PARKS
The lions and elephants are not all around the corner from Arusha, you will have to drive quite a bit for that. The Serengeti is about 5 hours away and a day trip from Arusha is not going to be it. The distances are great and the rides bumpy! The parks differ in size. For example, Lake Manyara can be visited in a day, but you can roam around the Serengeti for weeks. Allow enough time for your safari in Tanzania and don’t try to pack everything into a few days. But we were warned not to take too many days for a safari, because you would get ‘safari tired’ after a few days. That was great for us! Even though the 14th giraffe isn’t quite as spectacular as the first, I thought it was all fantastic. To visit Tarangire NP, Serengeti NP, Ngorongoro crater and Lake Manyara NP, you need a minimum of five days (four nights).
BEST TIME TO SAFARI IN TANZANIA
Also take into account the best travel time for Tanzania. Tanzania is actually good to visit all year round, but April and May are not very convenient because certain roads are impossible to drive due to the heavy rain. In addition to this long rainy season, there is a short rainy season in November. The dry season runs from June to October and these are perfect safari months. Special is the annual migration of herds totaling almost 2 million animals between the Serengeti and the plains of the Masai Mara in Kenya. The animals are in a different area per season and there is therefore no one best time to see the migration. Each period on the savannah therefore has its own charm!
DRIVING YOURSELF OR WITH A GUIDE
If you know roughly what you want to see, you can decide whether you want to see it yourself in a rented car or whether you go with a car with driver / guide. Theoretically you can do a self-drive safari in Tanzania, but the country is not set up for this. The rental costs for a (mandatory) 4wd jeep are high, in some places you are obliged to bring a guide and you also have to deal with paperwork and regulations. Despite the high price tag and time-consuming organization, driving around yourself is of course the ultimate adventure! However, most travelers opt for an organized safari, and so did we. And even though I’m not fond of organized trips, in this case I found it to be a relaxed, affordable and a safe option. A skilled driver/guide drove us through untouched parts of Tanzania for a few days.
PRIVATE OR GROUP SAFARI
The next choice you have to make is whether you go on safari with your own travel buddies or join a group? A safari in Tanzania is not cheap and a group safari (joining safari) makes your trip much more attractive in terms of price. We went with the private safari, because of the children. We did not want it to be inconvenient for other tourist if they were done for the day.
LUXURY OR BACK TO BASICS
The park fees during a safari in Tanzania start at € 55 per person per day. You pay for the car, the fuel, the guide, the cook and the overnight stays. For a week of safari, the cash register will ring quite a bit. Of course it depends a bit on how you organize your safari. From luxury lodges, with swimming pools and 5-course dinners on the savannah to back to basic camping at campgrounds, and everything in between. We spent the night in a dome tent and it was great! The campsites vary in luxury; one has hot showers, another a bar with drinks and another is just really basic. Something for everyone, but with different price tags of course. We choose the following accommadations:
✈ https://www.ilborusafarilodge.com/ in Arusha
https://mberesero.com/ in Tarangire National Park
https://heritagecampsandlodges.com/ in Serengeti National Park
CHOOSE THE OPERATOR
You can book a Dutch provider, but count on your travel sum going upside down. I liked supporting a local company more and therefore started looking for a local tour operator that appealed to me. Arusha is the base for this round of national parks and you will find literally hundreds of safari providers in this city. How do you make a choice? The best thing is of course to get a tip from other travelers about a reliable agency. If you don’t get it, read the reviews online carefully. For example, I emailed our wishes to a number of agencies that I read good stories about. I then received a day-to-day program from them plus the cost. Included in the price is often: transport, entrance fees for the parks, 3x meal a day, overnight stays. Whatever you decide, be well informed!
For example: if you opt for camping, check whether all camping gear and sleeping bag are included in the price. Is drinking water included in the price? What kind of car are you going with? How many people do you share a car with? Negotiate a bit if necessary, but keep in mind that the operator receives little for the services, so it is good to pay a fair price. If you visit companies in Arusha without online research, at least go with a company that has an office somewhere and turn down offers on the street.
✈ We used www.africanbigcatssafaris.com
After booking, you can pick your own driver. We choose Valence. He did a great job in adjusting the trip to our needs and especially the needs of the girls. He picked us up from the airport and he ‘took care’ of us from that moment on. And that in a non-intrusive way! Exchanging money, arranging SIM cards, tips on accommodation, restaurants … he offered his help with everything, communication was top notch and the safari week was really perfectly organized. Above all, we had a super fun click with Valence. With his wonderful sense of humor we laughed a lot, but he also told and taught us a lot about Tanzania. Highly recommended!
TIPPING IN TANZANIA
In Tanzania, the guides, cooks and any porters who go with you on trips are paid little or not at all. The government believes that the best flow of money is direct from the traveler to the staff, which is why the ‘staff’ is largely dependent on your tips. Even if you are not a big fan of tips, it is very common to give a tip here with good service. A guideline: we gave 10 dollars per tour group/car per day for the cook and 15 dollars for the guide.
✈ SAFARI TIPS
Your safari starts at your accommodation in Arusha and you drive from one park to the other in a few days. The distances are too great to use Arusha as a base, this is only possible when visiting Arusha National Park. Your home for a few days is probably a comfortable land cruiser with a cool box and power to charge equipment. A few general tips for your safari in Tanzania:
✈ Bring a good camera with zoom and something to protect your camera from dust. Don’t change lenses on the savannah either. We used our Iphone 12 and this did the trick for us.
✈ Pack airy clothing and warm clothing. During the day the temperatures can rise considerably, but at night it cools down a lot. A good fleece sweater is a necessitate.
✈ Get a malaria cure and grab mosquito repellent with DEET. Visit www.thuisvaccinatie.nl to see if all your vaccinations are in order (a few are mandatory when visiting Tanzania)
✈ Bring a flash light. This prevents you from tripping over an elephant to the toilets at night.
✈ Sunburn! Even if you spend a lot of time in the car and therefore often in the shade, when the African sun does find you, it is merciless!
✈ Bring binoculars! We were so happy with that device. We suddenly had a razor-sharp view of that rhino from a few hundred meters away
✈ All guides who are doing a game drive in the parks are connected by radio. With this communication device they let them know which animals they have spotted where.
✈ If you want to buy a souvenir, negotiate about the price.
✈ Don’t be too focused on the wildlife but also enjoy the landscapes and the rest of the country. For example, plan time to get to know ordinary life, people, culture and islands. Otherwise you will end up in a tourist safari park ‘bubble’ and Tanzania has so much more to offer!
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