![Tanzania’s best all-round safari park]()
Tanzania’s best all-round safari park
Tanzania's big-ticket park is the 12,000-square-mile Serengeti, home to the great wildebeest migration and a healthy population of big cats: lions, leopards and cheetahs. During peak season— July and August—when the famous wildebeest river crossings coincide with northern hemisphere summer holidays, the park can be very busy.
There are four main regions in the Serengeti; the Western Corridor & Grumeti, the Central Seronera Valley, the Northern Serengeti (Kogatende, Lobo & Lamai), and the Southern Plains.
There are several private reserves around the Serengeti that offer the same wildlife experience but without the crowds—such as the Grumeti Reserve—but you’ll have to pay top dollar to stay there.
At the heart of the Serengeti lies the Seronera River and surrounding valley. This is a good area for year-round big cats and grazing herbivores.
The northern regions of Kogatende and Lamai, on the banks of the Mara River, are the backdrop for the famed river crossings during summer months. It gets busy during this time, although still quieter than in Kenya's Masai Mara just across the border.
![Best for elephants and baobabs]()
Best for elephants and baobabs
Tarangire National Park, which lies to the southeast of Lake Manyara, is renowned for its large elephant herds and huge baobab trees. The park is also home to lion, leopard and cheetah, and very occasionally it may be visited by packs of endangered African wild dog. In the dry season, it has a particularly high concentration of mammals, with July to October being the best months for wildlife viewing.
The main road circuit in northern Tarangire attracts large volumes of day visitors, who usually arrive mid-morning and leave mid-afternoon. This means it can be uncomfortably busy around lunchtime. Relatively few safaris stay overnight in the park, however, so the roads tend to be much quieter in the early morning and late afternoon.
As with the Serengeti, some private reserves around the national park offer more exclusivity, but generally at a higher cost.
![For compact game drives & crater views]()
For compact game drives & crater views
The other major tourist attraction on Tanzania’s Northern Circuit is the Ngorongoro Crater. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is thought to be the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera that isn’t filled with water. Wildlife numbers fluctuate seasonally, but the crater floor is invariably home to tens of thousands of large mammals, including elephant, lion and buffalo. It is also the most reliable spot on the northern circuit for black rhino.
Ngorongoro is a year-round wildlife destination, but it also attracts year-round crowds, especially from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. It stands at the centre of the much larger Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which is a great place for hiking and trekking.
There are no accommodations within the crater itself and you have basically three options here: firstly the premium, high-demand lodges that are on the crater rim itself. These select few lodges have an unimpeded 270 degree view of the entire crater. With a good pair of binoculars, you can spot wildlife from your lodge or camp and most rooms have amazing views right from the bedroom. Good picks include Ngorongoro Serena, Ngorongoro Lodge Melia Collection, Crater Lodge by &Beyond, Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.
The added bonus of these camps is that you’re already within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area so you don’t need to pass through the main Loduare gate and can head straight to the nearest trail. But prices are high and availability is tight.
The second category is other lodges within the NCAA but not on the crater's edge. There's a few properties there and they are a short drive to the crater. The key thing they lack is the majestic views of the crater. I recommend Lion's Paw, Rhino Lodge, Lemala Ngorongoro, Pakulala, Ngorongoro Tortilis.
The third option is to stay in the nearby town of Karatu, between 15-30 mins away from Loduare gate. There’s a wide range of hotels here for pretty much every budget and since you’re outside the conservation area you don’t need to pay concession fees.
In my experience, if option one is not viable then option three is the better way to go. The value of staying inside the NCAA but not on the rim is limited and does not add significantly to the experience.
![Best for flamingos & birdwatching]()
Best for flamingos & birdwatching
Situated a short distance northwest of Tarangire, scenic Lake Manyara National Park sits in the shadow of a dramatic stretch of the Great Rift escarpment. The park’s centrepiece is the lake for which it is named, but it also protects large areas of acacia woodland, groundwater fig forest, and grassy floodplain.
Manyara is a haven for birdwatchers. At least 400 bird species have been recorded, with aquatic birds and raptors being especially well represented. The park is also famous for its tree-climbing lions, and for hosting one of Tanzania’s most-studied elephant populations. In addition to game drives, guided walking safaris are possible, and there’s a treetop walkway that takes you up into the forest canopy.
![Best for African wild dogs & canoe safari]()
Best for African wild dogs & canoe safari
Tanzania’s largest national park, Nyerere (formerly Selous Game Reserve) extends across almost 12,000 square miles – making it bigger than Belgium. Its most notable geographic feature is the Rufiji River, which flows throughout the year and is a major wildlife magnet in the dry season. Despite this, the drier climate means that animal densities away from the river are far lower than they are in the Serengeti, and the thick bush can make wildlife spotting more challenging.
Nyerere supports large numbers of lion, elephant, giraffe, hippo and buffalo. It is also a key area for the endangered African wild dog, which is more frequently seen here than anywhere else in Tanzania. In recent years, commercial poaching has led to a massive decline in the park’s elephant population, but this still stands at more than 15,000 individuals.
Nyerere feels more remote than most of the northern parks, but because its camps are concentrated in one small area north of the Rufiji (which is also visited by plenty of day safaris from Zanzibar), it can feel busier than might be expected. What really sets the park apart is the range of activities on offer. Boat safaris on the Rufiji and an associated network of lakes are a real highlight. Other special activities include walking safaris and fly-camping.
![Best for a wild & remote safari]()
Best for a wild & remote safari
Wild and remote Ruaha, Tanzania's second-largest national park, is home to scattered baobabs, grasslands and rolling hills. Along with Nyerere, it is the main stop on Tanzania's southern circuit, which draws relatively few tourists compared to the country's northern hotspots.
Arguably better for wildlife spotting than Nyerere (and more affordable too), Ruaha supports one the world’s largest lion populations, along with massive herds of elephants and various grazers. There are cheetahs, leopards and African wild dogs too.
When it comes to accommodation, Ruaha offers a mixture of luxury lodges and basic fly-camping operations for walking safaris – the park's speciality. For self-drivers, there are simple but affordable self-catering huts at the park headquarters.
![Best for crowd-free safaris]()
Best for crowd-free safaris
Katavi is one of Tanzania’s largest national parks but it attracts a fraction of the visitors, and feels very distant from, the likes of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro or Nyerere. And with just a handful of small camps scattered around the park, there are few other vehicles with which to contend. Indeed, it is estimated that Katavi attracts fewer visitors in an entire year than the Serengeti might get on any given day.
In the dry season, Katavi offers great wildlife spotting opportunities. Buffalo herds here often comprise more than 1,000 individuals, and mind-boggling numbers of hippo can be seen concentrated in a few small pools towards the end of the dry season. Other wildlife includes elephants, lions and large herds of plains game (topi, giraffe, zebra and impala).
![Best for genuine wilderness]()
Best for genuine wilderness
Common wisdom when comparing Tanzania’s two main safari "circuits" is that the north attracts the crowds while the south is quieter and more remote. This is an overly simplistic equation, as anyone who has visited Mkomazi National Park, in northeastern Tanzania, will testify.
Scenic Mkomazi is an ideal choice for those who value a genuine wilderness experience over non-stop wildlife viewing. On my most recent visit, I had good sightings of lion, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and a wide variety of antelope, but encountered precisely one other tourist vehicle. There is also a special rhino sanctuary here which gives you the best chance of seeing the critically endangered black rhino anywhere in Tanzania.
Mkomazi is also an unusually affordable safari destination, thanks to a complex of well-priced government-run cottages at the main entrance.
![For chimp trekking]()
For chimp trekking
Mahale is a remote and mountainous park set on the sandy banks of Lake Tanganyika in the far west of Tanzania. It is best known for its habituated chimpanzees, which can be tracked on foot on guided forest walks. Other primates include red colobus and vervet monkeys. The driest months (August to October) are the best time to trek through the forest.
Chimp trekking and other guided walks can be organised from a scattering of lakeshore camps and lodges. These include one ‘barefoot luxury’ option, Greystoke Mahale, as well as a government-run cluster of affordable self-catering huts.
![Best for a quirky Serengeti add-on]()
Best for a quirky Serengeti add-on
One of Africa's quirkiest and most underrated protected areas, Rubondo comprises a lushly forested 240 sq km island set in the Tanzanian waters of Lake Victoria (the world’s second largest lake). The park was established in the 1960s as a proposed breeding centre for introduced Congolese rainforest animals. This experiment never really came together, but Rubondo does still support some introduced wildlife, including elephant and giraffe, alongside naturally occurring species such the swamp-loving sitatunga antelope. The island is also home to around 70 chimps descended from eight males and nine females released there in the late 1960s. After being left to their own devices for decades, Rubondo’s chimps have now been habituated for tourist visits.
Home to just one small luxury beach lodge, Rubondo Island makes for an exclusive and very tranquil add-on to a safari in the ever-popular Serengeti National Park.
Rubondo’s chimps are descended from individuals that were born wild in West Africa, then captured as youngsters and held in zoos or circuses. It is thus the easiest place to see the western chimpanzee, a critically endangered subspecies that is far rarer than its eastern counterpart.
Although Rubondo’s chimps are almost certain to be seen by determined visitors, locating them might involve a long walk, and they are shyer than in most other trekking destinations. It is not easy for independent or budget-conscious travellers to arrange chimp trekking here.
![Underrated and easy access]()
Underrated and easy access
It always surprises me how few visitors to northern Tanzania make the effort to visit the underrated Arusha National Park. This, as its name suggests, is the closest park to the safari gateway town of Arusha (the drive takes around 45 minutes) and it packs a huge amount of diversity into a relatively small area.
Set in the shadow of Mount Meru, the park incorporates rainforests alive with colobus monkeys, tracts of savannah grazed by giraffes and zebras, spectacular calderas and waterfalls, and much more besides.
While here you’ll want to take a canoe trip on the gorgeous Momella Lakes where you’ll see plenty of hippos, buffalo and flamingos.
![Best for an unusual coastal safari]()
Best for an unusual coastal safari
Another of Tanzania’s hidden gems, Saadani lies on the beautiful stretch of Indian Ocean coastline that divides the port cities of Dar es Salaam and Tanga. The palm-lined beaches here form the last remaining turtle nesting site on the country’s north coast.
This is also the only East African coastal reserve where you’ll see lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo and giraffes. Wildlife densities at Saadani are admittedly rather low, so it isn't the place for first-time visitors wanting to tick all the boxes in one short safari.
But the wilderness feel, the beautiful beachfront location and a wide range of activities – including boat trips on the Wami River, birdwatching in the salt flats, guided bush walks, and of course game drives – make it a great option for adventurous travelers who want to get truly off the beaten path.
Tanzania’s northern circuit, the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara and Tarangire, is an easy sell for safari operators. They’re easily packaged together, transport links are well-established, and accommodation options cover most budgets. It’s a good money maker for operators but it’s also pretty great for safarigoers too – in pure wildlife-viewing terms, I can’t think of many safari itineraries that beat the northern circuit.
The downside is that this trio (or quartet depending on what you’re including) of national parks has become very popular in recent years. Too popular, some might say.
Worse still, an ever growing number of safarigoers now time their visits around the main highlights of the migration. Twenty-odd years ago, when my wife and I visited the first camp to open in the then-remote northern Serengeti, we were the only vehicle present at a river crossing. Today, a similar event might attract 50 to 100 vehicles, and it can feel a bit of a circus. Likewise, it's not unusual to see several dozen vehicles crowded around a big cat sighting in Ngorongoro Crater or the busiest parts of the Serengeti.
The good news? Well, where the Serengeti is concerned, the crowds tend to be focused in certain areas at certain times, so with a bit of proactive planning it is possible to avoid them.
That might mean trying to visit out of season (April to June), or choosing more remote bush camps (they do exist) or spending time in areas where the migration – and mass tourism – isn't likely to be present at the time of year you visit.
Do this, and even today, you'll find there are many areas of this vast park where you’ll often have wildlife sightings to yourself.
With other parks, an understanding of typical tourist patterns can help. For instance, almost all safaris limit their exploration of Lake Manyara National Park to one afternoon drive, so the limited road circuit can feel horribly crowded after 3pm. By contrast, if you arrive first thing in the morning when the gates open, you'll virtually have it to yourself.
Similarly, it’s customary for budget safaris in Tarangire to stay outside the park and do one game drive in the middle of the day when elephants are most common along the river, so again it can feel very crowded if you adhere to this pattern, but tends to be much quieter before 10am and after 4pm.
Another option – and the two aren't mutually exclusive – is to mix up the big name attractions with a few lesser-known highlights that can easily be incorporated into a northern safari. Good examples of this would be Empakaai Crater, Lake Natron or Mkomazi National Park.
Finally, bear in mind that there are vast tracts of Tanzania that are thoroughly alluring to adventurous travelers but still see relatively little tourism. Among the top safari destinations, Ruaha and Katavi National Park both still just about fall into this category.
More obscure options include the recently developed northeastern safari circuit focused on Burigi-Chato National Park, the stunningly beautiful and biodiverse Eastern Arc Mountains, and pretty much anywhere on the mainland coast north or South of Dar es Salaam. It simply depends on what you're looking for.
With the exception of the rainy months of March and April, Tanzania is a great safari destination through most of the year.
The dry season – June to October – is the most popular and best for wildlife sightings, but January and February also see a break in the rains.
Question
We can't travel during the migration river crossings, are there other impressive spectacles at other times of year?
Answer
Yes! I think calving season during the wildebeest migration is just as spectacular as the more famous river crossing period.
This period runs from December to March around the Ndutu Plains to the south of Serengeti. During this time the wildebeest and zebra stampede over the plains preparing to give birth to thousands of calves. At the same time the big cats are on the lookout for an easy snack. With vast numbers of animals, their sounds and smells, all of the little calves, and the big cats on the lookout... it's theatre on an epic scale and you cannot be disappointed. And the extra benefit is that it's a much shorter drive here than to see the river crossings.
Answered by
Robbin Meulemans
Question
What are your recommended alternatives to safari in the Serengeti?
Answer
In my opinion there's not much that tops Serengeti National Park. As far as the wildlife and scenery goes there's nowhere better for a safari in Tanzania.
The only downsides I can think of are that visiting the Serengeti can involve lots of driving (to see the migration river crossings takes two or three days driving), also it can be expensive and, at peak times, busy (although far quieter than neighbouring Masai Mara in Kenya!)
For those who prefer less driving, I'd recommend Ngorongoro Crater as a good runner up to the Serengeti. Ngorongoro's compact size (the crater is only 20 kilometres across) means you can see more with much less driving. All the big five can be seen here and as a bonus you have have a better chance of seeing rhinos here than in Serengeti.
If you want to escape all crowds and get off the beaten track, I highly recommend Ruaha National Park. Located in the midwest of the country, it surprises with outstretched savannahs and plenty of animals, together with some amazing lodges. The downside (or upside, depending on what you're looking for) is the distance – it’s pretty far from everywhere.
And finally if you're looking for a lower cost safari in Tanzania you could book flights to Dar Es Salaam, and from there do a safari in Mikumi National Park. Relatively small, it still offers open savannah with all your usual safari suspects except for rhinos, along with the most beautiful sunsets and sunrises.
Answered by
Robbin Meulemans
