Does an African safari feature on your bucket list? It should!
Tanzania has so much to offer, from spectacular scenery, friendly people and cultural treasures to blissful beaches. But above all else, it is the wildlife and safari lifestyle that will draw you back, again and again.
Once you go on your first safari, Africa gets into your blood. You develop a deep longing to return to this magical continent, and to start planning your next Tanzania safari holiday. Be warned, Tanzania is very addictive!
Guide To Planning A Safari Holiday in Tanzania & Zanzibar
Tanzania lies on the east coast of Africa, and it offers the finest safari holiday trip, easily combined with a wide range of Indian Ocean beaches. In our opinion, it really is the best vacation destination in Africa to combine a big five safari with the glorious beach holidays. Additionally, getting around the country is extremely easy, with loads of light aircraft flights hopping between the various areas.
In summary, a Tanzania safari holiday trip has three main bits; the north, the south, and its various beaches and islands.
Northern Tanzania safari circuit includes the world-famous Serengeti, home to the great wildebeest migration, the Ngorongoro crater, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the smaller parts of Lake Manyara and Tarangire.
The south safari circuit is home to the much less visited parks of Ruaha and Selous, and in the southwest, the even more remote parks of Mohali and Katavi.
For beaches, most people head to the spice island of Zanzibar. Still, there are many other options, such as the mainland coast and other nearby islands.
A Safari Holiday Trip in Northern Tanzania
Most people spend their first night in Arusha after arriving at Kilimanjaro International Airport. The next day is a short drive through the culture-rich Ngorongoro highlands to the Ngorongoro Crater. Impressive as a crater is, with significant concentrations of the big five, it attracts large herds of tourists. So we don’t recommend more than a full day’s game drive here with an overnight on either side before flying to the Serengeti National Reserve.
The Serengeti is arguably Tanzania’s biggest safari drawcard with unbelievable wildlife viewing. It’s the place to see the big five and the big cats. Game viewing is effortless due to the Reserve’s vast short grass plains. The Serengeti is made famous by countless films such as The Lion King and Out of Africa. Most outstanding is the great wildebeest migration, which you can watch all year round. However, the river crossings are specific to the north of the Serengeti and occur only in the summer.
We recommend spending the bulk of your safari time in the Serengeti. Suppose you have more than a week on your safari holiday trip in Tanzania. In that case, you can also visit Tarangire and Lake Manyara for a gentle warm-up en route to the crater. An afternoon is enough to see Lake Manyara. Still, Tarangire needs a couple of nights to make the safari trip worthwhile, and it is best in the summer months when the elephants make their way through the park.
For some, Mount Kilimanjaro is a big part of their safari holiday trip to Tanzania. The mountain takes seven to eight days to climb, depending on the route chosen. However, if you’re not planning on climbing it, then the best views of the mountain are from far away.
Tanzania’s Beaches & Island Holidays
Nothing beats some Indian Ocean Beach time either before or after your Safari Holiday Trip in Tanzania’s countryside or even both. The island of Zanzibar is the most popular destination and boasts fantastic beaches, marvelous diving, and characterful boutique hotels. However, a lot of the coastline is hugely tidal, and many hotels are relatively mediocre.
Having seen them all, we recommend only a few of Zanzibar’s hotels, so it really is worth chatting to a Tanzania safari holiday expert to ensure you’re making the right decision.
Prices for hotels in Zanzibar range from about $180 per person per night at an excellent beach hotel such as Pongwe to $500 per person per night at one of Xanadu’s private villas.
Zanzibar’s Stone Town is the place to go for a bit of culture, but it is pretty hectic. So we recommend a maximum of just two nights here. Or, if you don’t want to stay in the chaos, you can visit Stone Town on a day trip from your Beach Hotel.
Let’s say you want a quieter experience than Zanzibar. In that case, you should look at the mainland coast, largely undeveloped apart from a handful of lodges. One such is Rus Kutani—which we think is the ultimate honeymoon spot and one of our firm favorites at $400 per person per night.
Less visited are the islands of Pemba and Mafia, with great diving and underwater activities. However, the beaches are far worse than those in Zanzibar.
Finally, there are a couple of private island options; Fanjove at $400 per person per night and Mnemba Island at an impressive $1,700 per person per night. Both are idyllic, and in our view, two of the very best islands in the whole of the Indian Ocean.
