The Rough Guide to planning a Tanzania safari
21.07.2023 - 07:43
/ roughguides.com
Thanks to the presence of some of Africa's biggest and best national parks, a Tanzania safari is a tour de force. It’s also a dauntingly large country, though, so a trip here requires some advance decision-making. Here's everything you need to plan a safari in Tanzania. For more inspiration, read our run-down of the best things to do in Tanzania.
This article is inspired by our Rough Guides guidebooks — your essential guides for travelling the world.
This is the big decision. Tanzania has three main safari areas: the Northern and Southern Circuits, and Western Tanzania. Travelling between each is a challenge, so most visitors tend to stick with just one.
Containing the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania’s Northern Circuit is decidedly the headline act. This is where you’ll find both the most prolific wildlife (aka «game») and serial crowds. Travel to whichever Serengeti corner the spectacular Great Migration currently occupies, and 4x4 vehicles will generally be bumper-to-bumper.
If you’ll happily swap a few animal sightings for extra tranquility and authenticity, head south. The massive main parks here, Selous and Ruaha, are untamed, multi-dimensional expanses where tree-clogged waterways give way to parched plains. You have to work harder to see wildlife, but spying other humans is also rare.
The still-wilder west offers equally good game (including the Mahale Mountains’ chimpanzees) blended with serious remoteness. Parks like Katavi are the preserve of long-term Tanzania safari junkies seeking a new fix.
Inspired by Tanzania safari? Explore more safari options in Africa.
Going out for a game drive © AdangRuj/Shutterstock
For wildlife sightings in the west and south, June to October is the best time to plan your Tanzania safari. This is dry season, which means vegetation is lower, improving visibility. There are fewer mosquitos to contend with too. It also means animals tend to congregate around known watering holes.
To see the Great Migration in the Serengeti, June and July are the best months. In April and May several parks in the south and west close to visitors, while the parks in the north can be visited all year round. The northern parks also tend to be more crowded.
Set in Serengeti, Africa Safari Maasai Boma Camping offers free WiFi, and guests can enjoy a restaurant, a bar and a garden. Guests at the camping can enjoy a buffet or a halal breakfast.
Keekorok is 43 km from the accommodation, while Keekorok Airport is 45 km away. The nearest airport is Keekorok, 45 km from Africa Safari Maasai Boma Camping, and the property offers a paid airport shuttle service.
With river views, Serengeti Mawe Camp is located in Serengeti and has a restaurant, room service, bar, garden and terrace. Both WiFi