A magical place to see animals
Serengeti National park (along with its northern extension Masai Mara) is one of the most beautiful places on the planet to see wildlife in their natural habitats. There are wide variety of wildlife from predators to scavengers to grazers to browsers. It is one of the very few places left on this planet to watch animals living their everyday lives from a safe distance. It has something for everyone from adults to small kids. You don't have to be an animal lover to appreciate these magnificent creatures in the wild. You may stop going to zoo after visiting this park.
It was very lovely to watch how Cheetah prepares to hunt by hiding, waiting & sneaking to get to its prey.
It was little eerie to watch a lion pride to eat a zebra and a fully grown cape buffalo.
I have seen plenty of elephants of all shapes and sizes and also lucky to see the elusive leopard on tree.
There are plenty of birds as well. The ones I really liked were the Secretary bird and Cory Bustard. I never seen them before. They are so elegant.
The park has diverse sceneries from desert like atmosphere to lush rolling hills. In September it was chilly in the morning & late evening but very warm in the afternoon. It was usually very clear in the morning and gets cloudy later in the evening but very little rain.
Serengeti national park seems well maintained and regulated with proper visitor facilities spread across the park.
There are plenty of accommodations available from cheap basic tent to luxury camping. I stayed at one of the higher end of the mid range camping (Acacia). It had all amenities of a 4-star hotel.
Though I didn't appreciate that they have a bath tub in the room, (camp is in middle of the forest where the water is scarce) the lodging had everything I needed and was super comfortable. I thought it would be irresponsible to waste water in the middle of the forest during dry season.
Food available at the lodge was also very good. Breakfast & dinner buffets had plenty of choices to fill you up and they also give a light packaged lunch. Our camp allowed us to pick the items for the packaged lunch, which was great. Usually most camp & lodges will provide prepackaged lunch and you might end up wasting lot of food.
Our driver/guide was also kind enough to collect all leftover food and gave it to the less fortunate people who work/live around the picnic areas. I think that was a great gesture and hope everyone does that instead of just throwing the food away.
It seems like pretty much every tour operator has Toyota land Cruisers, which is custom built for African safaris. These vehicles are very comfortable for all day game drives and also on highway cruising. Very spacious for 6-7 people with every one has a window seat and access to the top.
I strongly recommend anyone to visit Serengeti national park without hesitation. Make sure to choose a tour operator who is environmentally conscious, responsible, eco-friendly and also helps local community.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Marcel Jabbur Goulart
The park is huge and you can see animals all the time. I saw more than 10 lions, 2 leopards, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffalos, gnus, zebras. The only one I could not see was the rhino. But everything is very beautiful!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Serengeti National Park by Dawn Hip
A different world, solitude, amazing animals in their natural habitat. I’m blessed to have been there and seen the most amazing things xxx
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by Dawn Hip
Unbelievable beauty, no words can describe
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Dawn Hip
We were interested in all aspects and was totally unique and beautiful
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best trip we have ever had.
Everything exceeded my expectations. The wildlife was everything that I had hoped for. The accommodations, food and service was first rate.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything we imagined and more!
If you are at all on the fence about booking a safari to Tanzania/serengeti, I say book now!
I'll start with the cons:
1) long turnaround time to hear back from tour company prior to trip. We had to follow up several times on multiple occasions, and it still would take 2 to 3 weeks for us to get a response.
2) no a/c or minifridge in keep, although advertised. The weather was mild enough that we did ok, but the afternoons would get unbearable when the jeep wasn't moving.
Pros:
1) CLEAN! We have been to several national parks across the US, and travel frequently internationally as well, and by far I was so impressed with the cleanliness of the parks and especially the restrooms at the parks (random I know, but still important!)
2) safe! We never once felt unsafe, not from animals nor from locals when we went roaming around in the city. Although aggressive salespeople, the people are harmless.
3) the beauty and the nature and the animals! We saw everything and words nor pics can do justice to the beauty of the serengeti and also the ngorogoro crater.
4) our guide hassan was very well informed and had an answer to all of our questions. He was very mild mannered, detailed, and made sure we were comfortable at all times.
5) the food is nothing special, but we didnt really go for the food anyway.
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Everything was great, considering I booked a budget safari. Masai Mara is big, I could see all the animals several times (except for the rhinos which are rare in that park) and also visit the Masai village. Food and accomodations were ok for a budget safari. The guide was very good and would get us very close to the animals. Transportation could be better, we were 7 people in a van, I think it should be limited to 6 people, because if you were in a row with 3 people one of you would not be able to stand up and look through the open roof if the other 2 were standing.
MX
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I fell that I was filming a marvelous Botswana film
Botswana was marvelous. Everything: transportation, accomodations, the guides ( excellents ), wildlife ( very exciting ), the staff ( really with a big warm heart ), only the weather is a litlle bit unpredictable !
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everyone, should see and experience Tanzania
It was unbelievable. I was super worried about my 25yr daughter (Jacinta) safety, so I went with her and made sure we booked a great company. Mid/Range tour Serengeti with Lion King Adventures for 7days and everything was perfect. I’m pretty fussy and was totally blown away with service, accommodation 5+, security, food and the most amazing people we met, including locals.
Would highly recommend Arusha Giraffe Lodge prior or after tour. Arrange Lodge driver to pick you up (low price), because you really need security and safety at all times. Best(chef-Jasin) in Arusha and beautiful accom/family owned. My son is head chef in very exclusive restaurant and would very much love meet Jasin and learn his techniques. Staff incredible, a must especially if you like lovely accommodation, secure place, transport at decent price. Please tip well, they deserve every penny you can afford. Much better than a 4.5* hotel and they never ask
