CA
20-35 years of age
Tanzania is a must-visit location for anyone who considers himself a world traveler
Tanzania is not the only place in the world to see such a large array of wildlife, but it is certainly a great one. Everything from huge herds of zebras and gazelles to the most solitary of the “Big 5” fauna can be found within a few metres of the roads that stripe the surfaces of the parks. But Tanzania is still not the most popular of locations for a Safari (Kenya and South Africa are), which means that there are fewer cars on those roads.
A Northern Tanzania safari gives you a chance to see four different parks with four extremely different ecosystems. It is shocking that the vast savannahs of Serengeti, the lush forests of Lake Manyara, the volcanic oasis of Ngorongoro, and the rolling hills of Tarangire are mere hours’ drives from each other.
Accommodations range from Spartan to lush – we spent our tour in Serena and Sopa lodges, which provide above-average levels of comfort without feeling like we were paying for unnecessary opulence.
We chose Ranger Safaris as our guides, which is one of the largest tour operators in Tanzania (Other large operators are Wildersun and Leopard), and were treated very nicely by all our points of contact. Our driver was a former government veterinarian who had amazing experience and information. His car was well equipped and we always felt safe.
We chose a time which, ordinarily, would have placed us directly in the Great Migration. Unfortunately, due to a short wet season, most of the wildebeest had already left. We were not disappointed in the numbers or the variety of animals we saw, but my advice to any reader is to not pin your hopes on seeing this phenomenon if you are booking many months in advance. Sometimes, Mother Nature has other plans.
Please read further for my opinion on the parks we visited. Overall, we spent our trip completely amazed, and will not hesitate to recommend Northern Tanaznia to anyone who has interest in African safaris.
CA
20-35 years of age
Review about Serengeti National Park by mpotechin
Serengeti during the dry season is the image the people have when they think safari. It is The Lion King brought to life. Brown grasses as far as the eye can see, sometimes with a tree breaking the monotony.
We decided to spend a morning viewing the Serengeti from a hot-air balloon. It was expensive, but well worth the money we spent for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Everyone’s experience in the Serengeti will be different. Some will see a kill. Others may see a stampede, or a display of dominance, or a cheetah running, or a lion cub playing. We saw a juvenile elephant discover three lions stalking him, and then turn the tables on them. But everyone will see something that few other people in the world have seen, and that’s what makes Serengeti so fascinating.
CA
20-35 years of age
Review about Tarangire National Park by mpotechin
Tarangire may be “the” place in the world to visit if you are interested in elephants. In two short game drives through this park we saw more elephants, in larger families, and closer to the roads, than in the rest of our safari combined. They say that the lion is the king of the jungle... but even lions are cautious around elephants.
Elephants are not the only attraction here. We saw giraffe, zebra, hippos, lions, baboons... truly, most of the wildlife in the other parks are also present here. But they are often found interacting with the elephants, because in Tarangire, elephants are the star.
We discovered that many of the tourists who were doing shorter safaris than ours were skipping their drive through Tarangire. I cannot stress this enough: that is a huge mistake.
NZ
35-50 years of age
Review about Tanzania by gavathome
A must see for wildlife and a magic safari experience!
BR
35-50 years of age
Review about Tanzania by Henrique Augusto Zillo
In our trip everything was perfect!! That is the reason of my rating.
NZ
35-50 years of age
Review about Arusha National Park by gavathome
Climbed Kili, fantastic! and we made it to the top!
NZ
35-50 years of age
Review about Serengeti National Park by gavathome
Ndutu is amazing, our best safari experience. Being able to get so close to the animals is a once in a lifetime experience.
NZ
35-50 years of age
Review about Ngorongoro Crater by gavathome
We saw Rhino's, make sure you go early and go through the forrest first to catch the Rhino's and Elephants on their way to the water holes in the morning.
BR
35-50 years of age
Ngorongoro Extraordinarily Beautiful
Africa is already a unique place. When you to Tanzania, it is even better. Ngorongoro is the upmost. Imagine a wildlife park inside a extinct volcano crater, maybe with 20 or 30 km diameter, with all the animals living in perfect harmony: lions, zebras, hippopotamus, elephants, baboons, wild beasts, rhinos, hyena, flamingos, etc., etc.. The weather is unique as well, altitude atmosphere. The hotels are located in the edge of the crater with a awesome view to the park. There are good hotels, good food and accomodations. It is a lifetime experience!! Ngorongoro Extraordinarily Beautiful!!
35-50 years of age
I was amazed at the quantity and variation in Wildlife
What an amazing place, the volume of wildlife far exceeded all expectation. We flew to Nairobi, picked and and driven to near Lake Nakuru, 2 nights here before heading to Masai Mara for 4 nights. Then drive back to Nairobi and a night there before flying home in the morning.
Lake Nakuru was exceptional for the flamingoes (among many other birds and animals) and is well worth a days visit. The noise of the birds has to be experienced.
Then to Masai Mara which was just amazing, the volume of wildlife was incredible. I could not believe how many animals there were. We did a sunrise balloon ride which was expensive but so worth it. Breakfast on the plains when we landed was just surreal with all the wildlife around. Lions, Cheetah, Elephant, Zebra, Wilder beast, Impala, Gazelle, Buffalo, Giraffe, Hyena, Crocodiles, Ostrich, Vulture, Hippo, Jackal and many more seen :) Camp site was amazing, private site with just 12 travelers + guides ... very luxurious with en suite! Picnic a few hundred feet from the crocodiles ... another next to the Hippos.
Local guides were used in fairly small vehicles who were very knowledgeable and patient when we wanted to stop for photography. If you are interested my photos are here http://www.flickr.com/photos/bobonacus/sets/72157625299783106/
