NL
35-50 years of age
Spectacular wildlife
I really liked the fascinating wildlife. I've seen places like South Afrika, Botswana and Namibia. To be honest: Kenia and Tanzania tops them all. More wildlife, more big cats, lots of birds. Fantastic. Sleep in a tent on an unfenced campground inside a National Park, being visited by elephants, hyena's, buffalo an lions. What more do you want? Seeing the big five in 1 day. Visited several local communities to see normal life in Kenia and tanzania. Fishing with locals for tilapia. Nice.
US
20-35 years of age
Beautiful country, from white-sand beaches to parks & conservations that are ungated and left alone! I spent 12 hours on safari in Southern Africa, on paved roads, and didn't see lions or cheetahs! I spent 3 hours on safari in Tanzania, and saw a pair of cheetahs (and recorded their sweet cry to one another), lions, ostrich mating dance, a gazelle 20 feet up in a tree (killed and dragged up there by a leopard!) and a lion kill!!! We almost saw the full circle of life! Now if we could just see a birth!
My African Dream (if you can forget the Africa of today)
We travelled as a family of five- and we did enjoy all of the trip. Went from Arusha through Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Kainokaoa, Serengeti to Mwanza and across Lake Viktoria. Went down to Lake Tanganjika, crossed it to the south on the MS Liemba. Stayed at Lake Shore Lodge near Kipili and made our excursions to Katavi from there. Staying there was just a dream, best place ever we have been to. Made a long way home from there to Daressalam and Europe. We havebeen to Bali, Laos, Thailand, Mauritius and a lot of other places: we never were so sad when we had to go home as we were after our trip to Tanzania. These things said one more thing: please consider ecological and social aspects when chosing your tour operators; ask your european travel agent to ask their african partners! We still feel a bit ashamed that we did not do that enough-and we realized that we should have done so only during our trip. Should you go to Tanzania? YES! Go! All the best.
A raw jewel, from dust tracks to flush green areas! Great people.
On our first visit to Tanzania me and my wife decided to spend a week or two working in an orphange. Such a rewarding experience, the people and kids all eager to learn and friendly unlike many in the UK!
We then moved on to a tented lodge in Arusha, gave a great feel of sights and sounds of the countryside. This prepared us for our main event climbing Mount Kilimanjaro (via the Mechame route). What a fantastic trip, hard work physically and mentally with beautiful scenery looking to Meru, each days scenery changed getting less and less dense of forest. We successfully completed our trek to the summit With Forsters Safari's on Boxing Day 2009! Unbelievable...
We returned to base and went back to our tented lodge for a few days to relax, then we took a few days safari around Manyara, Ngorongoro & Tarangire. Ngorongoro is a must, what a setting full of animals, like Jurrasic Park! We stayed in the Rhotia Valley afterwards which was lush and green, people working the fields with ox and their hands. We then visited Manyara which was a different type of reserve on the lakeside then moved on for a few days at Tarangire which was different again in the bush, true dirt tracks, river crossings in the 4x4 and loads of the smaller birds and animals too.
The hustle and bustle of the towns can feel intimidating to some though we enjoyed it, visit the Masai markets for local crafts. The country is much more relaxed and everyone stops to help if you if you need it. A really nice place to visit.
50-65 years of age
This was I believe a less touristy destination, but I cannot compare as this was the only safari we had been on
US
Email AfricaontheNile | 50-65 years of age
I have only been to Tanzania, Namibia and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, and of the three, Tanzania wins hands down for wildlife. However, if you're into the dunes in the Namib Desert and shopping in some of the cities, then Namibia will be right up your alley. We only went to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe so we didn't see enough for me to comment about it.
This was my only safari so it is difficult to compare; but I felt it was a trip of a lifetime.
Tanzania takes your breath away
From the moment our guide collected us at Kilimanjaro airport, we knew we were in for a holiday experience of a lifetime.
Our guide's knowledge of his country, its history and of course, his knowledge of the parks and wildlife we encountered, was first class.
We spent seven days traveling starting at Arusha, through to Lake Manyara and then on to the Ngorongoro crater and through to the Serengeti. Everyday and every park brought a new experience and a new encounter...my first view of the Ngorongoro crater is one I will remember forever, as was seeing the wildebeast migration in the Serengeti ...both occasions brought a lump to my throat!
Scenically the parks we visited were all very different and if you're traveling to Tanzania I would recommend you take in as many parks as possible so you really feel you're experiencing everything this country has to offer.
All the camps we stayed at were of a very high standard, good food, clean rooms, battery charging facilities etc etc and the country seems to have a very good infrastructure in place - good main roads / airports.
We were spoilt when it came to wildlife, encountering the Big Five on numerous occasions and it's something I could never tire of.
We've had safaris in Kenya on many occasions but our time in Tanzania was way and above what we'd experienced in Kenya. We had very high expectations for the holiday and it delivered way and above on every level.
LU
35-50 years of age
Breathtaking, awe-inspiring, and you'll never ever forget your time there!
Tanzania is a great destination - with a heady mix of exotic wildlife, vast landscapes, and even beaches to relax and take it all in. Add in super-friendly people, who love to help the tourist and teach Swahili, and I can't recommend it enough.
Logistically, it's surprisingly easy to visit - with many tours and transport links designed to take tourists to all the major destinations without a problem. Even when you go off the beaten path, the hospitality of the people make it easy - one nice man even ran a few hundred meters to talk to a bus driver for me, and just gave a big smile when I said "Asante sana" (thank you!).
I'd recommend going to Ngorogoro first, then the Serengetti - this works you up from parks in terms of size. Follow that up with 3-4 days on Zanzibar and you have the ingredients to a perfect holiday.
Note - I would definitely avoid Dar Es Salaam; there's not a lot there from a tourist perspective, and it has it's unsavoury parts. The smaller towns of Tanzania are far more enjoyable.
Tanzania and Kenya are the best coutries for game watching. The southern circuit of Tanzania (Ruaha and Selous) isn't touched yet by mass tourism and true experience of nature immersion are still possibile.
