7 Best Safari Experiences in Tanzania

The best safari experiences in Tanzania include unique activities like the Big Five viewing game drives, climbing Kilimanjaro peaks, the Serengeti Great Migration, walking, and boating safaris.

Tanzania’s safari experiences are the finest in Safari Africa! The quality of attractions in its game parks and reserves, like the Great Migration and big game viewing, is simply incredible. A safari tour in the Serengeti will give you the Natgeo chills – and more so – in any of the country’s vibrant national parks. 

Let’s take a detailed look at seven of Tanzania’s best safari experiences that you could include on your safari trip.

1. Serengeti National Park’s Wildebeest Migration & Big Game

The Serengeti’s enormous wildlife concentration and the never-ending cycle of the great migration make it a top attraction with the best experiences in Tanzania. Serengeti is where many travelers go for the most dramatic game viewing. 

Most of the Wildebeest Migration happens on the Serengeti’s vast soul-stirring plains before the herds cross the frontier river into Kenya’s Masai Mara. The Park has top-quality lodges and camps with good accessibility and a year-round abundance of wildlife. It is here that you’ll enjoy watching wild big-cat drama.

Watching biblical herds of animal movement across the Serengeti plains will stir your soul unlike anything else. It truly is one of the natural world’s greatest spectacles! The herds face numerous challenges crossing the plains, constantly under attack from big cats and giant ferocious crocodiles lying at river crossing points.

Apart from the millions of wildebeest, zebra, and big predators, you can also watch buffalo, elephant, giraffe, and antelope on a game drive experience in the Serengeti. And where there is plenty of prey, powerful predators like lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, and wild dog stalk in the bushes not far.

Serengeti’s wildlife density provides spectacular safari experiences, no matter what time you visit. The Park’s open plains, vast grasslands, and a temperate climate mean that the vegetation is never too thick to spot animals, and the weather is quite what the adventurer ordered.

2. Ngorongoro Crater’s Big 5 

Ngorongoro Cator’s unbelievably unique setting offers superb game viewing safari experiences in Tanzania. The Park is renowned for the easiest and most reliable Big Five game spotting inside an extinct volcano’s crater. 

Few safari destinations in Africa deliver the same safari experiences as the Ngorongoro Crater. It is a hassle-free, ideal destination for first-time photography and family safari experiences. 

The Park is a 5-hour drive west of Arusha, en route to the Serengeti National Park in the northwest and connecting to the Great Rift Valley in the east. Access to the Park is limited to between 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. 

For a more private safari experience, head into the southern highlands, which travelers less frequent. Although there is less wildlife in the area, you can walk with the legendary Maasai, leading their cattle through the highlands. If you’ve got a bit of extra time on your trip, the local Maasai people would be worth visiting.

Take a Walking safari experience with a local guide up to the rim of the Western Great Rift Valley and see animals up close like antelopes and zebra.

The cliff-top private lodges provide the perfect base for romantic and honeymoon safari experiences in Tanzania. Ngorongoro Crater combines perfectly with Lake Manyara, Tarangire, and the Serengeti.

3. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

Mount Kilimanjaro, standing at 5895 meters (19340 ft), is the world’s tallest free-standing peak offering incredible mountain climbing experiences. Its icy peaks are far more accessible than most hikers know. 

Clouds usually veil the peak, but on clear days the summit is one of the most captivating sights on the continent that attracts a healthy number of adventure seekers. 

Cold conditions and the high altitude make hiking experiences in Kilimanjaro physically demanding but non-technical. It is a comfortable climb for any regular trekker up for a challenge. The Park has more than eight possible hiking trails with different terrain, steepness, scenery, and cost.

The trails begin amid banana plantations on the heavily cultivated lower slopes and spread out into various routes. The climb to Uhuru Summit (5,895 m) passes through dense rainforests and alpine meadows. It crosses a barren lunar landscape, ascending to a slippery scree slope with breathtaking views over the plains far below. 

For exceptional safari experiences in Mount Kilimanjaro, plan at least a 5-to-10-day round trip and budget at least $1600 for the entire trip. Since Kili is also a national park, you cannot venture up independently. You must organize your active experience through a licensed operator like Encounter Africa Safari Ltd or from the many companies in Arusha and Moshi. 

4. Elephants in Tarangire National Park

Travelers usually pass Tarangire National Park to the outstanding Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater; few realize that the Park offers some of the most rewarding safari experiences in Tanzania.

Tarangire is best known for its massive elephant herds and tree-climbing lions. It’s also home to Africa’s classic big game and some unusual ones, including the long-necked gerenuk. The big predators and over 520 bird species find comfortable refund within the Park.

The best time to explore Tarangire is during the dry season of June to October, when herds of elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and many antelope species concentrate along the Tarangire River. Fortunately for private travelers, Tarangire safari experiences are largely crowd-free.

Tarangire is a beautifully diverse wilderness featuring a riverine forest, huge swamps, and open woodlands that include Africa’s iconic baobab trees.

The Park has excellent accommodation, ranging from family-friendly camps to romantic hideaways. And it combines perfectly with the northern safari circuit of Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crator, and the Serengeti experiences.

5. The Tree-climbing Lions of Lake Manyara National Park

If you’re heading west to the more prominent Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, don’t miss checking out the tree lions at Lake Manyara National Park. The Park literally lies down the road from Arusha town, Tanzania’s safari hub, which makes for a day or two relaxing, breath-catching stopover.

Lake Manyara offers easy game viewing in a beautiful setting as an integral piece of the famed Northern Safari Circuit. The Park is home to a good range of incredible animal species, like the buffalo, elephant, hippo, leopard, giraffe, and tree-climbing lions. It also offers exceptional bird-watching experiences with nearly 400 bird species recorded. Flocks of pelicans and flamingos flock to the lake, floodplains, woodlands, and vibrant forests.

The best safari experiences at Lake Manyara National Park occur from December to February and May to July. However, it is good all year round for safari. There is excellent accommodation inside and outside the Park, allowing visitors to explore the Park by canoe, motorboat, mountain bike, and even foot.

6. Zanzibar Islands and The Mainland Coastal Beaches

Tanzania’s coastal beaches have awesome safari experiences to crown your holiday journey. The glorious beaches, and coral reefs, are perfect for both families and honeymooners. Don’t be shy to try the dhow (traditional boat) trips at sunset and explore fragrant back-street markets. 

Tanzania coast has a couple of other excellent islands that would be a great beach holiday experience, including Pemba, Mafia, and Chole. They offer superb diving, exclusive boutique accommodation, and all the indulgent pampering you could wish for.

The bustling Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania’s logistics hub on the mainland coastline, has excellent beach hotels and resorts within a 2-hour drive. The distinctive Saadani National Park tucked away in a wild coastal forest some 150km north of Dar es Salaam makes for an excellent safari and beach combination.

7. Off-the-beaten-track in Ruaha National Park

Ruaha’s wild and unrestrained character sets it apart from other safari experiences in Tanzania. Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s biggest national park that is not popular with travel crowds. With almost the whole Park to yourself, animal sightings are incredible buffalo, sable, giraffe, kudu, roan, cheetah, leopard, and the rare African wild dogs.

Ruaha National Park is Tanzania’s best kept sacred, making it home to the largest elephant herds and concentrated numbers of predators. It offers off-the-beaten-track safari experiences and beautiful riverside lodges and tented camps to access them.

Experience Tanzania With Encounter Africa

Encounter Africa Safaris Ltd is a local tour operator that helps you plan your safari holidays in Tanzania. Our consultants understand the local logistics and will help you put together a great selection of safari experiences on your Tanzania holiday trip.

Our trip planning includes booking accommodation (camps, hotels, or lodges), planning your meals, and organizing your transportation between places and the airport. 

Send us an email at info@gorilla-tracking-uganda.com to get a free quick quote.