Safari in Tanzania – the most beautiful national parks, sights, country and people

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Tanzania, the land of Kilimanjaro, lions and the famous Serengeti. Tanzania is an absolute dream holiday destination, the ultimate safari destination. I fulfilled my childhood dream and went on safari in Tanzania and would therefore like to share my experiences with you and show you what you should definitely not miss if you are planning to travel to Tanzania. Lots of travel tips for Tanzania included.

Arusha – The safari capital near Kilimanjaro

Arusha is a larger city in the north of Tanzania, which serves as the perfect starting point for both Kilimanjaro and safaris.

The best sights in Arusha

Hardly anyone would describe Arusha itself as a ‘beautiful city’. You realise that the city has exactly one purpose – to be a city. There are only a few sights in Arusha, but you can still take some time to explore the city. You should definitely visit the Clock Tower in Arusha, even if it is not particularly spectacular in itself, but this is the geographical centre from north to south in Africa, the distances to Cairo and Cape Town are the same here. The shopping market for the locals, the Soku Kuu Arusha, is also worth a visit. Here, locals sell and buy goods of all kinds, from fruit and vegetables, fish and meat to toiletries, electrical appliances and much more. The people here don’t like to be photographed easily, so if you want to take a photo, you should ask them first. Many tourists also visit the Maasai market, but it is purely a tourist market with one souvenir stall after the next. If you have time, I would recommend a visit to the Cultural Heritage Centre, which is located just outside the centre and cannot be overlooked due to its shape. It is partly a museum and tourists are introduced to the culture of the Maasai and other tribes here.

How do you get to Arusha?

Arusha is the place where most tourists travel to in Tanzania, which is why direct flights are sometimes offered, which I would also recommend. Arusha is currently served by direct flights from Ethiopia or Turkey. Alternatively, you can fly directly to Dar es Salaam, the capital of Tanzania, and from there take a connecting flight to Arusha. There is also a direct train connection from Dar es Salaam to Arusha, but this is an 18-24 hour journey. You can also drive from Dar es Salaam to Arusha by car, which takes around 11 hours.

Safari in Tanzania – The best national parks around Arusha

In Tanzania, there is not only the famous Serengeti, but also many other national parks, all of which have their own charm. I would therefore recommend not only visiting the Serengeti, as the landscape and animal diversity in the other national parks is different and beautiful.

What is a game drive? As soon as you plan a safari, you stumble across the term game drive. A game drive is basically the drive through the national park, during which time you actively search for animals. It’s called a game drive because it’s like a game – either you’re lucky enough to see animals or you’re not.

Arusha Nationalpark

The small Arusha National Park is located just 30 kilometres from the city of Arusha. As it is somewhat smaller than the others, the national park is a great day trip from Arusha. The national park is very lush and green after the rainy season and there are some dense forests. The Ngurdoto Crater, which is located in the Arusha National Park, offers a great variety of animals inside the crater. The Momella Lakes, where hippos frolic and where you actually have a relatively high chance of seeing hippos up close, are beautiful and highly recommended. You can also go canoeing here (must be booked in advance) and walking safaris are also possible in Arusha National Park. There is also a saltwater lake filled with flamingos. Arusha National Park is also a good place to see the two peaks, Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro is about 50 kilometres away, but in good weather you still have a view of the mountain and with a bit of luck you can take photos of giraffes with Kilimanjaro. Mount Meru is in the immediate vicinity. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky with the weather and couldn’t see either mountain, but the national park was still a highlight.

Tarangire Nationalpark

Tarangire National Park is an absolute contrast to Arusha National Park. This national park is 150 kilometres and about 3 hours’ drive from Arusha. Tarangire National Park offers a wide variety of animals. It is home to many elephants, but many lions also roam here. The national park is one of the five largest national parks in Tanzania and should not be missed during a visit. Nature also offers fantastic landscapes here, including the baobab trees typical of the national park, which are only found here in large numbers.

Lake Manyara Nationalpark

Lake Manyara National Park is once again different from other national parks in Tanzania. The landscape around Lake Manyara is densely overgrown with trees, the forests of this national park are home to many different bird species and the tree-climbing lions that Manyara is famous for. This national park is located around 120 kilometres from Tarangire National Park and not far from Mto wa Mbu, a small town with many tourist accommodations. Due to the densely overgrown forest, it is somewhat more difficult to find animals here. We had no luck in the morning, apart from a few monkeys we didn’t encounter any animals. In the late morning and around lunchtime, however, the national park came to life. We were able to see two lionesses and lion cubs walking past in the immediate vicinity and many elephants also crossed our path. The national park is very scenic, the lake is so big that you can’t see the end of it and you feel like you’re on the open sea.

Serengeti Nationalpark

The Serengeti. Hardly any other national park is as famous worldwide as the largest national park in Tanzania. The lions rule here, and it is not for nothing that the national park is considered the breeding ground for the story of Simba and Mufasa in ‘The Lion King’. However, the vast steppe of the Serengeti is not just home to lions; the large migration of animals in particular attracts many onlookers here every year. The Serengeti is a very barren and flat landscape where you can drive for kilometres without the landscape changing much. The animals always move in circles from place to place to find food and so they come to all parts of the Serengeti in the course of the year. This spectacle is repeated every year and is called the great migration. In the Serengeti, there is a real chance of seeing leopards or perhaps even cheetahs, as these animals are also very much at home here.

Ngorongoro Krater

An absolute highlight and must-see when travelling to Tanzania is the Ngorongoro Crater. This former volcanic crater, which formed over centuries and then collapsed, is home to a huge variety of species and animals and was the absolute highlight of my trip to Tanzania (after Tarangire National Park). The drive into the crater alone is absolutely spectacular. It’s worth starting here early in the morning, as the chance of spotting a hunt is highest at dawn just before sunrise. We saw a herd of hyenas chasing a wildebeest, a large group of lions and much more. We had planned an Eaaarly Morning Game Drive, which in my opinion is far too little. So if you have more time, it’s better to plan 2 game drives in the Ngorongoro Crater, because there’s always something to discover here.

The people, culture and tribes of Tanzania

Many of the people in Tanzania live like you and me and you don’t have to imagine that there is starvation in Tanzania. However, this varies depending on class, origin and where people live. In general, people in Tanzania are very religious, even young people can be seen in church on Sundays. Women are treated with respect in Tanzania, they are allowed to have a job and do not just have the traditional role of cleaning and cooking at home, even if this is generally still their job. Some relationships in Tanzania are polygamous, which means that there are men who have several wives.

Maasai – Visit to a Maasai village

The Maasai are one of the tribes of Tanzania and Kenya that still hold on to their traditions. A large part of the Maasai villages are located around the Serengeti and Lake Manyara. The Maasai live on meat, milk and blood from their animals and do not farm. The animals from a village are therefore the basis of their livelihood and are driven daily to the feeding grounds, sometimes kilometres away from the village. In the evening, you can see Maasai men and children on every corner, returning to the village with their herd, where the animals are locked up overnight and protected from wild animals. A Maasai village consists of the centre, where the stable is located, and houses built around it, all constructed with mud and other natural materials. There is a fence around the outside of all these houses and the ‘stable’ to protect the inhabitants from lions, hyenas and other animals. The Maasai dress in a wrapped blanket and usually wear trousers underneath. For women, jewellery is also traditional for special occasions.

Anyone who gets the chance to visit a Maasai village should do so. You learn a lot about traditions that you wouldn’t think still exist. Even if it is a show for tourists, you can still learn a lot about the Maasai between the lines.

Trekking in Arusha

Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa

At 5,895 metres, Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, making it one of the Seven Summits, i.e. the highest mountains in the world. This is why Kilimanjaro is also a popular hiking destination, partly because it is considered one of the easiest of the Seven Summits.

Depending on the route and personal stamina, the tour to Kilimanjaro and back takes 5-7 days. The problem with the hiking tour is not the tour itself, but mainly the altitude and the health problems often associated with it. If you want to climb Kilimanjaro, you have to book a permit and a guide who will accompany you to the summit. Usually, you will also have other helping guides who act as porters and carry camping equipment and food.

If you haven’t planned to climb Kilimanjaro, you can still drive to the national park to get a view of the mountain. We also planned to do this, but I would personally advise against it. We were also unlucky because it was cloudy and we couldn’t see the summit, but generally this is often combined with a very touristy visit to a coffee farm and a waterfall and for us it felt more like a sales presentation.

Mount Meru

Not only Kilimanjaro is impressive, but Mount Meru, which is 4,562 metres high and closer to the city of Arusha, is also a great destination for hikers. Mount Meru is located in Arusha National Park and is often used to acclimatise for the altitude of Kilimanjaro. Due to the wild animals in Arusha National Park, this mountain may only be climbed with a ranger in order to be protected in the event of an encounter with a wild animal.

Waterfalls around Arusha

There are several waterfalls around Arusha that you can plan to visit if you have some time. First and foremost and one of the most beautiful is the Mount Meru waterfall, which you have to hike to. Attention! You have to pay an entrance fee here.

Other waterfalls in the Moshi area are the Materuni Waterfall and the Kilasiya Waterfall, which is a somewhat adventurous hike through the riverbed.

Kikuletwa Hot Springs

One destination that is still somewhat unknown (2021) is the Kikuletwa hot springs. These hot springs are simply an absolute dream. The turquoise, absolutely clear water, surrounded by palm trees and with a jungle feel – this place should be on your Tanzania bucket list. The hot springs are regularly visited by locals at the weekend, when the place is buzzing with a party feeling. However, if you want to enjoy the hot springs a little more quietly (and take photos), you should go earlier at the weekend.

Things to know when travelling to Tanzania

The best time to go on safari in Tanzania

A safari in Tanzania can generally be planned all year round, but there are times of year that are better suited to finding animals. On the African continent, a distinction is made between the rainy seasons (European spring and autumn) and the dry seasons (European summer and winter). The dry season is considered the best time to travel to Tanzania if you want to book a safari. This is when the animals are at the waterholes, making it easier to see animals.

The best time to travel is from June to September, when temperatures are pleasant but can be very cool at night, and from December to March, when it is very hot.

Many baby animals are born in February and March, so if you want to witness this spectacle, you should travel during these months. June is a great time to see the babies when they are a little bigger, we saw many ‘baby animals’ that were already settled in the herds – June is also a great time to travel, where it can still rain sometimes, but you are not yet in the expensive peak travel season. In August, the spectacular river crossing takes place during the great migration, which is why many nature photographers travel to Tanzania.

Where do you stay on a safari in Tanzania?

Depending on which package you book, whether cheap or in the upper price range, you can spend the night on a campsite in a tent on camp beds, in a more upmarket tent with its own bathroom and normal bed, or in accommodation, some of which even have a pool. There are no limits here (in terms of price).

How’s the food during the safari?

When you book a safari, you always have a guide/driver and a cook with you. The cook prepares everything while you are on the game drive and then conjures up typical local dishes or tourist dishes, depending on your own preferences.

How much does a safari in Tanzania cost?

Safaris are expensive. No matter which country you are travelling to, you need money for a safari. And Tanzania is quite extreme here. We booked the cheapest tour, with overnight stays in a regular tent (on camp beds) and paid 3250 USD for 2 people for 9 days in Tanzania. Add to that the flight (in our case approx. 600 euros) and tips (10-20 USD / day for driver + cook)

We’ve been traveling with Claws of Africa, which I can really recommend. We financed the trip privately and were really completely satisfied. Fair prices, great drivers and everything was perfect. If you book a trip with Claws of Africa, please tell them that you came from my blog.

Which camera should I bring on a safari?

On a safari, the bigger the better. Photographing animals is not easy as they are constantly moving, making it easier to take blurred photos. In addition, the animals are almost always some distance away, which is why a smartphone is definitely not enough to bring home good photos. Even I, with my camera equipment, reached the limits of what I could have imagined, as I underestimated the distance between the animals and the car.

I have already introduced you to the principles of photography in my blog post about my camera equipment, but a different set of rules applies on a safari. Manual setting options and knowing how to change them quickly if necessary are important here. In addition, on a safari it is unfortunately no longer the case that the photographer alone can take the picture, regardless of the equipment, but – the more professional the equipment, the better the pictures will be – if you also know how to operate the equipment. To do this, you should lay in wait at home and try to photograph animals to get a feel for how you have to react, what settings you need, etc.

Da sich die Tiere kaum direkt neben dem Auto aufhalten, muss hier ein Super Teleobjektiv her. Ich hatte bei meiner MFT Kamera eine Brennweite von maximal 300mm dabei (beachte den Crop Faktor, wenn du keine MFT Kamera besitzen solltest) und selbst das war theoretisch zu wenig, weil die Tiere teilweise einfach zu weit weg waren. Aber grundsätzlich hat es gut funktioniert.

In Tanzania I had my Olympus OM-D E-M10 including the Olympus 40-150 PRO 2.8 telephoto lens and the Panasonic Lumix 100-300 super telephoto lens, although the latter sometimes had problems with the situation due to the poorer light intensity. I can highly recommend the Olympus telephoto lens due to its brilliant sharpness, no picture was blurred here, not even from a moving car. I highly recommend to take several camera bodies with you so that you can easily change lenses without having to constantly change lenses.

Is a safari in Tanzania worthwhile?

It was my first safari experience, so I can’t make any comparisons here, but I can say that I found Tanzania to be the perfect first country for Africa travellers, I felt very safe and the nature and animal sightings in Tanzania were a dream. A safari in Tanzania seems to be one of the best things you can do, and not without good reason.

Generally speaking, Tanzania is also worth visiting independently of the safaris – the culture, the people, it’s very exciting.

If you are now in the mood for Tanzania, you can get in the mood with my favourite film from my childhood – The Lion King, for which the Serengeti was the inspiration.