There are almost no other attractions in Tanzania besides national parks and other protected eco-areas. Hot air ballooning over the vast savannahs, eco-tours, and exciting safaris – Tanzania’s national parks offer a wide range of activities.
Tanzania is rightfully recognized as one of the most interesting countries on the planet from an environmental perspective, and it is also known as one of the best places on Earth for eco-tourism. Almost a third of its territory is protected, including 15 national parks (with a total area of over 42,000 km²), marine parks, 13 nature reserves, a wildlife sanctuary, and other nature-preserving areas.
To successfully choose a specific place for a safari in this country, you need to understand many details beforehand. So, here is some detailed information about the most significant protected areas in Tanzania, as well as the cost of safaris and the possibility of saving money.
Safaris in Tanzania: All the Financial Aspects
You can buy a tour in advance online by contacting the tour operator Altezza Travel, whose office is located in Tanzania, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.
As for the financial side of the issue, the most budget-friendly safari in this country will cost at least \$300. What makes up this figure? The tickets themselves to any eco-zone are not that expensive, ranging from \$50 to \$70. However, it is not possible to go on a safari in Tanzania without a guide and a car in any of the parks. Moreover, the guide must be a Tanzanian with the appropriate certificate, and the car must be a safari jeep with a 4WD formula and a viewing roof. And you have to pay for the guide and the car. Fortunately, there are options to save money.
- There are several Facebook groups where tourists from different countries are looking for fellow travelers for a safari. They do this for a single purpose: to divide the costs of a guide, a car, and gasoline among all the fellow travelers (there can be 5 or 6 passengers in a safari jeep). As a result, the cost of a safari in Tanzania can be reduced by 2-3 times. The main challenge is finding fellow travelers, as it can be difficult to organize complete strangers in a foreign country. However, since this method has been around for several years and has been tested by time, it is likely to be effective.
- This option is suitable for backpackers who have free time, are fluent in English, and can work with platforms like WordPress. Many tour guides and travel companies require websites, but only a few people in Tanzania can develop them, and they charge exorbitant fees. You can try negotiating with a travel company or a guide who owns a car to develop a website in exchange for a couple of days’ worth of travel to a national park. By the way, it is better to arrange a safari in the Serengeti Park, as this is the most expensive option. This is an effective method, as the cost of creating a website is much higher than the cost of a safari for one person, and this exchange is beneficial for Tanzanians.
Zanzibar Resorts: Which One to Choose for Your Vacation
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti is Tanzania’s largest, most expensive, famous, and most visited national park. The Serengeti Valley is known as the “endless African plain” due to its vast area of 14,763 km².
The Serengeti has an interesting feature: every year, there is a mass migration of ungulates. When the dry season begins in the north of the park (October-November), more than 1,000,000 wildebeests and about 220,000 zebras migrate to the plains on the southern side, where there are short-term rains during this period. When the rains begin in the north and west (April-June), the herds return.
During a safari in the Serengeti, you can meet all the members of the “Big Five” of Africa: lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes, and rhinoceroses. You can also see giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals, wolves, and ostriches.
Some interesting facts about the Serengeti National Park
- The Great Migration. The massive migration of more than 1.3 million wildebeests, accompanied by a large number of zebras and fewer Grant and Thomson gazelles, kannas, and impalas, as they search for fresh pastures and water every year. This spectacular event can be witnessed during safaris.
- The highest concentration of predators. The Serengeti in Tanzania has the highest concentration of predators, especially all the big African cats like lions, leopards, cheetahs and spotted hyenas! Watching these powerful predators hunt and sometimes fight for territory will make your day unforgettable!
- The highest concentration of herbivores. The Serengeti National Park is home to over 28 species of herbivores, including buffaloes, wildebeests, zebras, kannas, hippos, and water goats.
- Cultural and historical attractions. The Serengeti is home to many cultures of the famous Maasai, Sukuma, Kuria, and Ikomu tribes. The indigenous Maasai Ikomu lived in parts of the park before they were relocated outside the park. The current signs, which can still be seen in the famous Maasai rock paintings, the Gong Rock, and the Ikomu ruins, symbolize a unique combination of wildlife observation and human history.
- Walking safaris. The best way to experience nature is on foot. The Serengeti offers the opportunity for walking safaris through the wilderness, usually accompanied by an armed park ranger.
How much does a safari in the Serengeti cost?
From the regional city of Arusha to the Serengeti, it is 300 km, and most of the way is off-road – accordingly, it will take a lot of time to get there, and also the way back. This is the main reason why the guides do not agree to go to the park for 1, and even for 2 days. The minimum term for which you will need to hire a car and a guide from local tour operators at the prices set for safaris in Tanzania – 3 days. At best, you can get by with $90 for gas, but you’ll likely need more than $100.
You also need to add the costs of food and accommodation.
There are also some very interesting points. First, the entrance fee of $60 is only for one day, and you will have to pay again for each subsequent day! Second, the road to the Serengeti National Park passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which costs $236 for a vehicle (3-7 tons) and $70 per person. On the way back, you will have to pay the same amount again, as the road will still pass through the conservation area regardless of which direction you take. The result will be a very impressive amount.
Fortunately, there are ways to save money when traveling to Tanzania’s parks, as mentioned earlier.
Accomodation
There are a large number of lodge – luxury hotels on the territory of the park, where a chic room costs from $300 per day. Cheaper will be an overnight stay in private campsites, where prices start from $110. Usually these are huge tents with all amenities. Search for such options is more convenient on Booking.com, and accommodation must be booked in advance.
The cheapest option is to stay at a public campsite located in the national park. Simba Campsite and Seronera Public Campsite are the most popular among tourists. The campsites have toilets and showers with cold water, but there is no electricity, so you will need to bring your own lighting equipment. A one-night stay with a tent costs $30, but since there are no fences around the campsites, wild animals often walk near the tents. This means that it’s not entirely safe to set up your own tent. It’s better to pay an additional $50-60 and rent a safari jeep with a roof tent from a travel agency. When darkness falls, it’s advisable to stay indoors, as the area is filled with the sounds of wild animals, and predators emerge for their nightly hunt.
Ngorongoro Nature Reserve
The best way to explore Ngorongoro is on your way to the Serengeti National Park.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers an area of 8,288 km² around the crater of the extinct volcano of the same name, which stands on the edge of the Serengeti savannah. This area includes meadows, lakes, swamps, forests, and even a wasteland, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage sites.
This large-scale tropical ecozone is characterized by its special, unique animal world, which is why safaris here are always very interesting. Ngorongoro has the highest number of predator species per square kilometer in Tanzania. In the forests, you can find herds of peacefully grazing elephants, on the plains, you can see slow-moving buffaloes and playful zebras, and near the water, you can admire hippos. The reserve is also home to black rhinoceroses, wildebeests, lions, leopards, hyenas, and ostriches.
To reach the bottom of the caldera, where you can observe various animals, you need to drive along the crater rim for about 25 km. Since the top of Ngorongoro is 2,235 m above sea level, it is always much colder than the bottom of the caldera, which is quite hot.
For a safari in Tanzania’s national park, you will need to pay $236 for the vehicle’s entry and $70 for each person in the vehicle. If the safari takes more than 6 hours, you will need to pay an additional fee for an additional day of safari upon leaving the park.
Lake Maniara National Park
On the way to the Serengeti Park and the Ngorongoro Crater, there is another ecological area in Tanzania. This is Lake Manyara, one of the smallest national parks in the country, covering an area of 644 km². It can be reached from Arusha in just 1.5 hours (a distance of 126 km), and from Kilimanjaro Airport in 2 hours. Just before the park, the road passes through the village of Mto-Va-Mbu, which has a good market with fresh, inexpensive fruit and a selection of antiques.
On the eastern horizon of this unique protected area, you can see the 600-meter-high brownish-red steep walls of the East African Rift Valley, and in the southern part of the valley, there are numerous hot springs. Most of the park is almost always shrouded in the haze created by the stunningly beautiful Lake Manyara.
More than 400 species of birds live around the lake, some of them are endemic. The park is full of cranes, storks, pink pelicans, cormorants, vultures, it is not uncommon here and African plovers, ibises, eagles.
From June to September, the area is home to colonies of pink flamingos, which migrate from one body of water to another throughout the year. These birds thrive in areas with abundant crustaceans, as their diet relies heavily on the pigment carotene. The flamingos’ pink coloration is a result of their diet, as the pigment carotene is present in their food. When the flamingos hatch, they are grayish-white, but it takes a year for their feathers to turn pink.
A safari in Lake Manyara allows you to observe elephants, buffaloes, black rhinoceroses, giraffes, zebras, hippos, wildebeests, lions, and leopards.
When is the best time to go on a safari in Tanzania, to Lake Manyara National Park? If the goal of the trip is to see animals in their natural habitat, then it is worth going there during the dry season, that is, from July to October. To watch birds, admire waterfalls or go canoeing, the rainy season is better suited. In November and December, there are short-term rains, humidity and air temperature significantly increase. March-June is a period of long rains.
The cost of visiting the park during the high season (from May 16 to March 14) is $50, and during the low season (the rest of the year) it is $45.
Tarangire National Park
Just 7 km from Lake Manyara and 118 km from the city of Arusha, there is another protected area in Tanzania: the 2,850 km² Tarangire National Park. Located in the hilly Maasai Steppe, the park is named after the Tarangire River, which provides water to the surrounding area.
Tarangire is home to a huge number of long-lived baobab trees, and thanks to these plants, the park is home to the largest population of elephants in Tanzania. As you explore the wild landscapes, you may encounter zebras, giraffes, and antelopes, but it is much more difficult to spot predators.
Targire will also be of interest to ornithologists. Here you can find endemic mask-faced lovebirds, a group of hornbill birds. The African greater bustard, the world’s largest flying bird (males can weigh up to 20 kg), also deserves attention.
It is better to go on a safari in this eco-zone of Tanzania in the dry season, when thousands of animals gather near the Tarangire River. The dry months are January, February, and June-October. You can also come here in November-December, when there are short rains. The most unsuitable time for a safari in this park is April-May, when there is a lot of rainfall and most of the camps are closed.
Tarangire is one of the cheapest safari parks in Tanzania, with an entrance fee of $50. Renting a car and hiring a guide will cost around \$300. A full-day safari is sufficient, as you will need to pay for each day spent in the park. For those who wish to stay overnight, lodge rooms are available for as low as $150 per night. It is recommended to book your accommodations in advance, preferably through Booking.
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro is also listed as a national park in Tanzania. It is located in the north of the country, 130 km from Arusha.
The area of 1,668 km² has heather fields, mountain forests and deserts. But the most important attraction of this area is Mount Kilimanjaro (5,890 m). Here it is called “the crown of Tanzania”, and it is unique in many ways:
- the highest single mountain on the planet;
- the highest peak in Africa;
- It is the highest peak on Earth that can be climbed without special climbing equipment.
- sleeping volcano.
Every year, about 15,000 people try to climb Kilimanjaro, but only 40% succeed. It takes 4 to 7 days to climb and descend the mountain. The cost of climbing the mountain starts at \$1,200.
Although climbing Kilimanjaro is allowed throughout the year, the best time is considered to be from August to October and from January to March. At other times, the peak is often covered by clouds, making it impossible to see its snowy cap.
Not everyone dares to take such an extreme pleasure, some tourists order a helicopter sightseeing tour from travel companies. For a flight alone, you will have to pay about $600, if there will be four passengers, the cost will be reduced to approximately $275.
By the way, it’s not necessary to spend such amounts, as Mount Kilimanjaro looks just as attractive from below, and some even consider it more appealing.
While traveling through the Kilimanjaro National Park, you can see many animals of Africa. Among its inhabitants are elephants, leopards, buffaloes, monkeys.
Mikumi National Park
Mikumi is the fourth largest park in Tanzania, located on the banks of the Ruaha River and covering an area of 3,230 km².
Mikumi is famous for the fact that it is a migration route for many animals: zebras, buffaloes, and impalas. Its expanses are inhabited by elephants, baboons, servals, marmots, giraffes, and hippos, which can be seen near the lakes located 5 kilometers north of the main entrance. The vast meadows are a favorite habitat for the world’s largest antelopes, the Kannas and Black Antelopes. This “food assortment” cannot help but attract predators: lions often perch on tree branches and termite mounds.
Many travelers consider Mikumi Park to be the best safari destination in Tanzania. Thanks to the roads that run through the park, you can observe animals from any corner. It’s also worth noting that safaris in Mikumi are generally cheaper than in northern Tanzania. While you’ll need to hire a jeep and a guide, you can still see almost all the animals in the park in just half a day.
Conclusion
Of course, a safari in Tanzania is not a cheap pleasure. But the ancient pristine land, the unrealistically beautiful nature and the world of wild animals are worth such money.
