WILDLIFE SAFARIS IN TANZANIA

We’ve been planning wildlife safari holidays in Africa for over a decade now, and before that, we were working in the far-flung reaches of Tanzania. It goes without saying that we’re a teeny bit enthusiastic about what Africa has to offer as a holiday destination, either for walking safaris, a family escape, or a luxury experience with a twist.

But, where the best wildlife experiences are concerned, we have strong feelings about where to go and how to do it properly.

For big games, the lion and buffalo of Katavi in Tanzania are hard to beat, as is the wildebeest migration of the Serengeti. Kenya’s Masai Mara and Amboseli Parks still rank highly for sheer numbers of large mammals.
In Southern Tanzania, the Selous Game Reserve and Ruaha National Park are amongst the best places in the world to see elephant, buffalo, lion and wild dog, especially since you can take to the water or get out on foot. Ruaha has the most ridiculous number of leopard (amongst much more), which can spoil first-time visitors and raise the bar for future safaris.

Northern Tanzania is a very popular wildlife habitat. The Tarangire National Park is particularly good for huge herds of buffalo and elephant with the chance of seeing cheetah and wild dog too. Parts of the Tarangire are fabulous for elephant swimming across rivers, and hyena and lion clashing heads in dramatic fashion. The Lake Manyara national park is a wildlife phenomenon that ranges from the pink flamingos to hippo, all seen against a watery backdrop that you’ll find nowhere else in the world.

The wildlife experiences on offer in Tanzania vary hugely and no two destinations are quite the same. Fortunately, we’ve been privileged to have spent time exploring and even working in all of them and so we’re in a position to give insightful guidance as to what the pros and cons of each are, and help you decide what would suit you best.

Here are a few (but by no means all) wildlife safari experiences that are pretty special: