Mini Safari: lots of nature in a few days.

Do you want to complete a stay by the sea with a few days of safari? Here is a guide to know what to choose

Time

It is necessary to dedicate at least 2 days and 1 night to reach the parks, since getting there requires at least 1 flight (and the timetables do not allow the same day visit) or about 6 hours by road.

If you have 2 or 3 nights available it would be optimal.

North or South?

In the North there are the most popular parks, all close together (about 2/3 hours by road between one and the other), you can dedicate 1 day to the Park (Tarangire, Ngorongoro), or even half a day (Manyara), while the Serengeti is further away and requires at least 2 overnight stays.

In the South the parks are very distant from each other (Selous, Ruaha) so it is advisable to take the flight that arrives directly inside the park and spend the time available there.

Mikumi park is about 6 hours by road from Dar Es Salaam, to the south.

How much?

Don't think that taking a safari in Tanzania can be cheap!

Perhaps you will spend more on the mini-safari than on the entire stay in Zanzibar. There are parks among the most expensive in Africa but also those with the greatest wealth of animals.

There are some factors that affect the rate:

1) entrance ticket: The record is beaten by the Ngorognoro Crater, entering 2 by car costs almost 500 USD.

Immediately after the Serengeti, because to enter it you need to cross another park, double entry to and from the exit The most expensive entrances are:

Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Ruaha, Selous

A little less:

Tarangire, Arusha, Manyara, Mikumi, Udzungwa Mountains

2) Another important factor to know is whether it is possible to stay overnight outside the park, since inside there are additional taxes.

It is possible to stay outside:

Tarangire, Arusha, Manyara, Mikumi, Udzungwa, Ngorongoro

It is not possible to stay outside (or the rates are in any case high):

Serengeti, Selous, Ruaha

3) Finally you will need a safari off-road vehicle with guide, self-drive in Tanzania is not recommended. Sharing the cost with other people gives you good savings (maximum 6 passengers per car).

Where are you staying?

 In the North the choice is very wide, from the Wild tent set up by our staff, to the Luxury resort for a thousand and one nights.

The South, being much less touristic, has less choice and is on average more expensive.

What animals are seen?

All of Tanzania's parks are very rich in wildlife, but the type of vegetation and habitats make differences

North

Ngorongoro. If you want to visit the garden of Eden, the real one, which has existed for millennia, enter the Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In the Crater it is possible to spot all the big five (including the rhinoceros, now very rare in the wild), it boasts the highest concentration of felines in the world and it will be very likely to spot lions and all the other savannah animals in half a day (yes can stay within 6 hours maximum).

Serengeti. Feline's paradise! Immense plains, precisely those loved by lions, dotted with large boulders where cats make puppies, trees for leopards, grasslands for cheetahs and all other species of animals that live in the savannah. All this makes it the best safari on the African continent, the scenario of the Great Migration of cranes and zebras with millions of heads that move around the entire park every year.

Tarangire. The elephant and baobab park boasts the highest concentration of pachyderms on the planet and you will see many of them, especially near the Tarangire river, taking a bath of water and earth. The variety of African fauna is also very rich, but the arboreal vegetation makes the sighting of felines more rare.

Manyara. Small park that stretches between the escarpment of the Rift Valley and the salt lake. Beautiful lake environments, with large birds, hippos and large mammals approaching the water, even the primates are numerous.

Arusha. Small park at the foot of Mount Meru, the closest to the airports, has stately landscapes between forest and crater ponds, primates and large mammals are spotted but with less ease due to the lush vegetation. We don't see cats. It is possible to go on safari on foot.

Kilimanjaro. In addition to the trek to the top, it is possible to make the one-day excursion climbing from 1900 m to 2700 m through the dense Afro-mountain forest. You can enjoy the view of endemic trees, primates and birdlife.

South

Mikumi. The Mikumi park is about 6 hours by road from Dar Es Salaam, the economic capital, it is not very large and allows an easy sighting of the typical savannah wildlife (lions, giraffes, elephants, wildebeests, antelopes, gazelles, birdlife ... )

Udzungwa Mountains. About 3 hours from Mikumi is this biodiversity paradise. You can visit it only on foot, immersing yourself in the forest, among butterflies, birds and 11 types of primates. Many endemic species.

Selous. Game Reserve as big as Switzerland, it is possible to do several days of safari. It boasts the highest concentration of mammals on the planet and a large variety of species and birdlife. It is crossed by the placid Rufiji river on which we recommend a full day boat safari. It can be done from 1 to 3 nights.

Ruaha. Called the Southern Serengeti for the beauty of the landscapes and the wealth of sightings, it welcomes in 1 year the number of visitors that the Serengeti records in 1 day. If you want a private and wild safari the Ruaha will give you satisfaction. At least 2 nights recommended.