On Safari With The Best Tanzania Tour Companies

Tanzania is an amazing destination for a safari vacation, offering customized wildlife and adventure experiences for couples, families, and solo travelers. And with an economy that is reliant on tourism, tour companies in Tanzania are eager to offer visitors a once-in-a-lifetime experience through customized itineraries and personalized tours. From the vast plains of the Serengeti to the beaches of Zanzibar, Tanzania is a treasure waiting to be discovered!

If you are working with Tanzania tour companies to plan a safari adventure, most will recommend a 10 day Tanzania itinerary so that you can get a true feeling for this amazing country. The companies will work with you to plan a safari that reflects your interests, whether it’s trailing wildebeest during the Great Migration, exploring the biodiversity of the Ngorongoro Crater, or visiting the markets of old Stone Town. Here are three custom itineraries to consider as you begin planning your trip.

Custom Trip #1: A Serengeti Migration Safari

Discover the natural wonders of Tanzania’s world-famous northern safari circuit with trips to the Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Ngorongoro Crater. Highlights of the trip include:

• A Day in Arusha – Arusha, the capital city of the Arusha region, is located in Northeast Tanzania near Arusha National Park. It is the gateway to Tanzania’s “safari circuit.” Spend a day exploring the city’s many markets, cafes, bars, restaurants, museums, and cultural heritage sites before heading out on a safari!
• Discover Tarangire National Park – often overlooked, but definitely worth a visit, Tarangire National Park is home to the largest elephant herd in the country. It also tends to be less crowded than the nearby Serengeti National Park, making it a favorite with Tanzania tour companies that want to offer clients a personalized experience.
• Watch tree-climbing lions at Lake Manyara National Park – this park is home to a unique subspecies of lions who climb trees to escape the heat of the day. Tourists and photographers visit the park specifically to photograph these unique lions. But the park is also famous for its birds – bird watchers will enjoy spotting huge flocks of pelicans and flamingoes, as well as egrets, stilts, herons, and spoonbills on the lake’s water.
• Discover the Serengeti - the Serengeti offers the most thrilling game viewing of all of Tanzania’s national parks, including buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, elands, topis, kongonis, impalas, and Grant’s gazelles. It is also home to the largest overland migration in the world. Great Migration safaris allow visitors to marvel at the sheer number of wildebeest traveling across the savannah in search of lush grasslands for grazing. A Serengeti safari will also allow you to track the Big 5 - elephants, buffaloes, rhinoceros, lions, and leopards.
• Marvel at the Ngorongoro Crater – the final leg of your 10 day Tanzania itinerary should include a stop at the Ngorongoro Crater. This natural wonder is the largest intact and unfilled volcanic caldera in the world and is home to an amazing diversity of wildlife that includes lions, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos, warthogs, and more than 550 species of birds.

Custom Trip #2: A Bird-Watching and Wildlife Safari

Head to Northern Tanzania for an epic adventure that focuses on bird watching. Tanzania is a favorite destination for birders, with more than 1,114 native bird species recorded. The country also hosts a large number of European and African migratory birds during the course of the year.

• Start your adventure in Arusha National Park – set between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, Arusha is one of the lesser-known safari destinations in Tanzania. Tanzania tour companies know, however, that the park is famous for the black and white colobus monkeys that inhabit the region. The park is also famous for the majestic colonies of pink flamingoes that inhabit Momella Lakes.
• Marvel at the elephants – as mentioned above, Tarangire National Park has the largest population of elephants anywhere in Tanzania. Spend a day marveling at these gentle giants and enjoying the natural beauty of this park.
• Stop at Lake Manyara – one of the true marvels of Lake Manyara is the tree-climbing lions. For decades, scientists have debated why these lions climb trees. No matter the reason, this is only one of two places in the world you can see this phenomenon!
• Visit the Ndutu Plains – this corner of the Serengeti ecosystem is where the wildebeest come to have their calves each year. From December to March, this area is a truly unique safari experience. But is also one of the least-visited regions on safari. For that reason, tour companies in Tanzania know their guests will have a front-row seat on a safari to Ndutu.
• Explore the Serengeti – catch a glimpse of the Great Migration on a safari through the Serengeti National Park. This annual event is a bucket-list experience for many people, who want to track the wildebeest and other animals as they travel through the Serengeti to Kenya and back again in search of a safe place to have their calves and grasslands that can feed the herd along their journey.
• Visit Ngorongoro Crater – this crater has effectively created a natural zoo by encapsulating one of the most diverse ecosystems in Tanzania. Lions, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, hyenas, hippos, warthogs, and more than 550 species of birds call this veritable Eden home, making it an incredible place to see the country’s amazing wildlife.

Custom Trip #3: Selous And Zanzibar

Tanzania has more to offer than just the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Visit the country’s coast to experience the beaches of Zanzibar or take a trip to the southern part of the country to visit the largest game reserve in Africa – the Selous Game Reserve.

• The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected game reserve on the African continent. On this trip, you will explore the two regions of the reserve for a remarkable wildlife experience. The Northern Selous covers five percent of the reserve and has been set aside for photographic safaris. The Southern part of the reserve is home to a number of wildlife mammals, including puku antelope and wild dogs. More than 445 bird species call the Selous home, including purple-crested turaco, yellow-billed stork, trumpeter hornbill, white-crowned spur-winged plovers, and malachite kingfishers.
• Enjoy close wildlife encounters in Selous – take part in walking safaris, bird-watching safaris, boat safaris, game drives, and hot-air balloon safaris while you stay in the reserve.
• Relax in Zanzibar – spend a few days in Zanzibar, relaxing on palm-fringed beaches and enjoying the African, Indian, Arabic, and Persian influences that have created a unique culture. Explore historic Stone Town and visit the spice markets, shops, and cafes. Or, go windsurfing, paddle boarding, snorkeling, kitesurfing, and scuba diving in the turquoise waters.

For a truly unique safari experience, book your trip with one of the many Tanzania tour companies that specialize in 10 day Tanzania itineraries. Adventure awaits!