The Northern Circuit, as it is commonly known, incorporates Tarangire, Manyara, Ngorongoro and the infamous Serengeti. It’s easily accessible both by air and road and safaris will often start in the bustling town of Arusha.
As well as being a superb safari destination, northern Tanzania also boasts the two most climbed mountains in Tanzania, Mt Kilimanjaro and Mt Meru. With Kili having an international airport and Arusha a domestic one, all your flying needs can be catered for, and it’s also possible to organize a safari by road, the longer drives between locations are part of the adventure.
The parks in southern Tanzania are known as, you guessed it, the Southern Circuit. Here the most popular park is Selous, often combined with Ruaha, Mikumi and Udzungwa. Southern Tanzania is considered to be more wild with fewer crowds.
The remoteness of these parks does come with a price-tag but we think it’s well worth it as you explore a more untouched Tanzania with a pioneering feel.
For some, west Tanzania is the jewel in the country’s crown. If we said southern Tanzania was remote compared to northern Tanzania, then the west takes the biscuit. Katavi is a good place to start, with very few visitors (hundreds per year rather than thousands) and a bounty of wildlife it is worth exploring.
You need to spend at least three nights here, to justify the cost of getting there, and then perhaps combine it with a visit to Mahale or Gombe seeing as you have made it this far – that really would be the trip of a lifetime, particularly if you are interested in primates.
Another wonderful thing about Tanzania is the ease at which you can combine a safari with a beach holiday. There are seemingly endless options. There is the mainland coast, south of Dar which has numerous resorts, fabulous beaches and plenty to do (or not if you wish).
Then there are the islands which include the spice island of Zanzibar, or you can go more remote and head off to Pemba, Mafia or Fanjove. Depending on what you want to do, be it laze on the beach, swim in the ocean, dive, snorkel or scuba-dive – there is bound to be an island that is just the ticket.