There’s something exotic about Tanzania. Even the place names sound magical: Serengeti, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar, and the tongue-twisting Ngorongoro – who wouldn’t want to discover more about what’s in store?
And Tanzania has a lot to offer. Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest mountain, and the Selous its largest game reserve. The wide plains of the Serengeti host the Great Migration, and the Ngorongoro Crater is a 2,000ft-deep scoop out of the landscape that is more than twice the size of Jersey and packed full of wildlife.
The spice island of Zanzibar sits in the Indian Ocean, with beaches and diving to rival the Maldives and a culture that blends Africa with Arabia to hypnotic effect.
Tanzania has never welcomed quite the same volume of tourists as neighbouring Kenya, and so has retained an air of specialness among the British market, making it a popular honeymoon destination.
Operators report that it is selling well this year, and with a high demand from the US market, there’s no struggle to fill beds, even with new camps, lodges, hotels and itineraries hitting the market this year.
As a result, Tanzania can be more expensive than Kenya or South Africa, but there are good value options to be found too – Kuoni and Virgin Holidays both offer four-night Taste of Tanzania safaris starting from £1,579, and £1,499 respectively.
Northen circuit
The Northern Circuit is the choice for most tourists. It includes the Serengeti, where in June and July herds of two million wildebeest and zebra gather and journey north into Kenya’s Masai Mara.
River crossings – where the weakest in the herd are taken by crocodiles or the current – provide great photo moments, and predators such as lions and leopards follow the herds, so there’s a high chance of seeing a kill. Even outside the Great Migration, the Serengeti is packed full of game.
Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world, and is the permanent home of nearly 25,000 animals. Often seen as a natural enclosure, the crater is renowned for its high concentration of wildlife, especially lions, but clients can see black rhino, elephants, hippos and leopards too. The nearby Olduvai Gorge is known as the Cradle of Mankind after fossils, bones and tools dating back two million years were discovered there.
Other highlights of the circuit include Lake Manyara National Park, known for its tree-climbing lions and Rift Valley scenery, the large herds of elephants and baobab trees to be found in Tarangire National Park, and Kilimanjaro, which rises majestically 5,882 metres from its base to its snow-capped peak.
Southern circuit
The Northern Circuit is rich in game, but it’s rich in tourists too. For those who don’t like to share their sightings, there’s the wilder, more remote Southern Circuit.
It’s hotter and drier, and the game is plentiful but more sparsely spread. It’s great for serious safari-goers – they’ll be able to spend a whole day tracking lions and observing their behaviour. The scarcity of accommodation and the fact that most visitors fly in mean this is more expensive than the north.
The Selous is Africa’s largest reserve. Mobile safaris are popular, and as well as game drives, there are plenty of opportunities for walking safaris and boating safaris on the Rufiji River delta, which attracts herds of elephants, hippos and crocodile.
Ruaha National Park is vast and rugged, and has large populations of elephants and large predators, plus a high diversity of antelope and more than 500 species of birds. Both parks give a good chance of seeing the rare wild dog.
Zanzibar
About 20 miles off the coast, the spice islands of the Zanzibar archipelago offer perfect beaches with turquoise blue water to round off a Tanzanian safari. The sands rival the Maldives and the scuba and snorkelling opportunities are stunning, with turtles, fish and dolphins swimming off the coral reef.
Once an important stop for spice traders, the islands still grow saffron, ginger, cloves and nutmeg, and spice tours are popular. The main island, Zanzibar, is home to Stone Town, a Unesco World Heritage Site where the island’s exotic trading links are most apparent, blending Moorish, Middle Eastern, Indian and African traditions and architecture. It’s busy and bustling with narrow, winding streets.
Most hotels are in Zanzibar, but a handful are located in Pemba, a greener, more mountainous island further north that is even more restful. There’s also the private island of Mnemba, owned by &Beyond. With 10 airy, open-plan beach lodges, each with a private beach area with sunbeds, it’s ultra-exclusive.
Dhow at Mnemba private island resort
New developments
Singita Game Reserves is introducing Singita Explore, a private mobile safari experience, starting in the Singita Grumeti Reserves along the western corridor of the Serengeti in June.
For two to 12 people, it’s booked on an exclusive use basis and includes private guides and game-viewing vehicles, chef and camp host, and individually tailored itineraries. Equestrian tented safaris will also be available.
Virgin Holidays has introduced a seven-day Tracking the Migration Under Canvas itinerary, which includes two nights in the Serengeti in one of three
semi-permanent tented camps. Which one depends on the location of the migration, allowing clients to get closer to the herds. It also includes two nights in Tarangire and one in Ngorongoro, and costs from £2,589 between June 1 and July 16.
Gold Medal has added two itineraries around the Northern Circuit to its brochure; the five-night Taste of Tanzania tour visiting Kilimanjaro, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro from £1,672, and the seven-night Tanzania in Style, which starts from £2,915 and visits Kilimanjaro, Arusha, Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro.
A new safari camp is opening in the quieter northern Serengeti, featured by Cox & Kings. Camp operator Nomad has run mobile safaris in this area for years, but a long lease from Tanzania National Parks means a permanent 12-tent camp, called Lamai Serengeti, will open on the Kogakuria kopje (rock) in June.
The Sea Cliff Resort & Spa is a new hotel on Zanzibar’s west coast, featured by Kuoni. Sitting on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean, 96 of its 120 rooms have sea views and it combines modern facilities with traditional architecture.
There are three restaurants, a kids’ club, gym, water sports centre, tennis courts, squash courts, bikes and a spa, plus it’s 20 minutes to Stone Town so exploring is easy.
Sample product
Hayes & Jarvis offers a package combining a seven-day Simba Safari, which visits Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, with three nights at the four-star Bluebay Beach Resort on Zanzibar’s northeast coast for £2,699, including Kenya Airways flights from Heathrow, departing on May 25.
Book it:hayesandjarvis.co.uk/agents, 0871 200 2211
New operator Africa Odyssey offers £1,000 savings at the five-star Jongomero Camp in the remote Ruaha National Park on select dates in June and July, when a five-night stay starts from £2,600 including flights from Heathrow, internal air transfers, full-board accommodation and game drives.
Book it:africaodyssey.com, 020 7471 8780
