How to Plan a Safari in Tanzania

Planning for a safari can be an overwhelming task, as there are many moving parts – accommodation, type of tour, number of days, route, etc. Sometimes, it can be hard to know where to start, which is why you’re reading this.

There are two ways to do a safari in Tanzania – through a tour operator or by yourself; however, 99% of people opt for a tour, which I recommend. Tour guides handle all administrative tasks and most importantly, are knowledgeable about the landscape, animals, and culture. Now the hard part, selecting a tour! There are several tools you can use such as Trip Advisor, Viator, Safari Bookings, etc.

First, you’ll need to do decide on how many days you want. At the very minimum, you should do 3; this is what I did, and I found it to be perfect. Three days is really two full days with the last ending in the late afternoon/early evening. This gives you enough time to see everything. If I’m being honest, I’m not sure if I could handle a 4^th day; this isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy myself, but after a while you lose the excitement.

Second, you need to decide if you want to do a private or group tour. A private tour will obviously be more expensive. I traveled to Tanzania solo, but still opted for the private tour. Doing a group tour provides less flexibility, and if you’re on a tight schedule it could get tricky because you’ll need the others to begin/end the tour the same time as you.

Third, decide the level of comfort. Tours can be divided into three categories – budget, mid-tier, and luxury. And each tier is noticeable. I did mid-tier, which was great.

Lastly, decide where you want to go. This was actually the most difficult part for me because I had absolutely zero knowledge of safaris and where I should actually go. If you’re like me and just want to see a general safari and the major species then Serengeti National Park + Ngorongoro is your best bet. The Ngorongoro conservation area is truly a must see. This area is home to the vast, volcanic Ngorongoro Crater, “big 5” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino) as well as the Maasai tribe. I used Safari Booking for my tour. Below is an example of what the site looks like given the options I selected.

After you find a tour you like, email them for a quote and wait for a response.

Which tour operator did I use?

Ultimately, I decided on a three-day safari through Crater Explorer Tours & Safaris, which I highly recommend. Their service was impeccable from start to finish. When I emailed companies for their quotes, I received generic emails of the itinerary but with Crater Explorer, they were different. These guys not only emailed me within 30 minutes of asking for a quote but messaged me via WhatsApp as well. Julius, the manager, even called me shortly after to get an understanding of what I wanted to see/do.

How much is a 3-day private tour?

I paid exactly $1800, which included:

The hotel before and after the tour and two nights in the safari (4 nights)
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner for day 1 and 2 (breakfast and lunch for day 3)
All fees/permits
Pick up from the airport (Kilimanjaro or Arusha) + airport drop off
Water throughout the tour
Guide/driver

As a general rule, it is recommended that you tip the guide/driver about $10-20 a day.

When you see a number of cars stop like this it means one thing – lions!

What to expect during your tour

Arrival day

This is self-explanatory. You’ll arrive at the airport and a representative from the company will be there with a sign waiting for you. Depending on what time you arrive, Julius will be at the hotel in Arusha waiting for you, so he can explain the itinerary for the next few days. If you arrive late, then this will occur the next morning.

Day 1

You’ll have breakfast at the hotel and meet your driver shortly after, then you will head to Serengeti national park via Ngorongoro conservation area.

Following this, you’ll visit the central park area, known as Seronera, one of the richest wildlife habitats in the park. On my first day, I was able to witness a hyena feasting on the corpse of another hyena! Talk about an introduction to the Serengeti.

Did you know that newborn zebras have brown stripes?

Around 5:00 you will reach your accommodation for the night: Baobab Luxury Tented Lodge.

I was impressed with the accommodation; the room was spacious, there was hot water, and the buffet was superb. You can even connect to wifi in the common area.

Day 2

This will be the longest day by far, but it’s so worth it! After an early breakfast at 5:30, you will set off and begin the game drive until 11-12 ish.

No better feeling than riding with the roof up

After lunch you’ll depart for the Ngorongoro Conservation area. Here, you can stop by and see how the Maasai live. There was no way I was coming this far to not see them. Not only do you get to see their village, but you can learn about their culture and even try on their traditional clothing.

After my village tour, my driver and I continued through until we reached Ngorongoro Serena Lodge, covering about 145 km total for the day.

Let me just say that the hotel was spectacular! The rooms, service, view, staff, everything! It truly felt like luxury level living in the middle of the safari.

Day 3

After an early breakfast you will descend over 600 meters into the crater. The Ngorongoro conservation Area supports a vast variety of wildlife, as there is a water supply year-round.