Top Things to Do on a Safari in Tanzania
Activities on a Tanzania Safari: Tanzania is one of the most visited destinations in Africa due to its rich biodiversity, ranging from rare wildlife, vegetation types, mountains, hospitable people, rich culture, and water bodies, among others. Tanzania has several national parks, such as Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, Selous National Park, Ruaha National Park, Arusha National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, and Mahale National Park, among others, which offer several interesting activities that you can engage in to make your safari in Tanzania memorable.
Top things to do on a safari in Tanzania
Game drives: This is one of the famous activities that is carried out in various national parks in Tanzania, such as Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, game drives in Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Selous Game Reserve, Katavi National Park, Arusha National Park, and Ruaha National Park, among others. Game drives in Tanzania are done in the comfort of a pop-up safari vehicle early in the morning or in the afternoon with an experienced driver guide who will help you spot different wildlife species.
There are different animals which can be seen during the Tanzania game drive, such as elephants, buffalo, Tanzania tree-climbing lions in Lake Manyara National Park, leopards, waterbucks, bushbucks, warthogs, gazelles, zebras, giraffes, impalas, and elands, among others. beautiful landscapes, plant and tree species, and bird species, among others. Animals in the national parks can be viewed grazing in the open savannah, woodland plains or drinking water around the water bodies.
Chimpanzee trekking: This is one of the adventurous activities that allows visitors to move into the forest on foot in search of the habituated Tanzania chimpanzee families and, once found, spend one hour with them in their natural habitat. Chimpanzee trekking in Tanzania is famously carried out in Mahale Mountains National Park, which is located on the eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika and known for harbouring large populations of Tanzanian chimpanzees, and Gombe National Park, which is the smallest protected area located in western Tanzania.
Trekking to the endangered chimpanzees in the national parks starts with a briefing at the park headquarters, after which you will be allocated a park guide who is well conversant with the trails in the jungle, and then start trekking. During Tanzania chimpanzee trekking, you will have great views of different bird species, plant and tree species, and some animals like small antelopes and other primates like vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, yellow baboons, and red colobus monkeys, among others.
Mountain climbing: There are great mountains to climb during the safari in Tanzania, such as Mount Kilimanjaro, which is the most famous and tallest mountain in Africa; Mount Meru, which is the second-highest mountain and fourth-highest in the world, located in Arusha National Park; Old DonyoLengai, an active volcano that is situated in the Rift Valley on the border with Kenya; and the Usambara and Udzungwa mountains, which are found in Udzungwa Mountains National Park.
During hiking, you will have spectacular views of different animals, primates, colourful bird species, beautiful scenery, different plant and tree species, views of water bodies, farmlands, Tanzania’s landscape, and views of the crater, among others, which make mountain climbing interesting.
Bird watching: Tanzania is home to over 1125 bird species, including migratory birds, endemic birds, water birds, near-endemic birds, and forest birds, among others, which make Tanzania one of the best birding destinations. Birding in Tanzania is carried out in different national parks, including Tarangire Safari Park, Serengeti Safari Park, Lake Manyara, Arusha, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area; water bodies like Lake Tanganyika; rivers; mountain areas; and forests, among others.
During Tanzania birdwatching safaris, bird lovers will be able to spot bird species like flamingos, African jacanas, ostriches, kori bustards, saddle-billed storks, sacred ibises, crowned eagles, black-headed gonoleks, grey-breasted spurfowls, yellow-throated sandgrouse, Hildebrandt’s starlings, Fischer’s lovebirds, rufous-tailed weavers, pink-breasted larks, great white pelicans, bare-faced go-away birds, secretary birds, ashy starlings, yellow-collared sunbirds, Donaldson-Smith’s nightjars, vulturine guineafowl, Egyptian vultures, white-naped ravens, Jackson’s widowbirds, augur buzzards, Kenya rufous sparrows, black kites, namaqua doves, hadada ibises, African olive pigeons, black saw-wings, red-fronted turacos, and tawny eagles, among others.
Night game drives: This is a fascinating activity that is carried out at night with spotlight torches for clear viewing of nocturnal animals. Night game drives in Tanzania are only permitted in selected national parks, including Lake Manyara National Park, Ruaha National Park, Tarangire National Park and Mikumi National Park.
Night Tanzania game drives are carried out after dinner, and you will be accompanied by an armed park ranger who will protect you from any danger and also help you to spot nocturnal animals which are always active at night, such as leopards, lions, porcupines, civet cats, genets, spotted hyenas, aardvarks, bush babies, mongooses, wild dogs, jackals, honey badgers, wild dogs, serval cats, and bat-eared foxes, and view grazing hippos, the stars and other animals like elephants and buffaloes resting under the iconic baobab trees.
Canoeing is one of the amazing Tanzania safari activities that gives you an opportunity to explore the water body and get close to different wildlife. This activity is only carried out in three destinations: Lake Duluti near Arusha city, small Momella Lake in Arusha National Park and Lake Manyara Safaris in Lake Manyara National Park. Canoeing in the mentioned destinations can be done with the help of experienced guides, and it’s either carried out in the morning or in the afternoon, taking about a 2- to 3-hour ride.
During canoeing you will have spectacular views of the beautiful scenery and see hippos and crocodiles in the water; elephants, buffaloes, waterbucks, warthogs, and zebras along the water shores; different water species like flamingos, pink-backed pelicans, cormorants, saddle-billed storks, African skimmers, African spoonbills, grey herons, helmeted guinea fowl, grey-headed kingfishers, white-browed coucals, sacred ibises, bee-eaters, and hammerkops; view fishermen preparing their nets for night fishing; and sunrise, among others.
Guided nature walk: This is an incredible activity that allows visitors to get out of the comfort of the safari vehicle and explore the natural environment in national parks on foot. Nature walks are carried out in all the national parks in Tanzania, such as in a Tanzania nature walk in Nyerere National Park, and they can either be done in the morning or in the evening with the company of an armed park ranger to protect you from any danger.
During the guided Tanzania nature walks you will get close and personal with habitats of animals, view beautiful scenery, sunset/sunrise plant and tree species, and view animals like elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeest, waterbucks, and warthogs, among others, grazing in the open plains; view colourful bird species flying up in the air and butterflies; listen to the sweet sounds of birds singing; enjoy the cool breeze; relax and breathe fresh air; and take beautiful pictures, among other things.
Hot air ballooning: This is an interesting and exciting activity that shouldn’t be missed during your tour in Tanzania. Hot air balloon activity is only carried out in two national parks: Tarangire National Park and Serengeti National Park.
During the Tanzania hot air balloon safari, you will have an aerial view of the park and wildlife around the Seronera River, experience the great wildebeest migration in Serengeti National Park, and view different bird species, treetops, sunrises, and animals like elephants, zebras, giraffes, and buffaloes, among others, grazing in the open plains. After the Tanzania hot air balloon safari, visitors will be awarded certificates for participating and a bush breakfast.
Cultural tours: This is one of the exciting activities in Tanzania, where you get an opportunity to directly interact with the local people in the communities. There are more than 120 tribes in rural Tanzania, and there are popular cultural centres that will be visited during the culture tours, such as the Mto wa Mbu, which is situated at the foot of the Great Rift Valley bordering Lake Manyara National Park; the Maasai Bomas in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area; the Hadzabe and Datoga; the Ng’iresi village; and the Mulala village located on the southern lower slopes of Mount Meru in Arusha, among others.
During the cultural tour you will view different kinds of materials used to make arrows, learn how to make fire using the ancient hand-drill method using palms, know more about the monogamy and polygamy practice for marriage, life in the caves in the rainy season and under trees in the dry season, learn about their way of living and their dress code, learn about cow milking and the preparation of local butter, learn about the preparation of local beer, and enjoy traditional entertainment in the form of music, dance and drama.
When to go on a safari in Tanzania
Tanzania can be visited all year round, though the best period is during the dry season in the months of June to October and December to February. During this period, there is less rainfall in the national parks; therefore, the access roads will be passable, vegetation will be less, and animals will gather around the water bodies to drink water, hence allowing you to clearly view different animals.
Tanzania can also be visited in the wet season, during the months of November to May, because this is the best period for bird viewing, when bird lovers will be able to view colourful and migratory bird species.
