An Ultimate guide for visiting National Parks in Tanzania : Tanzania is a must-go safari destination for every safari goer. It is located in the Eastern Africa bordering the mighty Indian Ocean. This unique country has dedicated about 42% of its land as protected areas. It is home to 22 national parks, 22 game reserves and one conservation area. If you are planning a visit to this beautiful country, you will enjoy the scenes of magical attractions. Some of these include; the majestic Kilimanjaro mountain, the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater and many other spectacular attractions.
To enjoy the most outs of Tanzania you must be choose the best interesting activity that suits you. If you like wildlife adventures, national parks like Serengeti and others, game reserves like Grumeti and conservation areas like Ngorongoro are best picks for you. If you like hiking, trekking and climbing mountains like Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Meru, Mt. Oldonyo, Mt. Hanang, Usambara Mountains, Mahale Mountains and Udzungwe Mountains are best for you. If you are interested in birdwatching, Tarangire, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are best options for you.
Every national park has its unique attraction that differentiate it from the rest of other parks. For instance, Serengeti National Park is known for hosting the Great Migration, Lake Manyara National Park is best known for tree-climbing lions, Gombe and Mahale Mountains National Parks are famous for being homes to chimpanzees, Nyerere National Park holds the title of the largest park in Africa, Arusha National Park hosts the second highest peak in Tanzania, Mount Meru, Kitulo National Park is best known as Serengeti of Flowers and Saadani National Park is known for being a park where beach meets the wilderness. Therefore, the choice of visiting a certain park should go directly with the choice of activity you like. To avoid poor choices, here is a guide for visiting national parks in Tanzania;
What are interested in? This is a crucial question for everyone who wants to get the most outs of Tanzanian parks. If you would like to relax on beaches doing some watersports after a long day game drive, you have to select a national park which borders a lake or ocean. Saadani National Park borders the mighty Indian Ocean. Its bush beaches are best for chilling after viewing wildlife for long hours. Other national parks where you can enjoy various watersports include Lake Manyara, Rubondo Island, Saanane Island, Gombe Stream, Mahale Mountains and Burigi Chato National Parks.
For wildlife adventures Serengeti, Nyerere, Katavi, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Ruaha, Arusha and Burigi Chato National Parks are best for you and if you are mountain climbers, Kilimanjaro and Arusha National Parks are your best choices.
Know the location of your favorite park. Knowing the location of your favorite park is important because you will arrange your travel destinations precisely. Tanzania has four “circuits” where national parks are located. These are Northern Circuit, Eastern Circuit, Western Circuit and Southern Circuit. The Northern Circuit is spectacular and comprises of splendid parks like Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Tarangire, Mkomazi and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The Eastern Circuit consist of attractive national parks like Saadani, Udzungwa Mountains, Mikumi and Nyerere. The Southern Circuit comprises of wonderful national parks like Kitulo, Ruaha, Katavi while the Western Circuit is endowed with Rubondo Island, Burigi Chato, Saanane Island, Gombe Stream and Mahale Mountains. Every circuit has best means of transport for you to reach safely. However, best international airports for you land are Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO), Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) and Kisauni Airport (ZNZ). From these airports, domestic flights to your destinations are always available on affordable prices, An Ultimate guide for visiting National Parks in Tanzania.
Know about park fees. The Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) is an authority that supervises and imposes new park fees every year. These fees apply yearly from June 2021 to July 2022. Some of the park fees include conservation fees, camping fees, canoeing fees, park accommodation facilities fees, sport fishing fees, boat safari fee, rescue fees, hiking fees, cycling fees, snorkeling fees, canopy walkaway fees, filming fees, horse riding fees, landing fees and entrance fees for museums and antiques among others. While entrance fees are collected in every park gate, some other differ from one park to another. For instance, you won’t be charged a canoeing fee in Serengeti National Park. These fees vary from park to another depending on the fame of a certain park. They also vary from dry season to wet season.
Know the best time to visit. Every park has its best and favorable time for visitors. The best time for visiting most of Tanzanian parks is during dry season; from June to October. Roads are easily passable to vans. There is little or no rains at all. However, during this season many tourists flock into the parks causing high competition for accommodations and other services. The prices of services and park fees are high during this time. Therefore, if you are visiting Tanzania at this time you should be aware of competition and high prices.
During wet season (November to May), most roads are impassable and very few visitors cause the fees and prices to go down. There is no competition for accommodation facilities. Seasonal campsites and some tented camps are closed during this season. This is season is best because; there is no congestion in the parks. You will be enjoying the scenic views of wildlife and other scenes with your company only. This season is accompanied by high population of birds because birds are in their breeding season therefore, even the most migratory birds become non-migratory during wet season (February-April). You will also enjoy low fees and prices for the services during wet season, An Ultimate guide for visiting National Parks in Tanzania.
What is your budget? On planning your visit to Tanzanian parks you should not forget to consider your budget. Your budget defines what kind of activities you will be doing. It also states a best park for you to visit. If you want luxurious safaris and accommodations Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Arusha and Lake Manyara national parks are best choices for you. These parks have luxurious activities and world-class accommodations for VIP. Don’t get me wrong! These parks are not only for high budget visitors; they also have superb services for budget visitors. Your budget is affected by the following factors;
Number people per group: How many friends or colleagues are there in your group? The cost of a safari in any park depends on the number of people per group. Are there adults in your group? How many kids in there? How you will be sharing the rooms? Will you take one combo room or private rooms for everyone? You should also note that; most of the park fees are payable per head. Then, the higher the number of people the higher the fee for your group. However, for a family group this would mean high price to parents, An Ultimate guide for visiting National Parks in Tanzania.
Duration of your trip. Some trips take hours to one day while others are long enough up to 4 weeks. The duration of your trip depends on number of places you want to visit. For instance, if you want to climb Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro on your trip, you should take at least 14 days. During these days, you will be using services. Your budget increases as you stay more. Every safari has its price tag. Combo safaris are always preferred by visitors since they will explore many destinations on a single safari. The cost of a combo safari depends on the destinations you will be visiting. For instance, a combo safari from Serengeti to Mount Kilimanjaro would costlier than a combo safari from Arusha National Park to Tarangire National Park. A 7-day Mount Kilimanjaro climb will be expensive than 7-day stay at Serengeti. Your activities are significant in planning your Tanzania safari.
Tanzanian parks bring you to the world of wonders. Visiting these parks means you are being of world’s spectacular events like the Great Migration which happens in Serengeti National Park. Outside the shores of the Lake Manyara you will witness rare unique carnivores, yes the tree-climbing lions. I can’t skip the wonderful wild animal diversity in various wonderful parks around every corner of this beautiful country. All these are found in Tanzania, an off the beaten track destination for every safari lover. You will enjoy the scenic views of animals, nature and cultures in Tanzania. You won’t regret taking a trip to this majestic East African country
