Tanzania Insider's Guide

The ultimate Tanzania safari insider's guide. We've included everything you could need, from important travel requirements to insider tips we've picked up on our extensive travels through this amazing country.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa National Park (770 km²) boasts the second largest biodiversity in Africa, despite being relatively unknown and only accessible on foot. The park is home to diverse habitats (grassland, rainforest) and a wide array of animals, including over 400 bird species and unique, rare primates found nowhere else. This makes it a great destination for wildlife enthusiasts. While the park is roadless and mountainous (appealing to hikers), it offers trails like the 1-hour Sonjo trek and the popular 4-hour Sanje Waterfalls walk.

Gombe National Park

Gombe National Park (also known as Gombe Stream National Park) is one of Tanzania's smallest yet most famous parks. The park is famous as the site where renowned primatologist Jane Goodall pioneered her chimpanzee behaviour research. Despite its small size and the need to access it by boat, Gombe remains a popular tourist destination. Aside from its chimpanzee communities, Gombe is also home to a variety of other primates and animals, including snakes, hippopotamuses, and leopards.

Mikumi National Park

Mikumi is another often-overlooked national park that is actually the 4th largest in Tanzania, covering over 3,000 km². Mikumi's landscape and terrain are very similar to the Serengeti, with large, relatively inaccessible areas due to vegetation. The best-kept secret about Mikumi is that many guides claim it's the best place to see lions climbing trees, a behaviour often attributed only to Lake Manyara.

Saadani National Park

Saadani, Tanzania's 13th national park and the closest to Dar Es Salaam (making it easily accessible and popular), uniquely borders the sea. This coastal location results in distinct wildlife compared to other Tanzanian parks. Besides being home to four of the 'Big 5' that attract many visitors to Africa, Saadani also boasts stunning sea views from its beach area, which connects the park and the ocean. With Zanzibar a short distance across the water, a trip to Villa MB by Xanadu Collection or The Residence Zanzibar, is a highly recommended addition if time allows.

Mahale Mountains National Park

While Gombe National Park is widely known as the home of Jane Goodall's chimpanzee research, Mahale National Park is actually the premier destination for observing wild chimpanzees. Boasting the world's largest known wild chimpanzee population, the park's remoteness is often credited for their flourishing numbers. Mahale National Park possesses several unique characteristics. Notably, it is the only place globally where chimpanzees and lions coexist. Furthermore, being roadless, it stands as one of the few African national parks accessible solely on foot, requiring visitors to arrive by boat across Lake Tanganyika.

National Parks Near Tanzania

Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park, Kenya's first, established in 1946 and still considered its finest, lies south of Nairobi, making it easily accessible from Tanzania. Its convenient location offers the unique experience of wildlife viewing against the backdrop of the city skyline. Renowned as a leading rhino sanctuary in East Africa, the park also shelters diverse wildlife like cheetahs, hippos, and lions, despite its smaller size. It remains a top Nairobi attraction, popular with tourists and school groups.

Just a short walk (under 30 meters) from the park's entrance is the Nairobi Safari Walk. This elevated boardwalk, spanning over 25 acres, provides a relaxed safari alternative, showcasing Kenya's varied ecosystems from savannah to wetlands. It's an ideal spot to observe monkeys, big cats, and zebra. Open daily with tickets at the entrance, guided tours are available. While children are welcome, be aware that the walk can be challenging.

Mara Naboisho

Located in Kenya across from the Masai Mara National Reserve, this private conservancy is a ground breaking project of tourism benefiting conservation and community. With its high concentration of wildlife, visitors can enjoy exceptional wildlife encounters while also knowing that by visiting the conservancy, they are supporting the survival of countless species of African wildlife. If you visit the conservancy, you'll likely see big cats - Mara Naboisho has an impressive number of big cats - as well as rarer species like Aardvark, Ratel and Serval. The conservancy covers roughly 50,000 acres, and not only helps to preserve the local wildlife, it also helps to support the local Masaai community. Staying at the conservancy helps to fund projects like helping Masaai locals to become guides, as well as supporting local schools and healthcare.

Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru National Park might not be as popular as Nairobi National Park, but it is generally considered to be a much more visually striking park. This is helped by what the park is perhaps most famous for – the millions of flamingos who congregate there and are frequently seen nesting on the shores of the lake. Equally impressive is the fenced-off sanctuary portion of the park, which is home to both black and white rhinos.

The park is situated right in the middle of the Great Rift Valley, making it an ideal spot for hiking. The varied terrain also makes the park popular, with a range of wildlife, from lions to zebras. Another thing the park is known for are the slightly spooky drowned trees, caused by rising water levels during 2014.

Tsavo East National Park

Tsavo East National Park, while in Kenya, is so close to the Tanzanian border it's worth considering a visit. One of Kenya's oldest and largest parks, it's locally well-known but less touristy. It borders Chyulu Hills National Park. A key attraction is the 'Tsavo Lions', whose males typically lack manes for unknown reasons. As a vast game reserve, the park also hosts elephants, giraffes, and leopards. Mount Kilimanjaro is within travelling distance. The park is also home to the impressive Yatta Plateau, the world's longest lava flow (nearly 300 km), formed by lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk mountain. Arusha Coffee Lodge is also nearby.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Located in Uganda, Rwenzori National Park is within traveling distance from Tanzania by flight and could be worth the trip if you have a keen interest in plant life. The park is known for having the third-highest mountain peak in Africa and is home to a variety of waterfalls, lakes, and even glaciers. While it hosts a wide range of animals, it is primarily known for its botany.

It’s also important to note that, due to the mountainous terrain, sturdy footwear is highly recommended. Fortunately, you don’t need to trek to the top of the mountains to enjoy the wildlife, as there is plenty to see and do at the lower levels of the park.

Moremi Game Reserve

If you can catch a flight to Botswana from Tanzania, it'll take you around 2 and a half hours by plane. The trip can be well worth the effort, even if just to see the incredible Moremi Game Reserve, a protected area on the eastern side of the Okavango Delta. It's not a national park; it's a game reserve, making it much smaller than most wildlife areas in East Africa. However, despite its size (under 5,000 square kilometres), Moremi Game Reserve is home to an incredibly diverse range of wildlife, including Cape Buffalo, Angolan Giraffe, and Black Rhinoceros. One of the biggest draws of the reserve is its ease of exploration – you can travel by 4x4, by foot, or even by mokoro (a dug-out canoe). This place is well worth a visit if you have the time!