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 has a size of 770 miles², roughly 8 times smaller than Serengeti National Park. The park contains a variety of habitats, including grassland and tropical rainforest. The park is also home to a wide variety of animals, including over 400 different bird species, and some very rare species of primates which are unique to the park. Unbelievably, despite being relatively unknown compared to the larger parks in Tanzania, Udzungwa has the second largest biodiversity of any national park in Africa. This makes it a great place to stop off for anyone with an interest in African wildlife.

Part of the reason this park isn't as popular as some of the other parks in Tanzania is that it is only accessible on foot. There are no roads within the park, and the terrain is very mountainous. This lends itself poorly to tourism, but makes the park a firm favourite with hikers and extreme trekkers. Fortunately there are also trails which less experienced hikers can take, like the 1 hour Sonjo trek. By far the most popular walk is the Sanje Waterfalls walk, which takes roughly 4 hours to complete and gives walkers the chance to visit the incredible waterfall and even swim in the plunging pool.

Gombe National Park

Gombe National Park (also known as Gombe Stream National Park) is one of the smallest yet most famous parks in Tanzania. The park's claim to fame is that it is where renowned primatologist pioneered her research on chimpanzee behaviour.

Despite the small size of the park and the level of dedication required to access it (you'll need to hire a boat), Gombe remains a popular tourist destination. Aside from the chimpanzee communities, Gombe is also home to a variety of other primates and animals, including snakes, hippopotamus and leopards.

Mikumi National Park

Mikumi is another national park which tends to be overlooked, but is actually the 4th largest in Tanzania, covering an area of over 3,000 km². The landscape and terrain of Mikumi is very similar to that of the Serengeti, in that large parts of the park are fairly inaccessible due to the vegetation.

The best-kept secret about Mikumi is that many guides claim it is the best place to see lions climbing trees, behaviour which is often claimed you'll only find in Lake Manyara.

Saadani National Park

Saadani is officially the 13th Tanzanian national park. It is unique in that it is the only national park in Tanzania to border the sea - a feature which means that often the wildlife you'll find in Saadani are unlike anything you'll find at any of the other parks in Tanzania. Saadani is home to 4 of the 'Big 5' which people generally go to Africa to visit, however it's also home to some rarer animals like Dik-Diks, Nile Monitors and a wide variety of monkeys.

Saadani is geographically the closest park to Dar Es Salaam, making it very straightforward to get to and popular with tourists. The other big draw of the park is the beach area which connects the sea and the rest of the park, and boasts truly stunning views across the sea. Zanzibar is only a short distance over the water, so if you have the time then we'd recommend trips to Villa MB by Xanadu Collection or The Residence Zanzibar.

Mahale Mountains National Park

Although Gombe might be more famous for being the home of chimpanzees due to all the work Jane Goodall has dedicated her life to, Mahale National Park is actually the place to head if you're interested in seeing wild chimpanzees. The chimpanzee population in the park is the largest known population in the world, and it is often believed that the remoteness of the park has played a big part in allowing the chimpanzees to flourish.

There are several unique characteristics of Mahale National Park - firstly, it is the only place in the world where chimpanzees and lions co-exist. Furthermore, there are no roads so it is one of the few African national parks which must be accessed by foot. Visitors to the park must access via boat over Lake Tanganyika.

National Parks Near Tanzania

Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park was the first national park established in Kenya way back in 1946, and despite it's age many people still consider to be the best in the country. As it's south of Nairobi, it is well within travelling distance of Tanzania. Much of the appeal of the park is the location as it makes it very convenient to travel to - the buildings in Nairobi are clearly visible from the park grounds.

Nairobi National Park is known as one of the most successful rhino sanctuaries in East Africa, and the park is home to a variety of wildlife despite the relatively small size of the park in comparison to parks elsewhere in Africa. This includes cheetahs, hippopotamus and lions.

The park is still considered to be the number one tourist attraction in Nairobi by many, and is very popular with school trips and tourists.

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 which 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 might be based in Kenya, but it's so close to the Tanzanian border that if you've got the time it could be worth a visit. As one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya, it does have a reputation with the locals, but has never been quite as popular with tourists. Tsavo East National Park borders the Chyulu Hills National Park. One of the biggest draws of the park are the so called 'Tsavo Lions', a population whose males usually lack a mane, the reason for which is unknown. As one of the largest game reserves in the world there are plenty of other animals at the park, including elephants, giraffes and leopards. If you're visiting Tsavo East, then you'll be within travelling distance of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The park is also home to the slightly scary but still impressive Yatta Plateau, the world's longest lava flow. the flow stretches to almost 300km and was formed by lava from Ol Doinyo Sabuk mountain. If you've got the time, you could also make the trip to the Arusha Coffee Lodge, which is only a stone throw away.

Rwenzori Mountains National Park

Based in Uganda, Rwenzori National Park is definitely within travelling distance from Tanzania if you can catch a flight, and could be worth the trip if you have a keen interest in plant life. It is known for having the 3rd highest mountain peak in Africa, and is home to a variety of waterfalls, lakes and even glaciers. Although the park is home to a wide spectrum of animals, it is mostly known for it's botany.

It is also worth noting that due to the mountainous terrain, sturdy footwear is definitely 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, if only to see the incredible Moremi Game Reserve, which is a protected area at the Eastern side of the Okavango Delta. It's not a national park, it's a game reserve, which means it is much smaller than most wildlife areas in East Africa. However despite the size of Moremi Game Reserve (under 5,000 square kilometers), it is home to an incredibly diverse range of wildlife.

Cape Buffalo, Angolan Giraffe, Black Rhinoceros and more can be found in the Moremi Game Reserve. One of the biggest draws of the reserve is how easily it can be explored - 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!