Tanzania Safari Itinerary

Packages
They offer several packages from 2 to 7 days and a variety of lodging packages with varying prices. For our Tanzania Safari Itinerary, we booked the 5 day safari, which includes an additional day before and after the safari for transportation to and from the airport. We paid 20% up front and the remaining balance in cash after they picked us up. We chose the mid-range lodging package which I would absolutely recommend. It included 2 nights glamping in the Serengeti and on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater where we went to sleep to the sounds of lions, hyenas and elephants that were surrounding our campsites. The tours cost us $1,500 per person, which covered 5 days of safari, transportation from the to and from Arusha and all meals except for the arrival day. For a cheaper option you can book their tenting tours which provide small pup tents and shared restrooms, but I definitely preferred our lodging option..

For Tanzanian safaris you will fly into Kilimanjaro airport (JRO). Be sure to look out your window and if you’re on the correct side of the plan you will see Mt Kilimanjaro well above the clouds. We booked our flights using Google Flights. In my opinion this is the best way to book flights currently. Just enter your start and end point and they scan all the flight options and provide you a calendar with different costs for different dates so that you can choose the most cost effective dates based on your availability. I would strongly suggest researching the airline you choose. We went with Qatar airlines and I would definitely recommend them. The seats were comfortable, they feed you till you are stuffed and they really provide top notch service. One leg of our return flight was with another airline that I won’t name and the seats were cramped and it felt like we were cattle being transported to slaughter so it is definitely important which airline you choose. Qatar airlines flies into Doha Qatar which was voted the nicest airport in the world and it is really nice. If you have a long layover you can visit Doha, Qatar. It is a nice place I’d compare to a small Dubai. It is safe but you should dress appropriately with your arms and legs covered.

Visa
Everyone visiting Tanzania is required to get a $100 visa. You can apply for it before your trip here or you can get it at the airport when you land, but my best visa advice is that it is a long, slow process in the airport (without air conditioning) so don’t stop to use the bathroom and power walk to the front of the line as soon as you get off the airplane or you could be stuck here for an hour and a half.

Getting Shillings
Once you make it through stop at the ATM outside the airport to get shillings. I didn’t see any other atms during my trip, so I’d load up here. Download a currency converting app on your phone to make it easy to figure out how much things cost.

Your ride will meet you outside of the airport holding a sign with your name. From there it is about an hour trip to Arusha which is the starting point for most Tanzanian safari. The ride is interesting with lots of sights to see and you’ll arrive at your hotel. Our hotel, the Tulia Boutique and Spa had excellent food and service at great prices. As a reference a steak dinner should cost you about $12 USD

Mt Kilimanjaro
If you look outside your right window after leaving the airport you will see Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. Don’t see it? Look higher, where the sun should be, and you’ll see the peak.

Maasai Tribe
Along the way you will see herds of cows, donkeys, camels and goats being herded by young Masai boys. The Masai is a tribe of nomadic people who follow the rains and travel as far north as Egypt in their annual migrations.

Safari day 1 we drove to Tangier National Park and it was pure magic. Shortly after entering the park we stopped at a small water hole with a herd of zebras and impalas enjoying a drink. Then a herd of elephants joined and waded into the water. Then a giant herd of wilder beasts joined. The shores were lined with a flock of giant malibu stork cooling themselves off. A couple of giraffes could be seen munching on trees in the distance and a flock of birds were doing a synchronized dance above the water. It was magic. Pure magic that couldn’t have been choreographed better. You do have the option to pick with parks you visit. This was my favorite and I’d definitely recommend adding it to your must see parks. We saw lots more animals and had lunch with monkeys but this was my favorite 30 minutes of the whole trip.

On the 2nd day of our Tanzania Safari Itinerary we drove to the Serengeti … THE Serengeti…and spent 2 days doing game drives. It was a long drive and the roads are bumpy, but sit back and enjoy the Tanzanian massage as they call it. Because it is so far away, tour companies often won’t include the Serengeti on shorter excursions but if you are short on time and want to spend the money there is a small airport right in the park. It was a few more magical days of unspoiled paradise. We got within a few feet of lions (and cubs), jaguars, baboons, hippos, zebras, ostriches, zebras, impalas and wilder beasts. We saw cheetahs chasing game. When we went back to our glamping tent (a very nice accommodation) it was surrounded by zebras and impalas and we went to sleep to the sounds of lions nearby. It was a couple of days that you can’t even completely absorb in the moment because it was so surreal. If you’re going to do a safari you must do the Serengeti. The beauty in the unspoiled nature blew my mind.

On the second day of game driving in the Serengeti we saw hippos for the first time, and enjoyed viewing 100 hippos bathing in a small watering hole. The noises they made sounded like one hippo made a joke and the rest were all laughing at it. We saw thousands of more animals and after another day of game drives we headed to the Ngorongoro Crater, to glamp on the the rim of the crater. As we got ready for dinner we saw the staff shooing off a warthog that trotted into the area in front of the dining hall. After dinner we went to sleep to the sounds of hyenas whooping, and elephants and buffalo grazing a few feet from or tent. Another surreal experience.

On day 4 of our Tanzania Safari Itinerary we ventured into the Ngorongoro Crater, which is referred to as the Garden of Eden and is said to have the highest density of wildlife in Africa, all living in the world’s largest unbroken caldera (erupted and collapsed volcano) in the world. This is where you will find the elusive rhinos in addition to thousands of flamingos and every other animal including lions, hippos, elephants and wilder beasts The only animal you won’t find here are giraffes because they can’t make the steep trek down into the crater. My highlight was seeing the hyenas who circled out safari vehicle. Another surreal day.

On day 5 of our Tanzania Safari Itinerary, we headed to Lake Manyara. In this park we got really close to elephants and baboons because there was a lot of brush so the animals hung out near the road. A giant elephant came right up to us and appeared to ask for a snack. This was also the highest concentration of baboons was saw all trip. There were probably hundreds of them in addition to lots of water buffalo. But if you wanted to save some money and go with a 4 day safari, this is the park I would skip because there is so much vegetation that is is hard to see many animals and the other parks were so epic that this one was a little bit of a let down after seeing all the other parks.