TANZANIAN SAFARI CIRCUITS

Wednesday, 30.Nov 2022

Tanzania has too much to offer! To make it easier to plan your trip, Tanzania has been divided into regional circuits – all offering breathtaking landscapes, intriguing wildlife and a plethora of exciting Safari activities! The two main Tanzania Safari circuit are northern and southern, but to give a comprehensive guide, we will also cover the western safari circuit as well as the coastal circuit.

The Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) has gazette circuit national parks which, with surrounding game reserves, concessions and aquatic reserves in the north, east, south and west, covers a quarter of the country, which would take a lifetime to explore every not of it. But, what do you want from your safari vacations in Tanzania? Close encounters of the predatory kind? Beautiful landscape? Rich wildlife? Novel experiences adventures, varied ethnic cultures, activities and food? Spiritual growth? It’s all here in Tanzania.

                                  NORTHERN SAFARI CIRCUIT

Northern safari circuit encompasses some of Africa’s most iconic parks and reserves including Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Kilimanjaro National Park, Arusha National Park, and the Great Rift Valley Lakes Natron and Eyasi. Due to the popularity of these parks, the northern Safari circuit harbors more tourists than any other circuit in Tanzania. Sometimes, especially during peak seasons, it is not uncommon to see plenty of vehicles in one area. 

The northern Safari circuit is bookended by Lake Victoria and Rubondo island in the west and Mount Kilimanjaro in the east. To the north lies the Kenyan border with the Maasai Mara and Amboseli reserves located just across the frontier. 

Tarangire National Park is regarded as the most southerly, tourist attraction in this diverse and breathtaking safari region. Within a relatively compact geographical area, safari goers will have access to a multitude of the iconic parks and major tourist attractions, including the Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater, Oldupai Gorge, Lake Natron, Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano, Mount Meru.

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The great thing about the northern Safari circuit is, parks are accessible by roads and so it’s easy to drive from one park to another. Since visitors usually spend a lot of time on the road during their game drives game and some roads can be dusty or muddy, closed vehicles with pop-up roofs are typically used in this area. The op-up roofs and large windows allows excellent game viewing while maintaining safety and comfort throughout the trip.

The world famous Big Five is also a common sighting all year-round, and a lot of accommodation options ranging from budget camps to luxury lodges and exclusive tented camps are widely offered. Also adventurous travelers who aim to take their once in a life time trip to greater heights can easily trek the world-famous Mount Kilimanjaro or the crater of Mount Meru.

                          SOURTHERN SAFARI CIRCUIT

Southern safari circuit 

The southern part presents a wide range of experience, from savannah wetland, walking safari to river experience.

The southern of Tanzania is mostly a destination for every visitor. The southern can also be combined with the Serengeti in the northern or linked with the west if time and budget allow. The southern circuit includes parks and reserves that can be visited using Dar es Salaam as a starting point. There’s Saadani National Park north of Dar es Salaam, then two hours to the west the little park of Mikumi on both sides of the highway that meanders down to Iringa and Mbeya and eventually to Zambia or northern Malawi. The Selous Game Reserve to the south of Mikumi is great for river experience on the Rufiji River and also for walking safari. Udzungwa Mountains National Park ia all about forests, waterfalls and weid endlemics, while Ruaha National Park just west of Iringa is the game of the southern circuit.

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A Southern Tanzania Safari is very highly regarded by safari enthusiasts for a good number of reasons. Firstly the game viewing – these offer a good variety and density of game, an interesting crossover of eastern and southern Africa species, and plenty of predator action. In addition, open sided safari vehicles enhance the viewing experience, in contrast to the closed-sided vehicle used in the north.

Secondly the huge parks and reserves offer visitors an uncrowded and more exclusive game viewing experience with few vehicle and tourists (the contrast with the more crowded northern parks is stark) and a good sense of the vastness of the africa wilderness. Fanally, the south and west of Tanzania offer a wide range of activities than available in the tightly-regulated national parksof the north, as well as the usual day time game drives, there are walking safari, boating safari, fly camping and even mountain trekking to find wild chimpanzees!

                             EASTERN SAFARI CIRCUIT

Eastern safari circuit

Tanzania is not all bout wildlife, there is also a slice of tropical paradise on this side of the world in the coastal lands and towns of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia you can find some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, most extravagant diving spots, and fantastic historical experiences.

Zanzibar is the most popular beach and honeymoon destination in Tanzania. It features clear, turquoise-blue water, shallow sandbars, and many small islands. Aside from the gorgeous stretches of white sand beaches and the many diving and fishing sports, Zanzibar also have many historical and cultural areas including the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Stone Town. You can easily revel in the beauty of this island from other parts of Africa and even other parts of the world.

The Tanzania eastern circuit is the smallest safari zone of all the Tanzania sanctuary zones behind the southern tourism circuit, but it has its own charm and attractions to offer those willing to discover this hidden and little Tanzania tourism zone. In comparison to the visitors that visit the northern safari circuit, the eastern safari zone in Tanzania is somewhat isolated, and its remote path is frequented by many tourists, there are numerous advantage to taking this route when it comes to tourism. the following national parks make up Tanzania’s eastern safari circuit: Saadani national park, Mikumi national park, Udzungwa Mountains, and Nyerere National Park

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The benefit of the eastern circuit is that it offers visitors based in a unique experience of beach, meets the bush, a chance to see the wildlife and scenery the country has to offer, unlike the northern parks. The saadani and Mikumi grow in popularity every year, and the Mafia Island Marine parks is fast becoming a hot destination in the Indian ocean. The national park, game reserve, and marine parks of the eastern circuit are perfect weekend retreats for guests on business related trips to Dar es salaam, Arusha,or Zanzibar.

This location provides an excellent variety and density of game, as well as a unique mix of eastern and southern Africa species with plenty of predator action. Second, the enormous parks and reserves provide visitors with an uncrowded and more exclusive wildlife viewing experience, with few other vehicles and people (a dramatic contrast to the more congested northern parks).

                          WESTERN SAFARI CIRCUIT

 Western Safari Circuit

Come here to see chimps, and experience nature locations that are off the beaten track. The western circuit embrance the parks along Lake Tanganyika, the western border of Tanzania with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The vast space in a remote natural location makes the circuit worth a visit. Gombe stream National Park was made famous by Jane Goodll’s research on its chimpanzee population and subsequent habituation. Mahale Mountains National Park further south, on the shores of the gin-clear water of Lake Tanganyika, is a more authentic chimpanzee experience and highly recommended. You’ll have to go further to find the chimpanzee but you’ll get a better ide of how chimps are in the wild than by observing them at feeding pens. Katavi National Park is another 150km towards the south-east of Mahale and probably gets fewer than 500 tourists in a year.

Also the western circuit is exclusive with its unique parks that are teeming with wildlife. It is the address of Tanzania on spotting primates in the country. The Gombe National Park , Mahale National Park, and Rubondo Island Park provide amazing views of Chimpanzee families. Apart from primate, the western circuit offer a un-spoilt wildlife viewing in its various National parks game reserves.

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The best thing about western circuit it is a very rewarding safari, it offers you a prominent for primates and other animals such as chimpanzee, olive baboon, and animals like lions, elephants, leopards, zebras, and many more. Through western safari circuit is situated in a remote area, the circuit offers different kind of safari experience which is fundamental reasons to why you should include it on your safari itinerary to Tanzania.