Have you always dreamed of going on safari and following in the footsteps of the “Big Five“?

Tanzania, one of the most animal-rich countries in Africa. Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Tarangire were on our list. We wanted to take the adventure into our own hands and travel through the wilderness with a typical real Safari Land Cruiser. However, we imagined the trip would have been a bit easier and underestimated some situations in the extreme. However let´s start at the beginning. 

The car was brought to us directly to the hotel along with a 1.5 hour briefing. How everything works. And This car was especially converted for such tours.

Tarangire National Park 

Just after the briefing, the adventure started away. The car was provided with food and drinks beforehand, because you never know … more on that later.

Safari Land Cruiser von ARUSHA Safari Rental

To get to the first accommodation Baobab Tented Lodge, we planned to get there in about 4 hours according to the navigation system.

The road was in very good condition up to Lake Manyara. From then on it became critical. Just finding the entrance alone to the national park was not easy, despite having the GPS.

In addition to that, there were high admission prices. To stay overnight in Tarageri National Park you have to pay 246 US dollars per night. Only credit cards are accepted. No cash. In addition, the accommodation prices were added on top.

After we had carried out all the formalities, we could enter the park and from that point on our safari began. In the beginning we actually had a lot of fun. Straight off the bat at the beginning we saw a lot of antelopes, zebras and, giraffes. The farther we went into the park, the worse the roads and access roads became. Fortunately, we had the right car with us. Nevertheless at some point it was no longer possible. Lacking local knowledge of the park, we got stuck and furthermore that was on the very first day. The sun was about to set and we still had 14 km to go. Actually it was no longer possible to come to the lodge independently. Everything that could have been imagined in the worst case scenario had occurred. Murphy’s Law, whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. No cell phone reception, it was getting dark and the elephants were getting closer and closer to us. That was not even funny anymore. So we decided to go back to the gate and then contact the lodge from there. We already thought about spending the first night in the car. Nonetheless the rangers came to the gate in the dark and in a column they brought us safely to the lodge.

Ein unglaublich malerisch schöner Baobab Baum

The next day we decided to go on a safari tour with a guide. Alone we would have gotten lost and would not have found our way back. The safari was very nice and a good decision on our part.

Lake Manyara

This spot was right on our way, because Lake Manyara is located right between the Ngorongoro National Park and the Tarangire National Park, quite far into northern Tanzania.

In our opinion, Lake Manyara National Park was quite small with much better roads. Unfortunately, we had a spot of bad luck with the weather and some access roads were flooded, so that we always came to a dead end and had to look for new alternative routes. From dry areas to the breathtaking salt lake to lush forests, the park has a lot to offer. There are more than 10 different ecosystems in the park and there are animals to be seen everywhere.

Since Lake Manyara is a less well-known tourist destination, the atmosphere in the park is a little quieter.

The Ngorogoro National Park in Tanzania is known for the largest inactive volcanic crater in the world. All the animals that can be imagined in the wild gather here and it is the best place to see the big BIG 5. A magnificent natural spectacle is on display here.

However, we were only able to view the crater from the viewing platform, as we were delayed due to a breakdown and we used Ngorongoro Park as a transit to get to our accommodation in the Serengeti Park.

Serengeti Nationalpark

The Serengeti National Park is one of the oldest and largest national parks in the world with a 15000 km² and is a must for everyone who travels to Tanzania. From that point on we are immersed in a completely different world. “LION KING” . We didn’t even know where to look first. By the way, the roads were great for driving.

As soon as we drove through the gate, we saw seven sleeping lions to the right hand side all the way along, in the grass and they purred to themselves and did not let themselves become alarmed. They yawned and stretched very comfortably and licked their paws. Just crazy! We were pressed for time, but we didn’t miss this sight.

The Serengeti National Park simply enchanted us and transported us to another world. This vastness, this unbelievable sprawling nature and this impressive animal world just left us dumbfounded! We enjoyed every single second in the park.

Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest national park. With a size of around 15,000 km², it is also one of the largest and most famous national parks in the world and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981.

Infobox

Hotel – Lodges

• Gran Melia Arusha
• Baobab Tented Lodge
• Lake Manyara African Safari Glamping

Car Rental

Arusha Car Rental

info@arushacarrental.co.tz

Whats App: +255 782 411622

Visa

Deutsche Staatsangehörige benötigen für die Einreise nach Tansania ein Visum.

Es sollte vor der Einreise bei der Botschaft von Tansania in Berlin bzw. als E-Visum beantragt werden.

Currency

Tanzania Shilling TSH
US-Dollar very popular in this country.
You must pay in any tourism attractions like national parks or immigration
Mostly you must pay cash. Not many ATM´s available

The current course you can look up at Oanda

Languages:

Englisch
Suaheli

Local Time

You can read the local times here

High Season :

The best time for Tansania here

Healthy:

Malaria:
You should looking for a doctor and tell him, which country you visit in the next time.
Malariaprophylaxe is very expensive but the health insurance will pay for it.

Yellow fever:
Yellow fever is very important. Even this will be paid by the health insurance.
Please tell them the situation.
Vaccination card must be available for the entry

Hepatitis:
Check your vaccination card from the doctor. The health insurance will pay for that.

You can read more about this here