Tanzania safaris

Tanzania is one of our most popular holiday destinations in Africa with so much to offer, from the endless Serengeti plains, to the palm-fringed beaches of Zanzibar off its coast to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Whether it's adventure, relaxation, safari or culture you want, Tanzania has it all!
t is a tough job I have. A few months ago I was informed that a trip to Tanzania has been scheduled for me. I failed to convince any of my friends that I was in fact 'working' and not going on holiday but I nevertheless packed my bags for my 'business' trip. I visited in Tanzania at the end of the wet season in May 2008 / June 2008. Arriving into Kilimanjaro Airport I was surprised on my drive to Arusha at how lush and green the area actually is. With the superb background scenery of Mount Meru and the coffee plantations at its foot, you would be forgiven in thinking you were in the equatorial region of central Africa. I had previously thought that a night spent in this area was simply an overnight before or at the end of a safari. Having visited the numerous lodges in the area offering comfortable, even luxury, accommodation I was fully prepared to set myself down for a couple of days and simply relax in the tranquil surroundings of rivers, coffee and banana plantations, exquisite gardens and views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately for me I had a schedule to keep to and after a night recovering from my flight, I was off to my first destination on the Northern Circuit Safari, Lake Manyara.

Only approximately 1 ½ hours drive from Arusha on excellent tarred road, Lake Manyara National Park is a perfect start to a safari in the North. The park is a very scenic park at the base of the Rift Valley Escarpment. Ernest Hemingway called this lake 'the most beautiful in all Africa' and I can certainly understand why. This densely wooded park, famous for its tree-climbing lion, which I did get to see, is also host to plenty of other wildlife from giraffe, buffalo and elephant to the 440 different bird species. The lake itself, filled with flamingos, is a photographer's dream. The highlight for me was being charged by a bull elephant. I haven't stopped watching my video of the incident, laughing at it bumping up and down as our driver put foot and got us clear of his trumpeting charge.

Next stop was the famous Ngorongoro Crater. Set within the beautiful Ngorongoro Conversation Area this volcanic crater is covered with forest and rises to 600m. There are four lodges situated on the rim of the Crater with two decent roads to the floor. Consisting more than 30 000 animals this relatively small area of 265km squared is jam packed. Descending early in the morning we drove through the chilly mists to encounter one of the largest concentrations of animals on the planet. From resident wildebeest and zebra to buffalo, hyena, lion and elephant the Crater is filled with all the big game. If you are lucky enough to spot the endangered black rhino it is the only place in the north that you are likely to catch it. I wasn't so lucky but I got some great snaps of the elusive serval which I was pretty pleased about. The Crater has contrasting scenery taking you from Lake Magadi and its hundreds of flamingo, to the Gorigor Swamp and exquisite Lerai Forest where we kept our eyes peeled for a leopard in the many fever trees. The ascent is steep but as the scenery of the Crater in all its glory unfolds behind you your neck is strained to try to take it all in. Finally you reach the rim and are greeted with the largest unbroken caldera in the world and one of the best photos of your trip.

Moving away from the Crater we made our way to the Serengeti through the dramatic Ngorongoro Conversation Area. With giraffe, Masai herdsman and eland guiding our way we entered the most famous park in the world through the Naabi gate. It is here that you encounter the typical flat plains of the Southern Serengeti that are so familiar from all the wildlife programmes on the television. From Jan to March these plains are filled with the wildebeest and the new calves. The herds had moved north by this stage but we were treated with a few cheetah sightings in the area. This was the start of three unforgettable nights in the Serengeti. We did eventually catch up to the wildebeest and zebra on the move and it is everything and more that you expect it to be. It is difficult to describe how it feels to be literally surrounded by hundreds of these animals. Everywhere you look there are wildebeest or zebra and as far as the eye can see, little dots of animals. It is a joy to sit in the vehicle and just watch the animals and hear their distinctive noises. The zebra with their donkey like crys were particularly entertaining. Catching the wildebeest running in their long columns on video was exciting for me.

But of course the Serengeti was much more than the migration, highlight that it was. I started a list of the wildlife I saw but gave up after a while when I started running out of paper! The sheer volumes and numbers are astounding and unlike anything I had seen before and I have travelled Africa extensively. Again the leopard eluded us much to our disappointment but we did have a wonderful lion sighting, three females and about seven cubs with the male some distance away. One of the best elephant sightings of my life was also in the park. A breeding herd was metres from the car with a couple of babies which were suckling from their mums right in front of my window! Twitchers and amateur birders will never be disappointed in the Serengeti. My list included long crested eagle, marabou stork, hoopoe, white back vultures, grey headed heron and many many more. Moving through plains to the famous 'koppies' or rock outcrops and on to more wooded areas, the Serengeti is entirely contrasting and each area from the south to the Lobo area in the North to the Western Corridor has it own rewards. Whether you choose to stay in a luxury tented camp or a lodge the wildlife experience will be unmatched.

The last stop for me on my Northern Circuit safari was the Tarangire National Park. At this point I didn't think the scenery of the other three parks I had visited could be topped. I was wrong. The Tarangire is a beautiful park! What makes is distinctive is the hundreds of monstrous baobab trees dotting the landscape. Seasonally I visited the park in the 'wrong' season for the wildlife. I saw hundreds of elephants but not much else big game. It is a different story, however, during the dry season when herds of animals migrate into the park attracted by the permanent waters of the Tarangire River. At this time you can expect to see hundreds of animals in the marshlands at any one time. For people with limited time, the Tarangire is hardly a poor substitute to the Serengeti. It is wilder and more rugged and arguably more scenic. As throughout Africa the Tarangire offers incredible sunsets and my last night on safari was treated with one of the most spectacularly orange and pink skies of my life. It is moments like these that I remember why I love this continent so much.

It was then time to travel down to the lesser visited south. With limited time I decided to spend a week concentrating on the largest area of protected land on the continent, the Selous Game Reserve. The area hosts large populations of wildlife but is most famous for hosting 30% of Africa's population of the rare wild dog. 5% of the reserve's total area forms the Selous Tourist Reserve. This area open to tourists has an incredible landscape, the focus of which is the meandering Rufiji River and its associated five lakes connected to each other and the river by numerous narrow streams. The advantage of a safari in the Selous is that you can get out of the vehicle and explore the region by boat or on foot.

From Dar es Salaam I had an exhilarating flight by light aircraft over the Selous into the Siwande airstrip, shooing away a giraffe as we landed. During my five night stay I had four boat excursions along the Rufiji which is teeming with grunting pods of hippos and crocodiles. Along shore in the swampy inlets we also saw giraffe and elephant. But it is the bird life evident along the lakes and the river which is really appealing. Malachite and pied kingfishers, fish eagles, yellow-billed storks and white throated bee eaters are a few you can guarantee sightings of. Inevitably these boat trips culminate in a spectacular sunset casting the tall borassus palms and baobabs into brilliant silhouettes. Having a drink while watching the sky cast brilliant yellows and reds across the landscape is one of those moments in life where you are overwhelmed by the beauty of nature.

My game drives in the Selous were also particularly rewarding. While you do work a lot harder for your game sightings than you do in the north, and due to the lack of vehicles the animals are more skittish, when you do spot the game the adrenalin high is exactly the same. Besides seeing tons of Masai giraffe, lions, waterbuck, impala, white-bearded wildebeest, greater kudu, spotted hyena amongst others, the absolute highlight of my visit was an encounter with a pack of 14 wild dogs. Being so endangered I felt very privileged to see them again (I saw them last year in the Kruger too). Again as the late afternoon game drives came to an end I was astounded by the sky. There is an indescribable light that it casts over this unique park.

Towards the end of my trip I was offered a walking safari. I jumped at the chance as by this stage my behind was slightly numb from plenty of time in the back of a game drive vehicle! With my highly specialist guides I set off for a three hour walk. My heart was in my throat when we encountered a family of elephant passing in front of us. My guide let us know that the male had picked up our scent and we had to hide behind a tree until he had passed. My excitement was at a premium but I felt completely safe in the hands of my guides. It was just wonderful to view these incredible creatures on foot. My walk ended with me sharing a bush breakfast with my guides and a pod of hippos from the nearby lake. Aahh, beats cornflakes in front of the TV any day!

Unfortunately I didn't get an opportunity to avail of one of the most popular activities offered in the Selous, fly camping. Fly camping entails sleeping on a mattress underneath a mosquito net on the shore of a lake or out in the bush. As you can imagine it is a thrilling experience if you have the nerves!

As I had spent a lot of time sleeping in the larger lodges up North I was so pleased to finally sleep under canvas. There is nothing like putting the light out and lying listening out for the slightest of noises outside your tent, or being woken up in the morning to a chorus of hippos and the cry of the fish eagle. One night I heard a growling outside my tent and was convinced it was a leopard. I contemplated trying to attract the attention of my Masai watchman to find out what it was but thought better of it and eventually feel asleep. Another evening I had a bushbaby join me for my shower! One morning while walking behind my Masai guide to breakfast we encountered a bull elephant about 4 metres ahead of us. Of course I was rather fearful but the Masai guard was entirely relaxed knowing the elephant was unperturbed by our presence. As I sat drinking my tea in main tent he was joined by a variety of females and babies and again I thought, what a way to have your breakfast!

Being South African I am familiar with the concept of 'sundowners' which I had missed greatly, living far from home. I will never forget spending my evenings in the Selous, joined by other guests, gin and tonic in hand, watching the African sun go down behind the horizon as the moon and stars make an appearance. Always excited to see the Southern Cross again I remember looking up and thinking I had never seen so many stars! The universe opens itself up for you to get lost in. This is when the stresses of the city seem another world away and you truly relax.

Since my return people have asked me what was the highlight of my trip. To be honest I can't say. The Northern Circuit certainly was an incomparable wildlife spectacle but the Selous was wildest Africa in its purest form. Tanzania is an incredibly beautiful country and there is so much more to it than what I got to see. Whether it is your first safari or your fourth, there is something to suit everyone. Until my next visit to Tanzania, I will continue to explore this wonderful continent of Africa. It's a tough job but someone has to do it.