Chimbuvu
JF-Expert Member
- Jul 17, 2012
- 4,401
- 2,333
reasons to not visit TANZANIA
1. Malaria
The whole of Tanzania is malarial and virtually all international visitors take anti-malarial prophylaxis and other precautions. If you want to avoid malarial areas then for safari you should perhaps look to Madikwe or the Eastern Cape in South Africa or large parts of Namibia where the climate is so dry that most of the country is largely non-malarial. For tropical beaches you may need to look as far afield as Seychelles.
2. Adverse weather in March, April and May
In most parts of Tanzania rain is viewed very much as a blessing; but most international visitors tend to try to avoid the rain.
The long rains fall in most areas between March and May, usually peaking in April. If you have to safari at this time and really want to avoid the rains, then you may do better to look at countries such as Namibia or South Africa, possibly Northern Kenya. For beaches then Seychelles or South Africa.
Those who do brave the weather will be rewarded by parks filled with flowers, young animals and virtually no other visitors. May in particular is a wonderful time of to be out in the Northern Parks.
3. High Price
Tanzania is by no means the most expensive country in which to safari (Botswana, Kenya and Zambia are all more expensive when comparing lodges of similar standards), but for the majority of visitors cost remains a considerable issue.
One of the best aspects of a Tanzania holiday is that there is a really good range of accommodation options covering a broad price spectrum, which makes it easier for us to tailor trips to meet specific budgets. Visitors wanting to spend less should try to limit the number of nights out on safari, since these are almost always the most costly elements. For a safari in the Northern Parks in particular, it is easy to pad around the edges with some high quality but lower cost nights in coffee plantation lodges around Arusha and Karatu. But the best single way to keep the budget down is to spend more nights on the coast, where accommodation both on the beaches and in the towns is inherently lower cost.
If, after having looked into all these cost saving techniques, travel to Tanzania still continues to be too pricey, then it may be worth looking at self-drive trips in Namibia and South Africa.
Other lower cost options which we do not generally offer are mass-market minibus safaris, overland trucks and backpacking. You would have to look elsewhere for these.
4. International Flights, Availability & Cost
Compared with Kenya and South Africa, Tanzania is not very well served by international flights. Tickets can be difficult to get hold of and expensive. In peak seasons (Aug and Dec/Jan) it is often the longhaul flights that run out first, even when there is still a good deal of lodge and safari capacity remaining on the ground. Visitors often book their flights nine months or a year in advance for these busy periods, sometimes only contacting us to make accommodation bookings nearer the time.
Tanzania can also be relatively awkward for some people to access. From North America it is usually necessary to fly via Europe or South Africa, both of which are a bit round-the-houses. From Australasia flights route via Johannesburg, leaving a further long flight up into East Africa, although there are now alternatives via Dubai. From South America flights usually route through South Africa as well, or even through Europe.
5. Does not combine well with Southern Africa
We are often asked to combine a short Serengeti safari with a visit to the Victoria Falls. These two locations are 1500km apart, so would not make an ideal combination even if they were well connected; but the reality is that East Africa is very poorly connected to Southern Africa. In order to make that particular journey, it is necessary to fly via Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg, a journey of 4500km, taking the best part of two days, with an overnight at a city hotel. Similarly we are often asked to combine a Serengeti safari with Cape Town, also a two day journey of almost 5000km. Compare that with the longhaul leg 7200km London to Kilimanjaro - bear in mind that this is a direct flight whilst these are much more complicated and it is plain to see that these journeys are very significant undertakings.
There is absolutely no problem combining East and Southern Africa into one trip, we do this a lot for our guests, but it only generally starts to make sense for trip durations of at least 3 to 4 weeks. Shorter trips we usually advise concentrating on one region. As we always say to people on their first trip to Africa ... "Don't worry you are going to be back!". One needs to think about a 'safari career' and it is rarely ideal to try to pack everything into a single trip.
The general rule of thumb is the less time you spend in each location, the more shallow will be the experience.
6. Safari elements which are better done in other countries
Whilst Tanzania does have a fabulous array of safari locations, there are some safari activities which are simply better done elsewhere ...
... Canoe safari is not generally available, for this one needs to look towards Lower Zambezi, Mana Pools and Okavango.
... Horseback safari is generally better serviced in Macatoo Camp in Okavango and various locations in Kenya.
... Elephant back safari is not available, refer to Abu Camp in Okavango, Camp Jabulani in Kruger and Thorntree Lodge in Livingstone.
... Animal hides are rare, if not completely absent, these are much better represented at Kaingo Camp in South Luangwa and at various camps in Hwange.
7. Migration on Kenyan Side
Historically one of the biggest reasons to not go on a Tanzanian safari was because, in August and September, the wildebeest and zebra migration moves north from the Serengeti, across the border into the Masai Mara. Because the border between the parks is closed, a good proportion of visitors therefore choose to do their whole safari on the Kenyan side. There are four reasons not to make this decision ...
Firstly, we are of the opinion that safari on the Tanzanian side of the border is generally better. The landscapes are more interesting, the game more intense, the reserves are contiguous rather than separated by vast distances and the safari rather more upmarket. Locations such as the Serengeti Plains and Ngorongoro Crater tend to be places people do not want to miss.
Secondly, in recent years it has been discovered that the migration does not actually cross the border at this time, but straddles it. The extreme north of the Serengeti, which was previous off limits, has now been opened up and has several very high quality tented camps, offering migration action in an environment virtually devoid of vehicles, in stark contrast with the busy Kenyan side. Although this is a high cost option, out of the range of the majority of visitors.
Thirdly, there is so much animal action taking place elsewhere on the Tanzanian side of the border during August and September, notably the highest density of big cats in Africa at this time in Seronera and vast herds of elephant gathering in Tarangire. It is not uncommon to skip the migration completely and still have an astounding safari.
Fourthly, it is possible to do a cross border safari by driving west out of the parks and using the main road crossing close to Lake Victoria. We often arrange safaris of this type, although it should be noted that they tend to be quite arduous in terms of the sheer distances that need to be covered, they need to be at least 8 or 9 nights in order to make it worthwhile and they tend to be more expensive due to high vehicle charges.
8. Not the best at easy luxury safari
A Tanzania safari can include some very high quality lodges, comparable with the finest the Africa has to offer. But they do tend to be rather more outdoorsy and rather more complicated to access than comparable lodges elsewhere.
Visitors looking for an easy and comfortable safari experience, with direct flight access into the camps, the highest standards of accommodation, hosting and food, plus safari activities which readily deliver great game sightings for little effort need to look elsewhere.
The most obvious location is the Kruger Private Reserves, which can be easily accessed by air from Johannesburg and which can deliver big five safaris virtually every day of the year. What these lodges lack in terms of wilderness and authenticity, they make up for in ease and comfort. They also need not be too expensive.
The ultimate super-luxury lodges are to be found in Botswana. Air access is a little more complicated, although not too arduous, the area is a genuine wilderness and the camps are of the highest quality. The only real problem is the price, which is right at the upper end of the spectrum.
source africatravelresource.com
1. Malaria
The whole of Tanzania is malarial and virtually all international visitors take anti-malarial prophylaxis and other precautions. If you want to avoid malarial areas then for safari you should perhaps look to Madikwe or the Eastern Cape in South Africa or large parts of Namibia where the climate is so dry that most of the country is largely non-malarial. For tropical beaches you may need to look as far afield as Seychelles.
2. Adverse weather in March, April and May
In most parts of Tanzania rain is viewed very much as a blessing; but most international visitors tend to try to avoid the rain.
The long rains fall in most areas between March and May, usually peaking in April. If you have to safari at this time and really want to avoid the rains, then you may do better to look at countries such as Namibia or South Africa, possibly Northern Kenya. For beaches then Seychelles or South Africa.
Those who do brave the weather will be rewarded by parks filled with flowers, young animals and virtually no other visitors. May in particular is a wonderful time of to be out in the Northern Parks.
3. High Price
Tanzania is by no means the most expensive country in which to safari (Botswana, Kenya and Zambia are all more expensive when comparing lodges of similar standards), but for the majority of visitors cost remains a considerable issue.
One of the best aspects of a Tanzania holiday is that there is a really good range of accommodation options covering a broad price spectrum, which makes it easier for us to tailor trips to meet specific budgets. Visitors wanting to spend less should try to limit the number of nights out on safari, since these are almost always the most costly elements. For a safari in the Northern Parks in particular, it is easy to pad around the edges with some high quality but lower cost nights in coffee plantation lodges around Arusha and Karatu. But the best single way to keep the budget down is to spend more nights on the coast, where accommodation both on the beaches and in the towns is inherently lower cost.
If, after having looked into all these cost saving techniques, travel to Tanzania still continues to be too pricey, then it may be worth looking at self-drive trips in Namibia and South Africa.
Other lower cost options which we do not generally offer are mass-market minibus safaris, overland trucks and backpacking. You would have to look elsewhere for these.
4. International Flights, Availability & Cost
Compared with Kenya and South Africa, Tanzania is not very well served by international flights. Tickets can be difficult to get hold of and expensive. In peak seasons (Aug and Dec/Jan) it is often the longhaul flights that run out first, even when there is still a good deal of lodge and safari capacity remaining on the ground. Visitors often book their flights nine months or a year in advance for these busy periods, sometimes only contacting us to make accommodation bookings nearer the time.
Tanzania can also be relatively awkward for some people to access. From North America it is usually necessary to fly via Europe or South Africa, both of which are a bit round-the-houses. From Australasia flights route via Johannesburg, leaving a further long flight up into East Africa, although there are now alternatives via Dubai. From South America flights usually route through South Africa as well, or even through Europe.
5. Does not combine well with Southern Africa
We are often asked to combine a short Serengeti safari with a visit to the Victoria Falls. These two locations are 1500km apart, so would not make an ideal combination even if they were well connected; but the reality is that East Africa is very poorly connected to Southern Africa. In order to make that particular journey, it is necessary to fly via Arusha, Dar es Salaam and Johannesburg, a journey of 4500km, taking the best part of two days, with an overnight at a city hotel. Similarly we are often asked to combine a Serengeti safari with Cape Town, also a two day journey of almost 5000km. Compare that with the longhaul leg 7200km London to Kilimanjaro - bear in mind that this is a direct flight whilst these are much more complicated and it is plain to see that these journeys are very significant undertakings.
There is absolutely no problem combining East and Southern Africa into one trip, we do this a lot for our guests, but it only generally starts to make sense for trip durations of at least 3 to 4 weeks. Shorter trips we usually advise concentrating on one region. As we always say to people on their first trip to Africa ... "Don't worry you are going to be back!". One needs to think about a 'safari career' and it is rarely ideal to try to pack everything into a single trip.
The general rule of thumb is the less time you spend in each location, the more shallow will be the experience.
6. Safari elements which are better done in other countries
Whilst Tanzania does have a fabulous array of safari locations, there are some safari activities which are simply better done elsewhere ...
... Canoe safari is not generally available, for this one needs to look towards Lower Zambezi, Mana Pools and Okavango.
... Horseback safari is generally better serviced in Macatoo Camp in Okavango and various locations in Kenya.
... Elephant back safari is not available, refer to Abu Camp in Okavango, Camp Jabulani in Kruger and Thorntree Lodge in Livingstone.
... Animal hides are rare, if not completely absent, these are much better represented at Kaingo Camp in South Luangwa and at various camps in Hwange.
7. Migration on Kenyan Side
Historically one of the biggest reasons to not go on a Tanzanian safari was because, in August and September, the wildebeest and zebra migration moves north from the Serengeti, across the border into the Masai Mara. Because the border between the parks is closed, a good proportion of visitors therefore choose to do their whole safari on the Kenyan side. There are four reasons not to make this decision ...
Firstly, we are of the opinion that safari on the Tanzanian side of the border is generally better. The landscapes are more interesting, the game more intense, the reserves are contiguous rather than separated by vast distances and the safari rather more upmarket. Locations such as the Serengeti Plains and Ngorongoro Crater tend to be places people do not want to miss.
Secondly, in recent years it has been discovered that the migration does not actually cross the border at this time, but straddles it. The extreme north of the Serengeti, which was previous off limits, has now been opened up and has several very high quality tented camps, offering migration action in an environment virtually devoid of vehicles, in stark contrast with the busy Kenyan side. Although this is a high cost option, out of the range of the majority of visitors.
Thirdly, there is so much animal action taking place elsewhere on the Tanzanian side of the border during August and September, notably the highest density of big cats in Africa at this time in Seronera and vast herds of elephant gathering in Tarangire. It is not uncommon to skip the migration completely and still have an astounding safari.
Fourthly, it is possible to do a cross border safari by driving west out of the parks and using the main road crossing close to Lake Victoria. We often arrange safaris of this type, although it should be noted that they tend to be quite arduous in terms of the sheer distances that need to be covered, they need to be at least 8 or 9 nights in order to make it worthwhile and they tend to be more expensive due to high vehicle charges.
8. Not the best at easy luxury safari
A Tanzania safari can include some very high quality lodges, comparable with the finest the Africa has to offer. But they do tend to be rather more outdoorsy and rather more complicated to access than comparable lodges elsewhere.
Visitors looking for an easy and comfortable safari experience, with direct flight access into the camps, the highest standards of accommodation, hosting and food, plus safari activities which readily deliver great game sightings for little effort need to look elsewhere.
The most obvious location is the Kruger Private Reserves, which can be easily accessed by air from Johannesburg and which can deliver big five safaris virtually every day of the year. What these lodges lack in terms of wilderness and authenticity, they make up for in ease and comfort. They also need not be too expensive.
The ultimate super-luxury lodges are to be found in Botswana. Air access is a little more complicated, although not too arduous, the area is a genuine wilderness and the camps are of the highest quality. The only real problem is the price, which is right at the upper end of the spectrum.
source africatravelresource.com