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Tanzanian Safaris with STT

Safari Tours Tanzania (STT) has developed a safari programme that transposes our love of adventure and our unique perspective on the outdoors, into the incomparable domain of some of the greatest and most dramatic adventurous safari venues in the world; the national parks and conserved areas of northern Tanzania, and the renowned game regions of Kenya.

Visitors with us to Tanzania are invited to choose from an array of unique and unforgettable safaris that include watching lions hunt over the endless plains of the Serengeti through which the famous wildebeest migration passes into Kenya’s Masai Mara; sighting the rare Black Rhino in the ‘Lost World’ of the Ngorongoro Crater floor; or experiencing the thrill of a close encounter with the giraffe and elephants of Lake Manyara or Tarangire.

Planning Your Safari

We are sensitive to the fact that there’s a great deal to take in and research when planning a Tanzania safari holiday, and visitors will probably be concerned that in opting to visit a handful of parks or areas that they like the sound of or have heard or read good things about, they should not be missing out on other areas that a better-informed planner would be sure to include. At a glance then, the national parks mentioned on this page are the main places that traditionally characterise a trip to Tanzania, and which readers are invited to strongly consider as elements within their chosen itinerary. Beyond these, there are of course a great deal of other venues well worth visiting, and exciting activities to participate in, but we recommend these aspects as the standard start point from which to begin planning.

Camping Safaris

While many have heard great things about hospitality providers on Tanzania safari tours and have a pre-determined interest in staying in lodges, a good proportion of visitors travelling with us will choose to camp in our lightweight tents. Since we do not have to subcontract and have our own staff and equipment and can operate safaris on any day of the year, with very little notice, camping is particularly recommended for last minute bookings where there is no remaining time to secure accommodation at lodges that are already fully booked. Indeed, many simply prefer the independence, customisation, flexibility and control that comes with lightweight camping.

Generally, for very short safaris of two or three days, there is little or no cost advantage in camping as additional staffing and a base level of provisions have to be provided, whereas for longer tours there are often very attractive savings to be made when opting to camp. Please note that camping safaris involve the use of synthetic lightweight tents that we carry and erect ourselves and are not to be confused with the large canvas tents to be found at permanent tented camp sites.

Private Safaris

The majority of STT’s safaris are operated on a private safari basis, where say, a couple, a close group of friends, or families will prefer to travel independently of anyone they do not already know. Since our tours are priced per person on a sliding scale that reduces as the number of subscribers increases, readers should be aware that the quoted prices are essentially all to be understood as being per person for passengers in a private 4 x 4.

Group Safaris

Occasionally, we are approached by solo travellers or two friends that are willing to forge new friendships and travel with people they do not already know, in the interests of having a more varied experience and in reducing costs. Those keen to join a group or try to form one of their own, are invited to advertise their intentions on Team Kilimanjaro’s Facebook site.

Active & Cultural Adventures

For those who enjoy game viewing and want to see the Big Five but who prefer not to remain in vehicles and choose to interact directly with the African environment and it’s inhabitants, we offer a series of thoroughly enjoyable and varied itineraries that - while of course featuring the more standard game viewing areas - also incorporate the road less-travelled with elements such as living amongst the Bushmen of Lake Eyasi and being taught the authentic survival skills on which the tiny Hadzabe Tribe have depended for thousands of years; or challenging oneself with a dawn ascent of the sacred mountain of the Maasai people whose traditional bomas we visit and into whose fascinating lives we offer an insight. Whatever your preferences for a safari in Tanzania or Kenya, our coordinators will be delighted to get you started on your planning phase.

View prices and itineraries >>>

Tanzania Safari Lodges

When selecting a tour some will request a safari itinerary that incorporates a specified list of destinations and national parks, while others will have heard good things about a particular lodge or tented camp. Those wanting to begin their research from a chosen lodge and spiral outwards and plan to reach venues from that start point, are invited to visit our safari accommodation pages.

Serengeti

Made famous for many by such children’s films as ‘Lion King’, the Serengeti is one of Africa’s final remaining vast wilderness areas where nature is free to interact in its wild state. While we understand that many are unhappy to leave Africa without having visited the Serengeti, we nonetheless caution that because of the distances involved in reaching Serengeti National Park from Arusha, the starting point for safaris, and Africa’s safari capital, we urge prospective travellers to consider an itinerary of no fewer than five days if wanting to incorporate a Serengeti safari, otherwise too much of the trip will feel like a transit. Alternatively, please ask your coordinator to price an itinerary for you that makes use of a flight to Serengeti, or back from Serengeti, as this will shave 7 hours off your transits and effectively buy you an additional day’s holiday.

Read about the Serengeti >>>

Ngorongoro

Except where travellers have only one day to spend on safari after, say, a climb up Kilimanjaro, we strongly advise that every single Tanzanian safari should incorporate a 3-5 hour visit to Ngorongoro Crater. The Crater is small and everything is easily seen within 5 hours, however, Ngorongoro Crater remains - by our understanding - the world’s greatest concentration of large game on the planet and it is not uncommon to identify 20 different species within a couple of hours.

Read about the Ngorongoro Crater >>>

Tarangire

Tarangire National Park is arguably the best option for a day safari, as it is within reasonable reach of Arusha. Together with Botswana, Tarangire boasts some of the best elephant viewing opportunities, especially during the dry season when the park’s game is inevitably drawn to the Tarangire River for watering and nearby grazing. An excellent three day game viewing option will incorporate Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. Where an adventurous element is to feature, one might consider Tarangire, Lake Eyasi, and Ngorongoro.

Read about Tarangire >>>

Manyara

A popular destination on most of our safaris and is suitable for use as a day-safari destination, Lake Manyara lies a little under two hours from Arusha and some 117 km. Those with a special interest in hippo, giraffe, tree-climbing lions, and flamingos should certainly consider incorporating this national park.

Read about Lake Manyara >>>

Other Places of Significant Interest in Tanzania

While not strictly fitting the usual description of ‘a safari’, although the word simply means ‘journey’ in Swahili, many considering a visit to Tanzania would likely be very disappointed in retrospect, not to have tried to feature the following items on their Tanzanian holiday!

Kilimanjaro

We are extremely enthusiastic about Kilimanjaro, are able to operate climbs on any route and on any day of the year, for any size of group, and indeed have a special website dedicated to climbing Kilimanjaro. Should you wish to climb Kilimanjaro we warmly invite you to take a look.

Read about Kilimanjaro >>>

Zanzibar

Tanzania is a awesome place in the sense that it’s the ultimate holiday destination for nearly every taste, and offers so many elements that one would otherwise probably have to travel to many different countries to experience. For instance, in just the last few years Roman Abramovich has come here to climb Kilimanjaro, Jude Law has gone on safari, Bill Clinton, Prince Charles and George Bush have all recently spent time in Arusha, and Will Smith chose Zanzibar as his preferred getaway.

After the heat and dust and ardour of a Kilimanjaro climb or adventurous safari experience, there are really few other destinations anywhere in the world that one is likely to covet being at, than at a tropical island paradise somewhere with clean white sands and crystal clear sapphire waters, such as Zanzibar or Fish Eagle Point. For those who want to round off their Tanzanian holiday therefore, with the relaxation that these places offer, we are pleased to present our dedicated Zanzibar website.

See our specialist Zanzibar website >>>

<<< Preparing for your safari

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Trailblazer and Rough Guides

Five Hadzabe have just returned from a very successful morning’s hunt with 3 baboons captured, and the extended family celebrates with a dance that also functions as training in team coordination and flexibility.

After a classic game viewing safari, a rewarding challenge involves a difficult scramble up the steep, rocky volcano of Oldoinyo Lengai. Harold and Samuel work both on safari and as Kilimanjaro mountain guides. Tihomir and Alex are STT administrators.