Tips for a safari in Tanzania from Zanzibar

Hi everyone,

We’re a family of four (two daughters aged 18 and 21) and we’re planning a three-week trip to Tanzania. Zanzibar would be our main base, but we’d also like to do a safari on the mainland. Could you share any tips on: - the ideal length for such a safari, the best place to go during this period (and easily accessible by flight from Zanzibar) - your recommendations for the most suitable type of stay for a family like ours - reliable local agencies with reasonable prices that could help us with this plan

Thanks in advance!

Albin

Zanzibar would be our main base, but we’d also like to do a safari on the mainland. Could you share any tips about: - the ideal length for such a safari, and the best place to go during this period (easily accessible by plane from Zanzibar)

Hi there,

There’s no ideal safari length—it all depends on your passion and interest in the wild and wildlife!! What we don’t know... - Some people starting from Zanzibar only do a day or two of safari - Others (like us), wildlife enthusiasts, spend 2 weeks on their safari/stay without ever going to Zanzibar (7 times so far)...

If Zanzibar is your main base, it’d be best to focus on the closest reserves: those in southern Tanzania: Mikumi, Nyerere, and Ruaha.

However, there’s no point in visiting multiple reserves just to have great encounters. You *need* to spend time in one reserve (several days and nights). You can easily spend your entire safari in just one reserve!

Just so you know, safaris are very expensive (in the north as well as the south of the country).

To give you an idea in pictures, I suggest checking out (if interested) two recent trip reports from the three reserves mentioned above.

https://voyageforum.com/forum/retour-ruaha-selous-tanzanie-sud-d11460499/

https://voyageforum.com/forum/mikumi-selous-dans-sud-tanzanie-juin-2024-d10707408/

For a reliable local agency, our last five trips to southern Tanzania were organized by ASANTERRA, a Dar es Salaam-based agency run by a Belgian, which has always met our expectations. https://asanterra.com

Of course, there are other local agencies too...

Best,

Puma2A

...

Hi Alain,

A huge thank you already for your reply and advice. We’re also nature lovers, but so far we’ve mostly explored Asia and a bit of Central America. For our first experience in Africa, we were indeed thinking of combining Zanzibar with the mainland, partly because safaris represent a significant budget and also because this year we’ll need more *dolce far niente* moments. I did read that some people do 1- to 2-day tours, and that really seems too short to us—we want to take the time to soak in the nature without being in rush mode. So I’ll keep your suggestion in mind about not hopping between too many different reserves. As for the northern reserves, are the southern ones—more accessible from Zanzibar—just as rich and interesting? Thanks also for the agency suggestion; I’ll likely reach out to them to get an idea of what’s possible and the budgets to consider.

Best regards,

Albin

Compared to the northern reserves, are the southern ones—more accessible from Zanzibar—just as rich and interesting?

I’ll let you judge for yourselves by checking out the two trip reports provided. Keep in mind that no two safaris are ever the same, and every safari is Unpredictable.

Puma2A ...

...

On a personal note, after going on safari twice in the well-known reserves in northern Tanzania, I’ve been to the more intimate and wild reserves in the south five times... And I don’t really feel like going back to the north anymore. 😉, or even Zanzibar. But everyone’s tastes and expectations are (very) different. The south is more my style.

Cheers.



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Hi, albin1

I see your messages about Tanzania, especially Zanzibar and a safari.

Were you able to find this information? I’d love to do the same. Best regards,

Hi, The southern reserves are better than the northern ones. So you’re definitely better off focusing on one and spending several days there. For years now, there’s been a growing trend of day-trip safaris from Zanzibar, and you’ll see tons of operators offering that once you’re there. Most of them are just for snapping a selfie in front of an elephant or giraffe, posting it on social media, and then leaving as quickly as you arrived. I find that pretty absurd, but hey, it’s great for Tanzanian operators—it brings them money. As Puma rightly pointed out, the best thing is really to take your time and explore one reserve. Get up early, finish late with the sunset, be patient, and then just hope for a bit of luck. I think Puma’s also emphasizing the number of days and the interest in nature because safaris can be tiring (even when you’re not driving), and it can sometimes be "disappointing" when your favorite animals don’t show up. So going on a multi-day safari when you’re not super passionate might not be ideal. You’ve got to adjust based on your interests. Personally, after 3 full days of back-to-back self-drive safari and camping, I’d had my fill—and it was perfect.

Hi, I’m stepping slightly away from your question to advocate for a lovely stay in ZANZIBAR. Just so you know, it’s totally possible! We spent a month in ZANZIBAR between January and February 2025. As retirees, we leisurely explored the island in 6 stages. We used a local agency to book our hotels and transfers between them. The agency also offered high-quality day trips, clearly prepared with an ethical approach... The hotels we chose were varied: cozy, characterful places away from mass tourism. We enjoyed some fantastic visits with local English-speaking guides in villages or on islands that see very few tourists. We travel a lot and are used to organizing things ourselves, so we planned plenty of free days for walks on lively beaches, swimming, and sketching—something we do a lot while traveling. Thanks to Stéphanie from the Tumbili association, we had a wonderful month in ZANZIBAR, far from the usual clichés. We loved everything, from Stone Town to the villages of Matemwe, Jambiani, and Kizimkasi, and the islands of Chumbe and Tumbatu... info@tumbili.fr Feel free to reach out if you’d like more details...

Hi, From Zanzibar you can easily catch a flight to Arusha Airport and then do the safari of your choice.

There isn’t really an ideal duration—it depends on your expectations. Some people get tired after a while.

We did a 6-day safari, and for us, it was absolutely AMAZING! One day in Tarangire, mainly to see the elephants, the Serengeti with the Great Migration (unbelievable), and the crater.

For Zanzibar, the Jiambani area is really great. For excursions in Zanzibar, we went through Boss Dhow—flawless.