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A Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach Holiday – one of the best African trips!
A Tanzania Safari and Zanzibar Beach Holiday – one of the best African trips!
One of the best African vacations is a Tanzania safari and Zanzibar vacation. The perfect blend of beach and forest in Africa.
I’ve had a long-standing dream of traveling to East Africa. I spent ten days seeing the renowned wildlife reserves of Zanzibar Island and the Northern Tanzania Safari Circuit on my first visit to the area.
The Tanzania Safari section comes first. A journey to Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Natron, Tarangire, and Serengeti Park. After that, take a beach vacation in Zanzibar to relax.
The beginning of my Tanzanian safari in Arusha
Nairobi, which is only four hours away from Johannesburg, is where Kenya Airways takes me to my first destination, Arusha, after a quick one-hour flight to Kilimanjaro Airport. Everything went really smoothly thanks to on-time connections, no delays, and my bags being checked throughout. After passing through passport control and the yellow fever check, I finally arrived. My safari experience in Tanzania has begun.
My familiar and amiable airport transfer driver takes me to my pre-safari lodging and helps me exchange money at a favorable exchange rate.
After giving me a refreshing towel, some cool juice, and a quick orientation, the host of Ngurdoto Lodge lets me catch up on some sleep that I had lost during the overnight journey. Later, I visited the inexpensive Meru View Lodge, which is located next door, and enjoyed the wonderful ambience there.
That evening, I dressed in trousers and a jacket for the chilly evening that comes with the area’s elevation. My safari companion, Alex, and the Arusha office staff helped me get ready for my African adventure by educating me about Tanzanian beer and teaching me a few Swahili phrases.
Elephants, baobabs, and other wild creatures in Tarangire Safari
After a hearty breakfast spread that included earthy Tanzanian coffee, safari guide Anok picked myself and three other safari partners up at approximately 9:00 the following morning.
The chief of operations gives a thorough and upbeat tour briefing. Every tour member receives a map along with information about the park’s rules and etiquette, predicted road conditions, temperatures, travel times and distances, animal sightings, highlights, and information about meals, campsites, and amenities. Additionally, he goes over a quick checklist to ensure that each of us has a sleeping bag, head torch, enough clothes, and other safari necessities.
The fourteen-person tour group heads into the nearby Nakumatt store with ten minutes to grab some last-minute necessities, including snacks, some booze for those who want it, and toilet paper (at least two rolls per person for seven days). I regret not getting lip balm and wet wipes. Africa is hot, dusty, and arid.
For the duration of the seven-day stay, the group is divided into two modified Toyota Landcruisers that are equipped with a small refrigerator for drinking water and an inverter for battery charging. A car is full when there are seven persons inside.
However, once we leave the hustle and bustle of Arusha, there is ample room for daypacks and pockets to hold cameras, snacks, and travel guides. A support truck transports our larger bags and camping gear to the campsite so it can be set up before we arrive. We arrive in time for lunch at our first campground, Zion, which is about seven kilometers outside of Tarangire National Park.
The lunchbox, which has been made and packed by the Arusha office, has tabouleh, kofte, chicken kebab, and tahini. On most safari days, we are served a more than sufficient lunch consisting of sandwiches, eggs, chicken chunks, fruit, and biscuits, all of which are washed down with juice.
Our Tanzania safari’s first wildlife drive is this afternoon. Anok reminds us about tsetse flies while opening the car’s roof for a better look. Since the roof is open and the sun is bright, I put on my hat and sunscreen.
We soon come across a sizable herd of two or three families cooling off and taking an afternoon drink in Tarangire, which is known for its high elephant population. We observe another herd digging for water with their trunks in areas of the riverbank that are dry.
In addition to our first pride of lions, we see zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, birds, giraffes, warthogs, and more. The famous Baobab trees are scattered over the terrain. We return to the safari camp after a pleasant drive, leaving behind the bothersome tsetse bugs and a dusty African dusk.
Before supper, which consists of fried tilapia fish, rice, peas, and a side salad, we are all eager for a hot shower. Kilimanjaro and Serengeti lagers are enjoyed outside under the stars after one of the camp staff members brings cold beer from the hamlet.
Views of Ol Doinyo Lengai and Lake Natron
At 6:00 a.m., we get up early for a hearty breakfast of pancakes, toast, and eggs before starting the lengthy drive to Lake Natron at 8:00 a.m. Several small Maasai communities and arid scrub landscapes are traversed by the rough road, which offers a “bush massage.” We ask Anok a lot of questions about the nation and its traditions. Our safari guide is delighted to share his extensive expertise.
We pause to see Ol Doinyo Lengai, the last active volcano in Tanzania and the sacred mountain of the Maasai people. The name Ol Doinyo Lengai means “Mountain of God” and is distinct from other active volcanoes in that it spews natrocarbonatite lava.
After lunch at the campground, we meet a local Maasai guide who will lead us on a one-hour climb through the mountains to a waterfall. After cooling off by swimming, we head back down a river to meet our cars in the sweltering heat of over thirty-five degrees. In the late afternoon, we take a car to Lake Natron to go for a walk and see flamingos. The lake is the setting for Nick Brandts’ unsettling photographs in the book Across the Ravaged Land, which explores how birds are affected by the alkalinity of the water.
Tanzanian vultures
The Maasai, Big Cats, and Plains Game inhabit the Serengeti.
I got up early on the third day of my safari in Tanzania to witness the dawn and the reflection of a rainbow of colors on Ol Doinyo Lengai. As we leave the concession area and enter Serengeti National Park by one of the less-traveled gates, we travel northwest past a number of Maasai communities.
Immediate sightings include a bloat of hippos and mating lions. In order to spend two nights deep into the park, the guides make good time and continue on to the center Serengeti and Seronora regions. We are happy to have arrived just before dark, set up tent, and enjoyed another delicious meal beneath the African sky.
We are shocked that we didn’t hear anything when our guides warn that there is an elephant in the camp, searching through the bins for a food. In search of easy prey, a couple hyenas also go into the camp. In addition to being told not to leave our tents to use the restroom at night, we are also told not to freak out if we hear animals nearby and to remain motionless and take in the feeling of being close.
There is a wealth of animals in the expansive plains during the morning game drive throughout the central and Seronora districts. Two distinct leopard encounters and numerous lion prides were among the most remarkable big cat sightings.
The twitchers among us delighted in seeing the Hoopoe, Marabou stork, and a variety of raptors, and the usual suspects—zebra, giraffe, elephants, and buffalo—were never far away.
We enjoyed a couple of hours of relaxation and entertainment after a hearty lunch spread of pizza, steak, quiche, and salads. A group of mongooses engaged in combat with a Marabou stork over an abundance of trash. We are rewarded by seeing a graceful serval cat during the afternoon game drive.
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater: Packed with wildlife Time of Show
Our camp is prepared as we enter the Ngorongoro Conservation Area on the fifth day of the trip. With the remains of last night’s kill, we witness some scavengers at work—this time a vulture and a hyena. Additionally, we see timid cheetahs that avoid close contact and are remarkably solitary.
Two to three million years ago, a massive volcano exploded and collapsed on itself, creating the largest inactive but intact and unfilled volcanic craters in the world. Its surface area is 260 square kilometers (100 square miles), and its depth is 610 meters (2000 feet). Although they are not permitted to remain, the Maasai bring their cattle to the crater for water and food.
We set our camp in the spacious Ngorongoro Simba campsite at an elevation on the crater’s edge. I’m relieved to have my sleeping bag, warm pants, hiking socks, and a beanie hat at an elevation of 2400 meters. We all head to bed for an early rise after dinner, which is served in a cafeteria area.
We descend into the crater about 07:00, and the animals’ high density and frequent sightings make it feel almost zoo-like. Last but not least, a black rhino, which is highly visible. We witness Tanzania’s national bird, the Grey-crowned crane, and are delighted by the exquisite exhibition of synchronized fishing by pelicans. After a picnic lunch in the crater and more lion action, we go.
Our final night of the safari is spent at an overnight camp that feels like civilization, replete with a swimming pool, after we make the short trek from the crater rim to a perspective of Lake Manyara. This is a chance to purchase some trinkets and have a few refreshing beverages at a neighborhood tavern.
Zanzibar Vacation: Enchanting Beaches, Rich Culture, and Fragrant Spices
We had breakfast and left on the last morning of my Tanzania safari. The Zanzibar vacation portion of my African adventure is about to begin. Around noon, we arrived at Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha, where we parted ways. Alex and I take a 13-seater Cessna Grand Caravan flight with Air Excel to Zanzibar, which takes one hour and forty minutes.
I am taken to the exquisitely furnished Kholle House upon my arrival in Stone Town. Without wasting any time, I set out to explore the marketplaces, relics, and tiny lanes on foot. The residents of Stone Town, a town rich in history, are amiable, easygoing, and supportive. The seafood is delicious, with meals of octopus, red snapper, and kingfish infused with the flavorful spices of Zanzibar Island.
On the east coast of Zanzibar Island, I spend my second day at Jambiani, a picturesque spot with turquoise waters and white sand beaches surrounded by palm trees.
Spice Island Resort, Bahari View Lodge, Casa Del Mar, and Nur Beach Hotel are just a few of the lodging options available, with rooms to fit most budgets. I stay at the Blue Oyster Hotel and go snorkeling with Captain Zappy in the afternoon, which is best done at low tide, because I’m not afraid of the reaper. After supper, Alex and I go to the neighborhood Zombie Bar to enjoy some refreshing Kilimanjaro lagers while listening to dub and reggae music. We escape wet feet and make our way back before the tide turns.
Elephants on the Serengeti at sunset
It was an amazing experience to go on a spice tour with Spice Boys (Sporty, maybe) on my way to Nungwi, my final destination. An adventure at the center of the island’s spice production—the second-largest producer of cloves worldwide. I discovered that the spices of Zanzibar are used not just for food but also for soaps, medications, and perfumes. As the Butterfly Man climbs a palm and sings “Jambo Bwana,” he gathers fruits, spices, and fresh coconut water for me to sample! As a keepsake, I purchase a few soaps.
spotted a hyena in Tanzania’s Serengeti
The Z Hotel is a glamorous and opulent way to cap off my trip, especially with sundowners by the pool. Nungwi, on the far north shore, is more touristic than the east. To take advantage of a better exchange rate, I ventured into the nearby village and discovered reasonably priced eateries on the shore. As I retire to my hotel, I turn down invitations to a party and choose an early night before an early start. I am already organizing my future trip to this region of Africa.