With so many safari destinations out there it can be confusing to decide what is the right one for you. This is how we decided on a Tanzania Serengeti Safari.
# 1 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
A Tanzania Serengeti safari is not a game park! We knew we wanted to be in the wild, not a game park. We didn’t want there to be fences that keep the animals in. When we came across them we knew they were choosing to be there, not because of fences. Mike had done a game park safari years ago and he remembered it having ‘big zoo’ vibes which we didn’t want. So we decided it had to be in national parks.
# 2 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
It is the best of the best! We finally settled on an Tanzania Serengeti Safari because as our first real safari experience we wanted it to be as good as it can possibly get…and the Serengeti is known to be the best place in Africa to see animals. What I wasn’t prepared for was actually how good it was! When Mike told me that the Serengeti was the best location for safari I was thinking “but is it too late, has it been ruined or over touristed?” The answer is a solid no!
The Serengeti is the perfect place to visit for safari and especially for your first African safari. We saw 4 of the big 5 and were so overwhelmed by how many animals we actually saw in a good viewing range without loads of cars or other tourists. At most there was another one or two jeeps with us. The Serengeti National Park covers 14,763 km² (5,700 sq mi) which is huge, there is enough room for all.
# 3 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
Animals galore! Before going I couldn’t comprehend that we would actually see the animals, I was hoping to see one…we saw so many that at one stage we were surrounded by them! If you want to go on safari to view animals, a Tanzania Serengeti Safari is absolutely the place to do it! We saw such a huge variety of animals, almost all of the big 5 and ugly 5, lots of birds as well as diverse landscapes. The variety of animals in the Serengeti is immense and we really enjoyed seeing as many as possible, both large and small.
# 4 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
Excellent safari guides. The safari guides are so knowledgeable and experienced that they understand not only the animals but their guests. They know what you want to see and can work out your style to match their tour to it. They can even estimate how long to spend at one sighting and let you know when it is best to move on. It is like they are mind readers! Our safari guide was incredible, he was able to create the perfect balance for us, we were so interested in learning about the animals, seeing them as much as possible and also having a laugh and a chat along the way. We could see his enthusiasm for his job and the environment which helped us appreciate it all the more. We met many other guides, they were all very kind and lovely.
# 5 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
Safety. I felt 100% safe on our Tanzania Serengeti safari. We had an incredible guide, Freddy, who knew the behaviours of the animals and could tell if they were ok with our presence. He could read the situations as they were unfolding and guess steps ahead at what would happen. Freddy let us know the safety rules at each new destination and catered to our needs around this. Our guide looked after us at each stage of the safari and we never questioned our safety at all.
Freddy was an excellent driver who drove with our safety and comfort in mind at all times, as well as that of the animals that sometimes come near the roads. There are a lot of rules that the guides must follow and it was so interesting learning about these as well. I would recommend this company to anyone looking for a safe and exciting Tanzania Serengeti Safari. You can also request Freddy as your guide, you won’t be disappointed!
# 6 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
Conservation. I was really concerned that the experience would feel manufactured or over touristed. What I discovered was the efforts by the government, rangers, safari companies and guides to conserve the parks and animals. There is a huge list of rules that the guides have to follow and they are fined if they break them. There is a fee to enter each of the parks and the guides have to check in and out each time they enter. It is serious and they are checked at each point.
Animals are not approached at a distance that can upset them and any time you see an image of an animal near cars or people, the cars were stopped and the animals approached them on their own. This happened many times to us and it was amazing to witness the confidence of the animals, they understood we were not there to hurt them and they really didn’t care about us at all. We were just able to watch the animals do whatever they wanted which was something that amazed me.
# 7 Reason we chose a Tanzania Serengeti Safari:
No crowding- Crowds were not an issue for us as most of the time we were on our own! I have seen the videos of loads of cars lined up or crowded together on some game drives, the only time I saw this myself was at the Mara River water crossing. There are a few good viewpoints and they are the only places that the cars can park so it gets busy there. This is not where animals are they are down at the river or crossing the land behind.
At some animal sightings there were a few cars, but nothing crazy and always away from the animals. I don’t know where those frenzied cars are in the videos but it wasn’t on our tour! Although the Serengeti is a busy destination we didn’t have any issues with over tourism and the really only busy places were the designated picnic spots which are the only areas you are allowed to get out of your safari jeep. The Serengeti is huge, there is space for everyone to enjoy!
Our Safari-
We decided on the 8-Day Tarangire, Serengeti & Ngorongoro Crater Mid Range with Safari Soles and it was more incredible than we could have imagined! I was so sad when our safari was over, and can’t wait to return to do another one. We wholeheartedly recommend Safari Soles to anyone, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions, or email us direct, we are happy to help!
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