Top 10  Tanzania safari destinations

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) hosts the Ngorongoro Crater which is a gem in Tanzania’s claim to fame as a world safari destination. The Ngorongoro Crate area is a renowned UNESCO world heritage site as designated in 1979. Here the wildlife lives in harmony with local Tanzanians, each going about their daily business undisturbed. The Ngorongoro Crate is the largest volcanic caldera in the world and perhaps the only location where one is guaranteed of viewing the Big 5 on the same day. No wonder many visitors descend to the Ngorongoro Crater all year round in large numbers.  What better way than to visit in a self drive hire car from us and be part of this awesome Tanzania safari experience in the comfort and luxury of your own self drive Toyota Land Cruiser hire car.

There is plenty of wildlife in the Crater including ostriches, hippos, giraffes, zebras and of course the Big 5 of buffalos, elephants, lions, leopards and rhinos.

Please note that park entrance fees to the Ngorongoro crater have to be paid for in advance in either Barclays Bank or Exim bank in Arusha, unlike other Tanzanian national parks like Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Arusha, Tarangire, Ruaha, Selous, Mikumi etc whose park entrance fees can be paid by card at each park entrance gate. We can however assist you with payment of the Ngorongoro crater fees entrance in advance. Please email us at hire@selfdrivecarshire.com  Vehicle entrance fees into the Ngorongoro Crater area are US$200 per vehicle and US$60 per person per 24hrs period which is not cheap by any means but well worth every penny because of the safari experience value that one gets when they visit. What better way than to do so in the comfort and flexibility of your own self drive hire car from us. The Ngorongoro Crater can be sufficiently be visited as a day trip from Karatu town which is a comfortable 30 minutes’ drive to the crater entrance gate. The drive from Arusha to Ngorongoro crater Lodware gate can be comfortably covered in about 3 hours’ drive on a fairly good road.

Guided hiking in Ngorongoro is allowed with the exception of the crater floor itself. One is able to follow walking trails on a walking safari through the area that connects Lake Eyasi to Lake Natron and from Lake Ndutu and from Olmoti Crater to Empakaai Highlands.

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is another popular destination for safaris in Tanzania. Tarangire is located with the central rift valley, a comfortable drive of 100kms and 2 hrs drive from Arusha on a very good paved road. The branch off is only 7kms from the main Arusha to Dodoma trunk road. Most visitors to Tarangire come here to witness large herds of elephants in their natural habitat, plus a high number of baobab trees that sprawl the Tarangire National park. Tarangire has the 2^nd highest concentration of wildlife and animals after Serengeti. The best time to visit and view wildlife is during the dry season months of June to October when the game and wildlife return to the Tarangire because of its swamps and rivers. During November to May most of the wildlife would have moved North into the rift valley including the great migration of the wild beest in search of greener pastures and water.  In addition you will find here a large number of acacia trees. Hire self drive car from us and explore this beautiful park with all the game, wildlife and nature that it has on offer. If you are looking to experience culture and interact with local Tanzanian tribes, you will not be disappointed as you will get to meet the Masai busy tending to their cattle. Further south west are the Barabaig peoples. Park entrance permits to Tarangire are slightly cheaper than for Serengeti and Ngorongoro at US$45 per person per 24hrs. If walking safaris are your thing, then these can be arranged by most lodges surrounding Tarangire National park in addition to night game drives and bush walking safaris.

Rent a self drive 4x4 hire vehicle and come to Tarangire for splendid game viewing opportunities as well as walking safaris. There is plenty of animals here especially large herds of Elephants.

Lake Manyara

Lake Manyara National Park is another of Tanzania’s wildlife gems, fairly small but very easy to get to from Arusha being located a comfortable less than 2 hrs.’ drive from our self drive car rental hub in Arusha. Collect your self drive car from Arusha airport and within less than 2 hours, immerse yourself in a game drive in Tarangire national park in search of all the wildlife, abundant bird species and tree climbing lions that call Tarangire home.  The game drive tracks in Tarangire are well marked and a joy to drive on. Game drives with a self drive vehicle here will be total bliss as your camera keeps flashing as you take great wildlife and birds’ pictures. There is plenty of opportunities for bush walking safaris with a guide and night games drives in your self drive rental car. Park entrance permits to the Tarangire are US$45 per person per 24hrs. Vehicle entrance fees are US$10.

If you are a sucker with mingling with the local tribes of places that you visit, it doesn’t get better than Mto wa Mbu where you will find over 120 Tanzanian tribes and peoples. Mto wa Mbu village is located on the borders of the main entrance gate of Tarangire National Park making it very accessible to visits here where you can embark on walking safaris and hire a mountain bike for a ride through the village. A visit to Tarangire is well worth considering and adding onto your self drive safari itinerary.

Ruaha National Park

While most people visiting Tanzania prefer to visit the much more popular national parks of Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater, in the south west of Tanzania, lies perhaps the best wildlife kept secret of Ruaha National Park. Ruaha unknown to most safari visitors to Tanzania is Tanzania’s largest national park covering well over 40,000 square kms. Ruaha is host to Tanzania’s largest population of hippos and elephants as well as antelopes not found elsewhere in Tanzania. During the dry season of August to October there is elephants galore to be viewed in Ruaha. Arrive in Dar es salaam, pick up your self drive 4x4 rental car from our Dar es salaam rental station and lose yourself in the wilderness that Ruaha truly is. Because Ruaha is less known and less thronged by tourists, it will feel secluded and private while on safari here. It is truly an off the beaten track safari destination of Tanzania. For avid birders, Ruaha is the perfect place to visit considering that it is habitat for over 580 different bird species, including falcons, red-billed hornbills, herons, storks, fish eagles, black collared loverbirds, starlings, the list is endless. Simply hire a self drive car from us at Dar es salaam and come find out for yourself what a truly birders’ paradise Ruaha really is. Park entrance permits for Ruaha are slightly cheaper at US$30 per person per 24hrs. You may visit Ruaha all year round but the best wildlife viewing times are May to November but for birders migrant bird species are mostly here from December to April.

We have only scratched the surface of what Tanzania as a safari destination has to offer. It is best appreciated when you are here. We are happy to offer more destination advice and expectations when you email us at hire@selfdrivecarshire.com  

We offer camping equipment to self drive car hire clients who wish to camp while on safari. Our rooftop tents are usually booked up months in advance, so unless if you are a very early bird, we are more than likely to offer you camping gear with ground tents. We look forward to being a part of your safari adventure to Tanzania when you hire a vehicle from us either on self drive basis or in the company of one of our professional English speaking driver guides.

Please contact us on  +256.772,370.111 OR +256.392.897.704 OR +44.790.863.9450