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Spending the past two weeks in Tanzania, it gave me a great opportunity to talk to locals and see which national parks and coastal destinations they love. First time travelers would be wise to do the renowned northern circuit route, which includes the slopes of Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater, and the Serengeti. But Tanzania is vast and there are many wildlife corridors to choose from. Many guides I talked to mentioned Selous National Park in southern Tanzania and the boat rides along the Rufiji River to see the hippos close-up. The Rufiji flows into the Indian Ocean opposite Mafia Island, an excellent beach destination which I discussed in yesterday’s post. Nick, lodge manager at Lamai Serengeti, loved two other national parks in remote southeastern Tanzania, Katavi and Mahale. Katavi houses a vast amount of hippos, elephants, giraffes, lions, and hyenas, without the car traffic. It’s best during the end of the dry season, in September and October. On the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Mahale is home to some 900 wild chimpanzees. South of Gombe, it’s much larger and not nearly as crowded as Gombe since it’s not the residence of Jane Goodall. 

Realize that you have options when booking a safari in Tanzania. You can combine a safari with a climb up Kilimanjaro, a beach vacation on the coast, or continuing on to Rwanda or Uganda to see the gorillas. Guides will take you up Kilimanjaro in six days, but it’s best to give yourself at least 7 nights to acclimate to the altitude. Recommended ways up the impressive snowcapped peak include both the Machame or Lemosho Routes. I wouldn’t call a week on safari a relaxing vacation. You’re waking up as early as 5:30 am to catch the morning game drive and then spending a good portion of the day bouncing around on the back of a jeep on rutted roads to get those close-up shots of wildlife. Lying on the beach is an ideal way to end your trip. Also, going to Zanzibar at the end of the trip will greatly reduce price of a safari package since lodging averages $250 a night, not $1300 a night or much more on safari. A good alternative to the hustle and bustle of Zanzibar is Mafia Island Lodge, on the southernmost Tanzanian island, close to the wildlife at Selous National Park. Another real find for a beach vacation is Chole Mjini, an eco-resort on a private island across from Mafia Island that Tanzanians I met raved about. 

June through September has always been prime time for going on safari in Tanzania, especially if you want to catch the wildebeest migration across the Mara River. I’ve caught the migration from the Kenya side of the river one September as the wildebeests were making their way back south to the Serengeti. Yes, it was exciting seeing hundreds of wildebeests trampling across the river, but it wasn’t as nearly as exciting as seeing that one leopard bringing his kill up a tree. You have to realize that June, July, and August are by far the most crowded months to be on safari in Tanzania and Kenya. Crowds and land rovers lessen once September hits. Indeed, September and October are a special time of year to be on safari in the Mara, Serengeti, or Grumeti. Though I have to admit that I enjoyed being in Tanzania these past two weeks of March. The big rains of March and April were nowhere to be seen and we had the often congested roads of Ngorongoro Crater practically to ourselves. Travel to the Kusini Camp in the southern Serengeti in December, January, and February, and not only will you see an incredible amount of game, but North Americans and Europeans can escape the cold of winter and hit Zanzibar and the other coastal islands for a beach vacation. That sounds like the right move for this Boston boy. 

On safari, you have the choice of booking a lodge and going out on game drives with their respective guides or hiring a company like Epic Private Journeys where former lodge owner and Tanzanian native Rob Barbour will act as a private guide. Obviously, there’s an extra cost involved, but if you’re splurging for this amazing opportunity, it’s important to do it right. The lodge guides we had the past two weeks were hit or miss. Laser-eyed Lazarus at Lamai Serengeti was brilliant, spotting a leopard high up in a tree after a kill and a male lion hidden in the tall grass. We watched as other Land Rovers simply drove past, not seeing the amazing sights we were witnessing. At other lodges, however, I could barely understand the guide’s English, and some couldn’t get the right position for getting the best photo, like a cheetah resting under a tree at sunset. 

The last two weeks I had the privilege of traveling with Rob Barbour around northern Tanzania, with stops in Arusha and Arusha National Park, the southern Amboseli plains, Mwiba Wildlife Reserve, Ngorongoro Crater, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Kusini Camp in the southern Serengeti, the Grumeti Wildlife Reserve, and the Lamai section of the northern Serengeti, where the legendary wildebeest migration takes place across the Mara River. Rob not only serves as director of African operations for the safari operator, Epic Private Journeys, but he’s a native Tanzanian who formerly owned his own lodges in Lamai and Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania. It seems like every restaurant, hotel, and airport stop we made, he ran into an old friend. What was invaluable to me was the wealth of information he shared on taking a safari in Africa, knowledge accumulated over a lifetime. This week, I’ll be sharing some of his tips to ensure that your next safari is indeed a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

If you want to return to Europe, this is the year. Two excellent articles came out last week to help you find the cheapest airfares and the best lodging for your dollar. In Huffington Post, there’s a story on the best ways to use Google Flight. You’re going to love using the pricing map! Simply type in “Europe” as your destination and you’ll find the prices to every city on the continent for the dates you want to go. If you want to go direct, push the direct button. It’s a wonderful tool. The second story is this piece from The Washington Post on which cities have seen a major reduction in hotel pricing thanks to the currency exchange. Find a city in Europe, any city, and ActiveTravels will help find the best lodging based on location, and design a memorable route with must-see sights, restaurants, and scenic backcountry roads. We’re here to help!