TANZANIA NAMED BEST
SAFARI DESTINATION
AFRICA
Indisputably, Tanzania has been placed the Best Natural Tourist destination Africa by its best natural tourist
attractions than other countries in the continent, pulling big numbers of travelers from all corners of the world.
According to international survey released this month (June) by an online marketplace for African tours, Safari
Bookings.com, Tanzania has been voted overwhelmingly as the best safari destination in Africa, viewed as the ideal
getaway for international tourists.
Some visitors in Serengeti National Parks for game viewing including the great wildebeest migration
The survey which had involved 276 specialized safari operators, eight (8) major safari countries, 139 wildlife parks
and reserves, 2,324user reviews, 756 expert reviews had so far placed Tanzania a number one best safari
destination in Africa, said SafariBookings.com owner, The Netherlands-based Wouter Vergeer.
SafariBookings.com conducted an extensive analysis of 3,061 reviews of over 1,000 tourists and travel experts who
participated in a survey and concluded that both parties concurred Tanzania tops in the continent.
The country scored an average rating of 4.8 out of Five stars, the highest score of all eight major safari countries.
Botswana and Kenya scored 4.7 each, followed by South Africa and Zambia which scored 4.6 each against
Namibia’s 4.5 stars. Uganda took 4.2 against Zimbabwe’s 4.1 stars, Vergeer said.
Reputable guidebook authors from such renowned publications as ‘Frommer’s’ and ‘Lonely Planet’ teamed up to
create a database of expert reviews which determined the many reasons Tanzania is the best safari destination
country in the world.
“The reasons are simple: Two of UNESCO’S World Heritage Sites, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater,
are located in Tanzania’s northern safari circuit. The Serengeti is home to the “great migration”, an event in which
over 2.5 million zebra and wildebeest migrate annually,” said Vergeer.
“Experts and visitors voted Tanzania for it is a host to the best chimp tracking in Africa, and visitors can climb the
highest mountain on the continent”, he added.
Visitors can enjoy authentic African wilderness without paved roads and fencing. There are safari options for any
budget and holidays can be spent enjoying beach extensions on Zanzibar Island. Travel is
simple, with direct access flights to the two major safari circuits. Tanzania is also a politically stable and safe country.
He noted that when breaking down the reviews, monthly ratings remained consistently high emphasizing the notion
that tourists can safely visit Tanzania any time of the year. The team at Safari Bookings found it surprising that even
the wet season received very positive ratings from experts and tourists.
According to Mr. Vergeer, the afternoon rains don’t typically hamper a Tanzanian safari, yet wildlife viewing in
Tarangire, the southern and western circuit parks is considerably less rewarding during these times and could,
therefore, lower ratings.
The reviewers responsible for collecting and analyzing data came from 53 nationalities; 42 percent were first time
safari-goers, 37 per cent had been on over 5 safaris and 21per cent had taken two to five trips.
Ms Mary Fitzpatrick, a US-based author of six Lonely Planet guides to Africa, including Tanzania, writes: “With its
abundant wildlife, excellent species diversity and evocative acacia- and baobab-studded landscapes, Tanzania is one
of Africa’s most rewarding safari destinations.”
Mr. Philip Briggs from South Africa, an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the ‘Brandt
Guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa’ rated Tanzania the highest possible score – five stars. “There
is arguably no better safari destination than Tanzania. And, to be honest, I’m not even sure I should be using the
word ‘arguably’ here! Tanzania’s superb network of wildlife reserves is the most extensive in Africa, collectively
covering a quarter of the country’s surface area, and harboring around 20 per cent of the continent’s large mammal
biomass,” he writes.
“It includes a well fed entourage of lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena plus various smaller predators and lynchpin of a
northern safari circuit that also incorporates the superlative Ngorongoro Crater (the world’s largest intact volcanic
caldera) and pretty Lake Manyara National Park, with its giant tuskers and tree-climbing lions,” adds Mr. Briggs.
In February of this year, Dr. Philip Imler, the Founder and President of the Texas based-Seven Natural Wonders
announced the Serengeti National Park was voted a Number One Natural Wonder of Africa in a world -wide voting
campaign to get the “Seven Natural Wonders of Africa. Dr. Impler also announced Tanzania’s world-famous Mount
Kilimanjaro, the tallest free-standing mountain in Africa, and the Ngorongoro Crater the second and third category top
winners for Natural Wonders of Africa. The contest to get Seven Natural Wonders on the African continent made
Tanzania the only country in the continent to have the most winning nominations, which generated enormous prestige
and publicity for Tanzania tourism.