Hello Fellow Travelers,
I'm looking for any helpful information for considering a self driving tour in Tanzania. We would like to make a loop to visit Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti and Amboseli National Park.
Car rental recommendations? Overall safety considerations? Logistics? Pro's and con's? Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can pass along. Rhett
I did most of this, with the exception of Amoseli, a year ago with a local guide driving. I frankly cannot imagine trying to do this without local experience. The guides know the routes, where to find the animals (and have radio contact with other guides who may have spotted something), where to stay, etc., etc., etc. Our particular company was Caracal Tours & Safaris, but there are many.
You may want to also check other forums like TripAdvisor since you may not get a lot of responses here.
Also, since Amboseli is in Kenya, make sure you have all the right paperwork before you attempt the border crossing.
We went to Tanzania with a guided tour. Firstly, do not even consider driving in Dar es Salaam. It took 45 minutes to go the eight miles from the airport to our hotel, and I finally had to stop looking out the window because traffic was so horrid. I think someone would have to be born and raised there to even consider driving in the city. Secondly, I agree that having a guide made it so much more enjoyable. They knew how to find their way around the parks, where the find the animals, and where to stay.
We went to Nyerere National Park and Ruaha National Park (we wanted to avoid the large crowds in Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti) and the roads were mostly unmarked. Given the large distances, we flew from Dar to Ruaha and then to Nyerere and back to Dar.
NO to self driving. What is your vehicle breaks down in the middle of a an area filled with dangerous lions or Buffalos?
