Hi!

I’m completely new to the safari game, but my girlfriend and I are going to Zanzibar in mid-October for a little over two weeks. While we’re there, we’re thinking of doing a safari on mainland Tanzania. We’ve narrowed it down to two different options, both of which are five-day private safaris with comfortable mid-range accommodation, mostly around Karatu (apart from the lodge in the Serengeti).

The itinerary is the same for both: Tarangire, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara, in that order. The main difference is whether we spend one or two nights in the Serengeti.

Either way, we would have two safari days in the Serengeti. With two nights, you get one travel day and one full day in the park, whereas with one night, you get game drives on both days, but both days also involve travelling. The two-night option costs $250 more, but obviously gives you more time in the Serengeti. The downside is that the travel day would then fall on the same day as our visit to Ngorongoro Crater.

Personally, Lake Manyara doesn’t seem particularly exciting to me, but flamingos are my girlfriend’s favourite animal, and I’ve heard there can be quite a lot of them there.

I think I already know what your answer will be, and that two nights in the Serengeti is a must. Nevertheless, I’d still be interested to hear your opinions and what you think we can realistically expect from these trips.

I’ve noticed that there are an enormous number of operators offering similar, fairly hectic itineraries (especially on SafariBookings). Despite seeing several discussions online where people say it’s crazy to visit so many parks in so few days, these tours generally seem to have very good ratings from the people who actually take them.

Assuming we don’t mind having busy days, can these kinds of itineraries still be a good way to see and experience as much as possible in a limited amount of time? It’s also worth mentioning that this safari is sandwiched between several relaxing days in Zanzibar, so we really don’t mind if the safari itself is hectic.

So, what would you consider the best option if we want to spend a maximum of $2,000 per person on the safari (including flights to and from Zanzibar) and would like decent mid-range accommodation?

Unfortunately, it seems like the Serengeti is considerably more expensive than pretty much anywhere else in Tanzania, so it’s difficult to get many days there without it costing a fortune.

Thanks in advance!

5-day Tanzania safari: Too many parks, or a good way to see more?