Best Safari Experience In Tanzania
Plan Your African Self-Drive Trip
Important information for self-drive in Tanzania. Covered in this section; How are the road conditions in Tanzania? How does it work with navigation? What happens in case of a breakdown or accident? How to deal with traffic police in Tanzania.
Road Conditions In Tanzania
All of the primary roads connecting the parks are smooth asphalt and in good condition. You can expect a lot of speed bumps and the occasional pothole. Usually, requires some driving on gravel roads to get to the park entrance gate or lodge. Inside the parks, it’s off-road driving on dirt roads. The conditions of these gravel and dirt roads tend to be variable from one season to the next and most difficult during the rainy season. Driving in some national parks is not technical.
How To Navigate in Tanzania
We recommend using google maps or installing Maps. me on your mobile device before you travel to Tanzania. Maps.me it’s a free app, download the Tanzania maps, and enjoy driving with GPS offline. Almost every lodge and campsite is plotted on Maps. me. There’s something to be said for going totally offline with a good old-fashioned map on your lap. The road map that comes with your rental car is not very detailed, but the main roads are highlighted properly. The biggest mistake travellers make is rushing and trying to cover too ground much in one trip. Have a look at our suggested | Tour Package Page | for a realistic assessment of where you want to go and expect to cover during your self-drive in Tanzania. You might get stuck after heavy rains, and a flat tire can be part of the adventure. If you are trying to estimate your Tanzania travel itinerary with Google Maps, increase the suggested travel time by 30%. Always carry cash, water, and a charged mobile phone with you! Although Tanzania’s asphalt roads are in good condition, you generally won’t reach more than 60 km/hour, due to the many speed bumps, the need to reduce speed when you’re passing through villages, and because you probably want to take a lot of pictures. Even the scenery from the highway is stunning! On gravel roads, you reach an average of 25km/hour.
What To Do In Case of Breakdown or Accident
In case of a breakdown, we will help you on your way as fast as we can. You can call us 24/7 for roadside assistance. There is a network of mechanic workshops in Tanzania to assist you in case of any issues, and we will either direct you to the nearest workshop or send a mechanic to assist you on the spot. In case a car cannot be fixed on the spot, a replacement, car from Mili Adventure Africa head office Arusha will be provided so you can continue your journey. Please bear in mind that arranging one of the above takes some time, and might require some effort and patience from your side. Luckily, breakdowns are rare. In case of an accident, contact us immediately and we coach you through the process, take pictures of the damaged vehicle(s) and process a clear police report.
How To Deal With Policeman In Tanzania
Traffic police in Tanzania, are recognized from a distance by their bright white uniform. Always wonder how they keep their uniforms so white on the dusty roads, but that’s not the answer to your question… So, advice that comes in handy when dealing with any kind of government official in Tanzania is to remain patient and friendly, greet them in Swahili, and make a joke, and you will have a new friend. Traffic police will frequently pull you over to check if your car is insured, if the tires look okay, and to check if you are carrying the required fire extinguisher, reflector triangles, and first aid kit. Of course, that is taken care of if you rent a car from Mili Adventure Africa. They will also want to see your driving license. A valid driving license from your country of residence is accepted in Tanzania. If you didn’t break the law (speeding, dangerous overtaking, etc.), there is nothing they can accuse you of. In our experience, traffic police are friendly, curious, and often just want to make chit-chat. If you committed an offence, you have to pay the fine, which is usually around 30,000 Tanzanian Shillings ($ 13). Officially, this should be done at the nearest police station, which could be miles away and can be a very time-consuming procedure.
Travelling On Budget in Tanzania
You will find plenty of decent budget and mid-range accommodation at a much lower price range from public campsites in the national parks to hotels that do not require any advance arrangements most of them can’t even be booked in advance. You’ll probably begin or end your self-drive tour in Arusha or any part of Tanzania. For first-time visitors to Africa, Arusha is an agreeable introduction to urban Africa. It is an organized, green town, with a skyline dominated by the imposing Mount Meru. There are plenty of coffee bars, restaurants, souvenir shops and it’s nice to walk around. Many Tour Operators treat Arusha as an overnight staging point en route to the safari parks in the West, but the area is well worth exploring on its own right, with Arusha National Park, Moshi town, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Mount Meru at its doorstep.
Best Time To Visit For Wildebeest Migration
The safari parks in Tanzania which are most seasonal in terms of game viewing are Serengeti, Selous, and Tarangire national parks and other national parks. Serengeti National Park The Serengeti is famous for its annual migration of millions of wildebeest and other plains grazers on the move to find fresh grass and water, with predators like lions following in their footsteps. Whether it’s worth planning your safari dates around the Serengeti migration is a matter of choice. With the best will in the world, it would be practically impossible to coincide with your few days in the Serengeti with the river crossing. However, dictated by local rainfall patterns, the migration does follow a pretty predictable pattern; December – May: Southeast (Veronese, Ndutu) May-July: Western corridor July – October: Mara river October -November: Lobo area. In our experience, irrespective of season, the Serengeti always offers excellent game viewing opportunities. Selous Game Reserve Selous Game Reserve is a highly seasonal game-viewing destination and it tends to be hotter than any other reserve in Tanzania due to its low altitude. The optimum time to visit is during the dry season of June to September when wildlife is abundant and temperatures tolerable. Game viewing is just as good from October till early November. Roads tend to become impassable and lodges are closed during April and May. Tarangire National Park Tarangire National Park lies within the Central Rift Valley, only 100 km southwest of Arusha. Tarangire is best known for its large herds of elephants. During the dry season, the park has the largest concentration of elephants in the world! Another striking feature of the park is the abundance of baobab trees. There are also some beautiful stands of acacia tortillas trees, the flat-topped acacias which are so reminiscent of films like the Lion King and Out of Africa. Animal concentration peaks between July till the start of the rains in November, early December. From November to May, much of the game leaves the park.
Flight To Tanzania
Many airlines fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO – Arusha) and Julius Nyerere International Airport (Dar es Salaam) and other small airports for domestic. Mili Adventure Africa head office and vehicles are located in Arusha, Tanzania.
Pick-up and Drop-off Service
It is possible to start or end your self-drive tour from another location other than Arusha. The costs are forwarded to the hire. Note that your car rental agreement starts and ends on the date the car leaves and returns to our office. The days required to bring back the car to our office are added as rental days. Delivery or drop off at Mili Adventure Office in Arusha, free. Airport transfer (JRO), one-way US Dollar 30. Delivery or drop off at Dar es Salaam US Dollar 250. Have another location in mind for your one-way car rental
Packing List For Travelling Trip To Tanzania
Our rental cars have a cigarette lighter to power your devices, but you’ll need to bring your own audio and USB cables. If you use Spotify, don’t forget to download your favorite road trip songs so you can listen to them offline. Audio books are also great fun to listen to during long drives, or whilst sitting around a campfire or lying in your tent (try a thriller!). You can install Maps. me on your mobile device and download the Tanzania maps so you can drive and walk around using GPS offline.
A Power bank comes in handy if you plan to camp a lot. A fleece blanket is nice for chilling on the grass or to cover up during the chillier nights. Definitely bring insect repellent and sunblock or you buy here in Tanzania. The interior highlands are cooler in the evenings, so bring a fleece or jumper. Arusha and Dar es Salaam have many well-stocked supermarkets and pharmacies where you can buy all the essentials, in case you forget anything.
Cross Border With Mili Adventure Africa Vehicle
It is possible to cross the Tanzanian border with a Mili Adventure Africa car to all East Africa countries and Zambia. If you want to do a multiple country self-drive with our vehicle, you do need to let us know in advance as we have to arrange a border crossing document and an extension of the car insurance for your vehicle. Without our consent, you are not allowed to cross the border and you are not insured for any damage. Please | Contact Us!! | for more information.
Our reviews
Georgia Ross
2023-09-01
We hired a Land Cruiser with double roof top tents for 36 days through Khalid at Mili Adventures. We took it through Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Cross border paper work, vehicle and equipment was perfect, no issues! Khalid was great to deal with and also good pricing compared to other rental companies we looked at. Khalid was super accomodating to any requests we had. Thanks for such a seamless rental experience! 100% would recommend.
Hugo Lakin
2023-01-20
We rented the Land Cruiser and it was unreal, awesome car that flew over any terrain.
Václav Velát jr.
2023-01-17
Mili nás zachránili, když auto z jiné půjčovny bylo havarováno po cestě k nám. Nakonec to bylo to nejlepší se nám mohlo přihodit. Domluva proběhla bleskově. Suzuki Escudo je za tu cenu jednoznačně nejlepší auto na safari a v terénu se mu vyrovná pouze Land Cruiser. Kluci z půjčovny nám nedoporučovali jet v našem období do Serengeti, ale nakonec to byla nejpohodovější část našeho výletu. Jen po cestě ze Serengeti do Ngorongor musíte jet pomalu, protože malé auto nezvládá cestu tak dobře jako kolem projíždějíci Land Cruisery. Byli jsme i u Lake Natron kde to je krásné, ale poplatky jsou nesmyslné a v Tarangire, kde se nám vůbec nelíbilo a raději bychom zůstali den navíc v Serengeti, protože cena je podobná, ale Serengeti je podstatně velkolepější. Vrácení auta po 1500km v Dar Es Salaam taky proběhlo v pohodě a bylo nám odpuštěno i pár drobných a pochopitelných škrábanců na autě. Moc děkujeme, Mili Car Rental a Suzuki Escudo jsou rozhodně nejlepší kombinací na Safari. Jsme tak spokojeni, že jsem napsal první recenzi v životě 🙂
Daniel Stüssi
2022-01-09
We rented the Suzuki Escudo for 10 days and had an amazing time in the nationalparks Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Serengeti and Lake Natron. The car is very well equipt and has everything you need.
Khalid did an amazing job. He helped wherever he could and was very responsive.
I truely recommend Mili Adventure of you want to discover Tanzania by yourself!
Isabelle Wolfensberger
2022-01-09
Khalid hat uns super beraten, das Auto ist gut ausgestattet und bei Fragen wurde einem schnell geholfen. Wir haben den Ngorongoro und Serengetti Nationalpark besucht und alles hat ohne Zwischenfälle geklappt. Um die Fahrten etwas angenehmer zu gestalten, könnte man sich überlegen ein grösseres Fahrzeug als unseres (Suzuki) zu wählen.
Bettina Wenzel
2021-10-19
Rented a car for a self-drive safari. The car was in a good state and the camping equipment included was comfortable and sufficient.
Carlos del Arco Romanos
2021-07-19
Estafadores, me dieron un coche que ya había tenido un golpe y de los baches se fueron cayendo las piezas delanteras, el faro, etc. incluso me dejó tirado en medio del serengeti. Vino un mecánico y me cobró una cantidad demasiado alta (100$), antes de pagarle se lo comenté a ellos y me dijeron no te preocupes nosotros te lo pagamos sin problema. Cuando les entregué el coche me dijeron que sólo me daban 40$ que era lo que creían que costaba el arreglo incluso me dijeron que si que me habían dicho que me daban los 100$ por el momento pero que lamentablemente sólo me iban a dar 40$ porque era lo que costaba el arreglo. Les enseño el recibo en el que me cobraron 100$ y ni lo quieren ver que son 40$. Fatal el coche, mal servicio, empresa poco seria, sin palabra y sin honor.
RP DG
2021-01-22
Excellent rapport qualité/prix pour ces 4 jours de safari à Serengeti, Ngorongoro et Lake Manyara!!!
Merci à Halifa pour son sérieux, sa conscience professionnelle et pour sa disponibilité à répondre à toutes nos questions par mails, alors que nous étions encore en France...
Et quel plaisir de découvrir après réception de plusieurs devis de différentes agences, que Mili Adventure était le moins cher et que la Suzuki Escudo était de qualité.
Un bravo à Khalid le chauffeur/guide expérimenté et sérieux!!!
Grzegorz Zięba
2021-01-11
Great company. Khalid - the general manager - is a very helpful, flexible and communicative guy and helped us a lot. We had a great 10days safari with Toyota Landcruiser with 2 tents on the roof.
Peter “Antonio” Kuhlmann
2020-12-05
Absolutely top. He brought the car to the airport and the communication with WhatsApp was perfect. I really appreciate this rental car agency. Btw you can go by a rental car to any natural park in Arusha, lake manyara or serengeti. We had rhe car for 3 days and everything was great, no damages.. thanks again for this great service.. greatings Peter
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