Off The Beaten Track Experience in Tanzania
10 Off The Beaten Track Experiences In Tanzania
You have probably heard of the Serengeti and its endless plains that play host to an impressive range of wildlife. It’s also likely that you’ve heard of the UNESCO-listed Ngorongoro Crater, the remnants of an ancient collapsed volcano that now offers amazing game viewing opportunities. And then there’s the beautiful island of Zanzibar that any beach bum worth their sea salt should know about. These destinations are Tanzania’s highlights for a reason but if you’re looking for somewhere a little less visited then get off the beaten track in Tanzania with these top recommendations.
Usambara Mountains
While most tourists will venture along the same path – going from one national park to another – a detour up to the Usambara Mountains offers a real sense of hiking in Tanzania. As it is somewhat off the regular trail, life up here is, in many ways, unaffected by modern times. The combination of natural beauty and a sense of getting away from [first-world] comforts is quite exciting.
Relatively untroubled by tourism, the Usambara provide a sense of seclusion. Often, you will find yourself the only one walking the mountain paths and, at times, it feels like you are in a different country – the contrast to the plains being so pronounced. The combination of ancient caves and charming villages with some of the most friendly and genuinely hospitable people, it makes a paradise for slow travel.
Hiking, biking, birding, culture, and relaxing, are few things you can do in Usambara.
Mkomazi National Park
Known for its stunning scenery, which include rolling hills, open Savannah, and rocky outcrops. It also home to the Mkomazi River which provide a vital source of water for the park’s wildlife. Mkomazi is home to several endangered species, including African wild dogs, black rhinos and cheetahs.
The park is home to several conservation projects aimed at protecting endangered species and preserving the park’s ecosystem. Visitors can learn about these projects and the importance of conservation efforts in the region
Amani Nature Reserve
Amani is the most rewarding and accessible site associated with the Eastern Arc Mountains, a series of forested massifs dubbed the 'African Galápagos' for its immense biodiversity (which includes at least 75 endemic vertebrate species). Centered on a sprawling old German botanical garden in the Eastern Usambara, Amani is a birdwatcher’s delight, with several avian rarities resident in the guesthouse gardens, and it also offers plenty of trails suited to rambling and hiking.
Saadani National Park
Is the only national park in Tanzania that borders the Indian Ocean. The park is situated in the historic triangle of Bagamoyo, Pangani and Zanzibar, and it can be accessed by self-drive from Dar es Salaam, Tanga and Arusha.
Known for its diverse wildlife, which include elephants, lions, giraffes, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles, and variety of antelopes. The park is also home to number of birds species, including kingfisher, fish eagles, sunbirds, and hornbills.
Saadani National Park offers a range of activities for visitors on a self-drive safari such as boat safari, walking safari, and cultural tours. Self-drive visitors can also enjoy swimming and snorkelling in the Indian Ocean, as well as relaxing on the beaches.
Kondoa Rock Art Site
My nomination for the country's most lamentably underpublicized attraction is this UNESCO World Heritage Site, which comprises East Africa’s most important cluster of prehistoric rock art, scattered across 150-odd different panels. Particularly striking is the relatively accessible shelter nicknamed Mungomi Wa Kolo (‘Dancers of Kolo’), whose central image comprises five surreal humanoid forms in what appears to be an attempted abduction.
Kilwa Kisiwani
Another UNESCO World Heritage Site that remain almost totally neglected by travelers, this small offshore island is the site of a Swahili gold-trading port described by the 14th century globetrotter Ibn Buttata as ‘one of the most beautiful and well-constructed towns in the world’. Five centuries after Kilwa was sacked by the Portuguese, it still houses some substantial ruins, including an exquisite multi-domed Friday mosque, a monolithic seafront fort, and several palaces.
Bagamoyo
The closest thing to a bona fide resort town on the Tanzanian mainland, Bagamoyo verges an irresistible white beach that arcs southward as far as the eye can see. It also boasts a long and fascinating history, relicts of which include the medieval Kaole Ruins, the mission church where Livingstone’s embalmed body was once interred, and buildings dating from its brief stint as the first capital of German East Africa.
Katavi National Park
Tanzania boasts many great savannah reserves, but none as thrillingly untrammeled as Katavi, which evokes Africa as it must have been a century ago. The park is at its best from May to October, when the Katuma floodplain harbors staggering densities of hippos and buffalo, along with substantial populations of elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra, and various antelope.
Mahale National Park
This remote park is set on the sandy forest-lined shore of Lake Tanganyika, the world’s longest freshwater body at 675km from north to south. Astonishingly beautiful, Mahale is also perhaps Africa’s premier chimp-tracking destination, offering daily visits to a wild chimp community habituated by Japanese researchers in the 1960s. The bird watching and monkey viewing are also superb.
Lake Natron
One of East Africa's most magnificently primal and forbidding landmarks is this shallow sliver of hyper-saline water, which forms the only known breeding ground for East Africa’s 2.5 million lesser flamingos. Tourist facilities, though limited, are clustered on the southern shore, below the Maasai ‘Mountain of God’, Ol Doinyo Lengai, an active volcano whose unvegetated ashen slopes rise to an altitude of 2,960 meters from the low-lying Rift Valley floor.
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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