Things To Know Before Your Self Drive Safari In Tanzania
Road Conditions In Tanzania
By East Africa standards, the road conditions in many parts of Tanzania are in very good condition. Although roads are in good condition you can expect a lot of speed bumps and the occasional pothole. Due to many speed bumps, there is a need to reduce speed when you’re passing through villages. Inside the parks, it’s off-road driving on dirt roads. Probably want to take a lot of pictures and the scenery from the highway is stunning. On gravel roads, you reach an average of 25 km/h. 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 Tanzania
We have been exploring Tanzania by road for many years and have found the experience is rewarding.
Driving is slower than you used to in Europe or the USA. The speed limit is 80 km/hr on the highway and 50 km/h in the urban areas.
You have to beware of unmarked speed bumps which are plentiful in many parts of the country, especially when you are reaching villages or towns.
You have to drive defensively. Minibus drivers are notorious for overtaking on blind corners. So keep an eye in your rear-view mirror and if necessary just pull off the road and let them pass.
Along the roads with little traffic ( which is mostly the case throughout Tanzania), it doesn’t hurt to softly honk your horn when you are overtaking someone. Avoid driving at night, the potholes are difficult to spot and fellow traffic often uses blinding high-beam. Always carry some cash, water, and a charged mobile phone to handle any situation. Keep in mind that a flat tyre can happen easily!! It is part of the adventure and can be fixed quickly at any service station. As you will discover soon enough, traffic in Tanzania drives on the left side of the road
How To Deal With Traffic Police In Tanzania
There are a lot of traffic police in Tanzania. You will recognize them from a distance by their bright white uniform. So, when dealing with any kind of government official is Tanzanian is 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 tires look okay and check if you are carrying the required fire extinguisher, reflector triangle and first aid kit. Of course that is taken care 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 case you have committed an offense you will receive a fine which needs to be paid via a bank deposit. If you received a fine, please keep the ticket and call Mili Adventure Africa office. We will make the payment, which will save a you a lot of time, and then you can refund us in cash upon hand over.
Other Things To Consider
Tanzania is sought after self-drive safari destination. Make sure you book early for your self-drive, often a year in advance. Plan your timing carefully, take a good quality camera for capturing every moment on your self-drive safari? It is wise to carry both cash and c credit card since, in Tanzania national parks, cash is not accepted. But visa fees at migration are paid by cash. It is best to bring with you the US dollar. Do not change your money on the street, always go to the bank. It is best not to rely on ATM during a self-drive safari, ATM supply only local currency. You need to be aware on what comes to safety in local towns in general. It is advisable not to take too much cash around with you. Place all important documents for example passports, ATM cards, driving license, and cash in one pouch or slim bag that will stay with you always
Pack light clothes, because in Tanzania it is generally warm throughout the year. When you are on safari you need to be comfortable. National parks in Tanzania get dusty, therefore khaki and army green clothing is recommended.
Always remember that game reserve and parks in Tanzania are very dust, especially in the dry season. Be cautious by wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes and keep the camera and phone clean by wiping regularly. Make sure to pack a few wet wipes and hand sanitizer, especially before and after meals in the pack. Also, make sure you have repellent with you all the time. In the day you will find tsetse flies. In the night you will mostly find mosquitoes. Don’t be worried, this should no stop from enjoying your self-drive adventure. But it’s good to be cautious
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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