In Summary
Experts and visitors voted Tanzania for it is a host
to the best chimp tracking in Africa, and visitors can climb the
highest mountain on the continent.
Dar es Salaam. It is now beyond dispute:
Tanzania has the best natural tourist attractions in Africa, luring
hordes of travellers from all over the world, an international survey
has shown.
According to an analysis released yesterday by an
online marketplace for African tours, SafariBookings.com, Tanzania has
been voted overwhelmingly as the best safari destination in Africa,
viewed as the ideal getaway for tourists.
SafariBookings.com conducted an extensive analysis
of 3,061 reviews of over 1,000 tourists and travel experts who
participated in a survey and concluded that both parties concurred
Tanzania is tops in the continent. The country has an average rating of
4.8 out of 5 stars, the highest score of all eight major safari
countries. Botswana and Kenya scored 4.7 each, followed by South Africa
and Zambia which scored 4.6 each against Namibia’s 4.5 stars. Uganda
took 4.2 against Zimbabwe’s 4.1 stars.
Why do experts and travellers prefer Tanzania?
Reputable guidebook authors from such renowned
publications as ‘Frommer’s’ and ‘Lonely Planet’ teamed up to create a
database of expert reviews which determined the many reasons Tanzania is
the best safari country.
“The reasons are simple: Two of Unesco’s World
Heritage Sites, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, are
located in Tanzania’s northern safari circuit. The Serengeti is home to
the “great migration”, an event in which over 2.5 million zebra and
wildebeest migrate annually,” says The Netherlands-based Wouter Vergeer,
owner of the website. He adds:
“Experts and visitors voted Tanzania for it is a
host to the best chimp tracking in Africa, and visitors can climb the
highest mountain on the continent. Visitors can enjoy authentic African
wilderness without paved roads and fencing. There are safari options for
any budget and holidays can be spent enjoying beach extensions on
Zanzibar Island. Travel is simple, with direct access flights to the two
major safari circuits. Tanzania is also a politically stable and safe
country.”
He notes that when breaking down the reviews,
monthly ratings remained consistently high emphasising the notion that
tourists can safely visit Tanzania any time of the year. The team at
SafariBookings, he says, found it surprising that even the wet season
received very positive ratings from experts and tourists.
Furthermore, says Mr Vergeer, the afternoon rains
don’t typically hamper a Tanzanian safari, yet wildlife viewing in
Tarangire, the southern and western circuit parks is considerably less
rewarding during these times and could, therefore, lower ratings.
The reviewers responsible for collecting and
analysing data came from 53 nationalities; 42 per cent were first time
safari-goers, 37 per cent had been on over 5 safaris and 21per cent had
taken 2 to 5.
Ms Mary Fitzpatrick, a US-based author of six
Lonely Planet guides to Africa, including Tanzania, writes: “With its
abundant wildlife, excellent species diversity and evocative acacia- and
baobab-studded landscapes, Tanzania is one of Africa’s most rewarding
safari destinations.”
However, her main concern was about the cost of daily park entry fees, high accommodation prices and fuel costs.
Mr Philip Briggs from South Africa, an acclaimed travel writer
and author of many guidebooks, including the ‘Bradt Guides to Uganda,
Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa’ rated Tanzania the highest possible
score – five stars.
“There is arguably no better safari destination
than Tanzania. And, to be honest, I’m not even sure I should be using
the word ‘arguably’ here! Tanzania’s superb network of wildlife reserves
is the most extensive in Africa, collectively covering a quarter of the
country’s surface area, and harbouring around 20 per cent of the
continent’s large mammal biomass,” he writes.
“It includes … a well fed entourage of lion,
cheetah, leopard, hyena plus various smaller predators and lynchpin of a
northern safari circuit that also incorporates the superlative
Ngorongoro Crater (the world’s largest intact volcanic caldera) and
pretty Lake Manyara National Park, with its giant tuskers and
tree-climbing lions,” adds Mr Briggs.
Source: The citizen.
Source: The citizen.
