Ten Myths about Safari in Tanzania
Ten Myths about Tanzania Safaris, There are many incorrect assumptions about Tanzania safaris this list the most common.
1: Tanzania is a dangerous and violent and going on safari puts you at risk of being robbed or kidnapped.
This is simply not the case, you will be safer from robbery on safari in Tanzania than you would be visiting a major European City. Tanzania shares no borders with Somalia and is hundreds of miles away from kidnapping hotspots.
2: Tanzania is a very unhealthy place.
Tanzania is a poor country and there is a high infant mortality due to lack of immunisation and malaria. As a visitor, as long as you are up to date on your vaccinations, you are unlikely to suffer anything more serious than sunburn! Avoiding malaria is simple providing you take prophylactics and sensible precautions like sleeping under a mosquito net and using mosquito repellent.
3:You should not eat salad in Tanzania.
On safari in Tanzania your food will be prepared to a western standard so there is no problem what so ever eating the salad. If you decide to eat from a street vendor on the mainland or on Zanzibar then it is is different matter and common sense should be used.
4:It is difficult to communicate from Tanzania
Simply not the case. There is mobile phone coverage with 3g over most of the country. In areas where there is no mobile phone coverage your safari lodge or driver will have a satellite phone or radio.
5:You can see Tigers whilst on Safari in Tanzania.
You would be surprised how often we are asked this – anyway you can’t, you need to go to Asia to see tigers on safari not Africa!
6:It is always hot in Tanzania.
It is not. There is snow on Mt Kilimanjaro and seasonal frost anywhere over about 2000m. This includes much of the highlands and Ngorongoro. Bring a jumper and a fleece for those chilly early morning game drives!
7:Game Parks in Tanzania are fenced like big zoos.
This is not the case there are buffer zones around the parks but no fences. This is to allow animal movement seasonally between the parks. Animals stay where there is food and water and generally avoid their human neighbours.
8:You need to have an expatriate expert guide with you.
There are plenty of expert local guides in Tanzania and there is little need of an expatriate tour leader unless they have a particular area of absolute expertise that the group is focused on.
9:There are elephant graveyards in Tanzania.
No there are not. In some marshy areas old elephants with few teeth go to spend their last years. They die and sink in the mud. This happens again and again. Later the river changes course exposing lots of elephant bones – thus the myth of the elephant graveyard was born!
10: You need to buy special clothes for safari.
No you don’t, with the exception of a wide brimmed hat or baseball cap you just need normal clothing. Jackets with lots of pockets are best kept for fishing!