I'm going to be backpacking in Tanzania for 3 weeks and I am hoping to make it from the NW (mear lake Victoria) all the way to Zanzibar (and then head straight to Nairobi by bus/train for my flight) in 23 days.

I was kinda hoping to be able to see part of the Serengeti national park and the ngorongoro park (and crater) before heading on to Mt Kilimanjaro, the Usambara mountains, and then Zanzibar/Dar es Salam.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO TAKE DAY TRIPS TO THE NATIONAL PARKS AND SEE THE WILDLIFE (W/O THE COST OF A SAFARI)?

Are guides/scouts/solo trips worth my time. I would really like to walk around in these parks, but i would just want to make sure that I could get around enough (buses, cars, walking, etc.) in them to make the trip worthwhile.

I would love to hear from those of you who have experience in these parks. How did you manage?

Thanks.

koreansteve
Where have you been? What happened to your ultra-cheap safari by that obscure company?

Anyway, yes you can use public transport and such and use wardens to guide you. Their current rates are about $7 per day but you should pay them more if they take good care of you!

Lots of buses/dala dalas go from Arusha to Lake Victoria through the Serengeti and in the opposite way.

Just tell the bus driver what you want to do before you get on and he will help you.

Disclaimer - I have not done it but I've seen it done plenty of times in Tanzania!

thanks (btw, i've been checking out safaris and I think it would kinda destroy the whole 'backpacking motif' if i did a real safari...and destroy my wallet ).

Cool. Will I need to bring food for both of us? Do I need to pay his entrance fee too? If I want to stay overnight, will he have his own tent (and would you suggest that i bring a tent...i haven't convinced myself i need one yet)?

This sounds like a really neat way to see the park and I know others have done it...so please tell me about your experiences.

If you've done this before, how much did you average paying for the day (park fees, guide fee, food, etc.)?

Thanks.

I trust you understand the complexities involved!

Public transport to the Northern parks are cheap and easy. Finding a guide (a ranger) is easy and quite cheap. Finding a vehicle to transport you and the ranger inside the park - not easy!

However East Africans are very resourceful. Your ranger or the wardens at the gate will get on their cell phones and an hour or two later a car will show up and off you go. The car may die a few times and may run out of gas but you will have plenty of stories to tell afterwards.

Yes, you must pay park fees $50 for Serengeti and budget about $35 elsewhere per 24 hours. You must also pay the car daily rates (normally includes fuel). You can sleep outside the parks at bandas or public camp sites.

One little secret is to travel from public camp site to public camp site (the ones that are outside parks and run by private enterprises). They all have cars on standby to take you on daytrips at really cheap rates. This may be easier than trying to do everything yourself.

Most camp sites have emails so you can contact them ahead of time to ask about short safaris (Twiga for example near Manyara)

Hello korean,
Have you checked out the Lonely planet and the Brant guides for the logistics involved with getting from one location to another - they're good source for stuff like this. They also have listings of very inexpensive operators who offer self set up camp trips. Please get advice from experts before bringing food into the bush and hiking around.
Thanks;
Sherry

Would it be worth it to post a message requesting backpacking partners for the days/week I'll be traveling the northern parks?

I will read up on what the 'experts' say before i do anything. It seems like you do need a tent for such an undertaking.