THE TANZANIA SAFARI YOU'VE PROBABLY NEVER HEARD OF

Ask someone to name a Tanzania safari destination and they'll probably say the Serengeti. Perhaps Ngorongoro too. And fair enough – both are extraordinary places, with some of Africa's most famous wildlife experiences.

But there's another side to Tanzania that attracts far fewer visitors, and if you're thinking about a safari, I reckon it's well worth knowing about.

I'm talking about southern Tanzania, particularly Nyerere National Park and Ruaha National Park. Neither is exactly a secret, but they haven't achieved quite the same celebrity status as their northern neighbours.

A safari without the traffic jams

 

One of the things I love about being on safari is the feeling of being somewhere genuinely wild. Just you, your guide, the landscape and whatever animals happen to be going about their business. Of course, the wildlife doesn't always cooperate. That's rather the point. Nobody has explained to the animals that you've paid good money to see them.

In the more popular safari areas, particularly at busy times of year, a lion sighting can attract a procession of vehicles. Sometimes it's difficult to know whether you're watching the lions or the other tourists.

In southern Tanzania, you're generally sharing the wilderness with far fewer people.

It doesn't mean you'll have every sighting to yourself, but the sense of space is one of the region's greatest attractions.

There is a trade-off, though. Because the wildlife in these less-visited areas may be less accustomed to safari vehicles, animals can sometimes be more wary than those in the busier parks. You might need a little more patience, and sightings aren't always quite so obliging. But for me, that's part of the appeal. It's a reminder that you're watching wild animals on their terms, not yours.

And if you've already been on safari in Kenya or northern Tanzania, it's an opportunity to experience something quite different.

A safari from the water

This is where Nyerere becomes particularly interesting. Most people associate safaris with game drives, but in Nyerere you can also head out by boat on the Rufiji River and the park's lakes.

There's something rather wonderful about watching elephants drinking at the water's edge, seeing hippos wallowing nearby or spotting crocodiles basking on the banks, all from a completely different perspective. The birdlife can be superb too.

If you've ever been tempted by Botswana's Okavango Delta, particularly because of the opportunity to experience wildlife from the water, Nyerere is worth considering.

The two aren't the same. The Okavango is a remarkable inland delta with its own distinctive landscapes and mokoro excursions, while Nyerere's boat safaris take place on rivers and lakes.

But both offer the chance to enjoy wildlife away from the confines of a safari vehicle. And a safari in southern Tanzania can often work out considerably less expensive than a comparable stay in the Okavango. Which is worth bearing in mind if your enthusiasm for wildlife is rather greater than your enthusiasm for the price tag.

And then there's Ruaha

 

Further west, Ruaha offers yet another side of Tanzania. This is a landscape of enormous baobab trees, rocky hills and open plains, with the Great Ruaha River providing a focus for wildlife, particularly during the dry season.

Ruaha is known for its predators, including lions, leopards and cheetahs, as well as substantial elephant populations. It's also one of the places where African wild dogs may be encountered, although, as with all wildlife, sightings can never be guaranteed.

Where Nyerere offers the variety of boat safaris alongside game drives, Ruaha is more about exploring a vast, rugged wilderness by vehicle and, where available, on foot.

Put the two together and you've got a safari with considerable variety, without needing to spend half your holiday getting from one place to another.

Is southern Tanzania right for you?

I wouldn't automatically recommend southern Tanzania to everyone.

If seeing the Great Migration is at the top of your wish list, then the Serengeti is the obvious place to start. And for a first safari, northern Tanzania's combination of famous parks and extraordinary wildlife concentrations has enormous appeal.

But if you've already been on safari, or you particularly value quieter surroundings, varied activities and the feeling of getting away from the crowds, the south deserves serious consideration. It's also relatively straightforward to combine a southern Tanzania safari with a few days on Zanzibar, which makes a lovely contrast after early starts and dusty game drives. Not that lying beside a swimming pool is an entirely effortless occupation, of course.

And perhaps that's the real appeal. You don't have to follow the best-known safari circuit to have an extraordinary experience.

Sometimes the places you hear less about are precisely the ones worth discovering.