Travelogue from Africa: The difference between Kenya and Tanzania

In November 2021, our Africa expert Winnie travelled to Tanzania and Kenya. Before she left, we asked our followers on Facebook what they would like to know about/see from the tour. One of the questions received was what is the difference between Kenya and Tanzania. Here’s Winnie’s answer.

My excellent guide in Kenya was named Sisto. He is both well-read and well-travelled – and he gets my sense of humour 😄.

During our week together, we saw 15 hotels. Some of the hotels are located in game reserves, so to get from A to B, we had to drive through wild areas such as Samburu, Masai Mara and Amboseli (I know, I know, annoying, right…? 🙈). Along the way, we were lucky enough to see leopards, a serval, mating lions, cheetahs and – the wildest of them all – a black rhino!

Sisto was well aware that I was going on to Tanzania, and the good kikuyu that he is, he immediately saw an opportunity for a little competition with his colleague in Tanzania. I promised him that I’d pass on the challenge: “to find as many animals as we’d seen in Kenya on our way to and from the site inspections”

In Tanzania, I was given Abu as my guide. A more patient and knowledgeable man is hard to find!

As promised, I handed over Sisto’s challenge. Abu smiled his gentle smile and said: “Don’t worry. We have the Serengeti.”

I don’t want to put one over the other. I honestly think that ALL national parks have something to offer – and the contrasts are one of the things I really like.

Samburu has the beautiful landscapes and the special 5.

Naivasha has the hippos and all the birds.

Mara is both wild and doable at once, with a really good chance of seeing the big 5.

Pancake-flat Amboseli has its elephants and Kilimanjaro.

Tsavo has the red soil which also turns the elephants red.

…

Ngorongoro offers wild crater slopes, which stand in stark contrast to the flat crater floor, where zebras and elephants graze and where lions sometimes seek shade under the cars.

Tarangire has the elephants and the mysterious baobab trees.

Mkomazi has rhinos.

Lake Manyara offers a rich bird life.

…

And then there’s the Serengeti.

The Serengeti is the place where you can see three leopards in ONE tree. It’s the place where the plains are so endless that you can see the rounding of the earth. It’s where the sky is biggest.

BUT, because there is, of course, a but…. The Serengeti is also the place where you can drive all day without seeing much else than zebras. There are vast distances between the different habitats, and if you’re at one end and the cheetahs are at the other, well, you won’t get to see any cheetahs that day 😉.

One of our followers on Facebook wrote that the best animal experiences are to be had in Tanzania, but that camps and lodges in Kenya are of a higher standard. I’m inclined to agree with her. Kenya has a longer history of safari than Tanzania – they’ve quite simply been practising for a little longer! 😉

But, don’t worry, “Tanzania has the Serengeti”.

Winnie, TourCompass.co.uk

Read our post where we help you choose your safari in Kenya or Tanzania.

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