Kenya vs. Tanzania safaris - by Howard Hillman

Choosing Masai Mara over Serengeti

and why you should avoid this mistake

Comparing
Kenya and
Tanzania

Not realizing that the Serengeti in Tanzania is a far better safari destination than the Masai Mara in Kenya

Neophyte vs. savvy opinions

Their opinions are completely opposite of each other:

First-timer safari-goers
Most novice safari-goers automatically go to the Masai Mara instead of the Serengeti, mainly because Kenya is world's most famous safari country.

Seasoned safari-goers
Most travelers who have visited both the Masai Mara and the Serengeti believe the latter offers a superior safari experience.

Why the Serengeti is superior

There are many reasons, including the ones below:

The Masai Mara has
become too crowded
Decades ago, the Masai Mara was exceptionally glorious because it attracted a relatively small number of safari-goers.

Nowadays, due to the Masai Mara's worldwide fame, the Masai Mara suffers from an excessive number of safari vehicles during its peak season.

In many popular Masai Mara spots, the safari landscape is sometimes dotted with minivans, which end up as unwanted background in your otherwise exciting African safari photos.

The vehicular concentration of minivans and traditional safari vehicles diminishes your "in the wild" safari experience. (This is far less likely to occur in Tanzania's Serengeti because it has fewer visitors and is eight times larger than the Masai Mara.)

Great side-trip adventures
If you go to the the Serengeti, you are only a half day by car from the Ngorongoro Crater, one of Africa's finest safari destinations. You are also relatively near Mt. Kilimanjaro (climb it) and the Olduvai Gorge (see where our prehistoric ancestors lived). And exotic Zanzibar is easily reached by plane.

In fairness to the Masai Mara...

It's still worth visiting. My advice: If your first African safari trip will go to either Kenya or Tanzania but not both, then choose Tanzania. If your schedule allows both countries, definitely do both. Click these buttons to learn more about the Masai Mara: