Off-path travel is on the rise now that overtourism is back to haunt all of the world’s top tourist destinations.
Instead of blindly following the crowd and gathering around the Eiffel Tower or joining the lines to visit Chichen Itza like millions of others, some travelers are seeking truly unique experiences that do not often feature on regular brochures.
Luckily for avid adventurers keen on escaping the Instagram hordes, this fascinating African destination is welcoming them with open arms, offering breathtaking natural landscapes, tropical islands housing UNESCO World Heritage Sites, exciting city breaks, and an unmatched multicultural scene.
Welcome to Tanzania, one of the fastest-growing destinations in 2023:
Why Tanzania Should Be On Your Bucket List
Tanzania is one of only a handful of countries that can claim to be home to a pristine nature still largely untouched by human development.
Swathes of its national territory are a vast, glorious wilderness comprising safari sites, rugged terrains, snow-capped peaks, and a scenic coastline bounded by the aqua waters of the Indian Ocean.
It is also where Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in all of Africa, is located, as well as endless plains where sightings of the big five are possible, with elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos, and rhinos roaming the Serengeti reserve freely.
Offshore, the autonomous island of Zanzibar is Tanzania’s number one attraction, featuring a whitewashed historic capital listed by UNESCO as an area of inestimable cultural value and spectacular sandy beaches virtually unspoiled by mass tourism.
As you can probably guess by now, Tanzania is a hidden gem waiting to go viral, and it’s no surprise Craft Travel, a U.S.-based travel agency, has deemed it a promising destination for 2023.
According to the company, the country’s ‘wildlife splendor’ is one of its strongest assets:
Luxury Safaris And Breathtaking Vistas
‘When you step out onto the Serengeti plains or the Ngorongoro Crater, the areas are so vast and the density of animals is staggering‘, reads a quote on their website, referencing both Tanzania’s most famous savannah park and the world’s largest unfilled volcanic caldera.
The agency also believes Tanzania could be one of a few African nations to experience a significant spike in visitor numbers this year, pairing it with the Arab outpost of Morocco in the continent’s far North, the increasingly trendy Kenya, where JW Marriott opened its inaugural luxury safari property only a few weeks ago, and the tourism powerhouse of South Africa.
Tanzania is absolutely packed with landmarks classed as ‘highest’, ‘largest’, and ‘most impressive’, and its magnificent nature and surprisingly developed tourism scene do play a huge part in keeping it a trendy destination for American travelers.
As The Citizen reported, U.S. visitors are surprised at Tanzania’s high-quality infrastructure, including this five-star safari resort with an impressive list of amenities, where infinity pools are set against the backdrop of the Tanzanian wilderness, where wildlife can be spotted, and the decor is traditional East African.
A customer was quoted saying they were ‘fortunate’ to stay at a Ngorongoro crater lodge, in a luxury property classed as ‘one of the best in Tanzania, if not Africa‘.
Tanzania Feels Special
You get the idea: while preserving its pristine landscapes is the ultimate goal, catering to high-end travelers looking to have meaningful experiences without necessarily having to sacrifice their comfort is just as important to local developers, and Tanzanian officials have done a stellar job at striking that delicate balance.
A Luxe Traveler Club member compared Tanzania to South Africa themselves, maybe the former’s number one competitor in the continent due to their similar topography, and concluded that while South African safaris are ‘great’, ‘there is a difference when you step out on to the Serengeti plains or the Ngorongoro Crater‘.
They claimed there is something ‘magical’ about Tanzania that makes it stand out and that it felt like a ‘life experience’ as well as a holiday.
Top Attractions In Tanzania
Here are some other points of interest you shouldn’t miss out on during a trip to Tanzania:
- Zanzibar is known for being one of the most prominent Arab cities in East Africa, with its whitewashed houses, ornate doorways, and medieval medina bustling with trade having inspired visitors for centuries, it holds three of Africa’s five ‘Great Lakes‘, including the deepest body of water in the continent, Lake Tanganyika, and the largest freshwater lake, Lake Victoria
- Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania, a major financial center, and one of the busiest ports on the Indian Sea coast of Africa
- Dodoma is the capital, home to over 2 million people, and where a majority of the country’s administrative institutions are located
- Ugunja is a tropical island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, famous for its palm-lined Nungwi Beach, a popular swimming spot boasting spotless white sands and turquoise-colored, warm waters
