Discover a different view of wildlife along the river with a canoe safari. Swap the 4×4 for a canoe or a boating for a unique experience which mixes the relaxing pace of the lake with an adventurous spirit.
canoeing and Boating safari through the lakes, ocean bays and waterways of Tanzania can be an exciting experience. Canoeing and boating safari can take you past sleeping crocodiles and hippos sunning themselves with their mouths wide open, gathered in half-submerged herds.
Taking to the water is also a welcome break from the all-day enclosure of a traditional safari vehicle, allowing travellers to experience the sights and sounds of Africa’s waterways up-close and unhindered. On Tanzania’s large freshwater lakes, boats are a popular means of transport and offer travellers the chance to see life in and around the waters — the fishermen bringing in their catch, the amazing colors of the lake shore towns and the sharp movements of small fish in shallow waters. On the Indian Ocean coast, boating takes travellers deep into the fish-filled waters of the Pemba and Unguja Channels, and through the hundreds of islets strewn across the Zanzibar Archipelago and Mafia Island. Along the coast, boating tour offers tourists a chance to travel the way the Swahili people do — by wooden dhow sailboats, the wind slowly filling the boat’s sails, the smell of the surf and the swell of ocean waves drifting over the horizon.
Boating safari are fast becoming a popular alternative for safari-goers adventurous enough to venture off the beaten track. Water-safaris are on offer as a break from longer game-viewing and give travellers the opportunity to get out in the open and see wonderful amounts of bird-life and water species up close. At present, Canoeing and boating safari for game-viewing are only permitted in the lake Manyara, Lake Duluti, Selous Game Reserve, where the Rufiji River, the Great Ruaha River, and many lakes give visitors a choice of many expeditions to choose from. Despite the proximity of crocodiles and hippos during canoeing safaris, the excursions are extremely safe and the animals react with puzzled curiosity to the sight of boats on water!
Canoeing excursions in Tanzania are an active option for travellers with a few days to spend exploring the northern Tanzania lakes. Adventure excursions on the soda-coloured shores of lake Manyara, lake Buruge and lake Duluti involve canoeing past thousands of pink flamingos in the shallow waters. In Arusha National Park, the freshwater crater lakes of the Momella Lakes make a spectacular canoeing safari, with the forests, highland games, and the imposing crater of Mount Meru looming nearby. Canoeing excursions allow travellers to get out and explore their surroundings, getting exercised in some of the most beautiful locations in the Tanzania.
Canoeing and Boating on the Tanzanian coast, whether on the mainland’s silent bays or the palm-spotted islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia, is a fun-filled excursion for travellers who want to experience the lively underwater life of the Swahili Coast. Day tour to small deserted islands, swimming off sandbars at low-tide, sailing to nearby reefs, or even just tacking back and forth across the bay are all pleasurable options for travellers who want to experience life on the Indian Ocean, and get another view of life on the Swahili Coast.