For two and a half years, Em and I lived in an RV and visited the 50 states of America. Since then, we fell in love with the flexibility of self driving, choosing our own pace, and being able to cook and sleep wherever we wanted. So when we decided to travel to Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, we knew we wanted to try a self-drive safari. After all, the Serengeti is one of the most well-known national parks in all of Africa and is larger than the country of Jamaica! We wanted to see as much of it as we could, as well as have the flexibility to explore more of the beautiful country of Tanzania. We knew it would be an adventure, but we were excited for the challenge!
After doing an 11 day safari in Kenya, we knew that we probably wouldn’t be able to see as many animals as we did with an expert guide. The guides have years of experience with African wildlife as well as radio communication with other local guides. So unless we could become resident wildlife experts and learn Swahili within a week’s time, we probably wouldn’t have the same experience! =)
However, there is also something exciting about being able to explore a completely new area on our own, not knowing what animals might be ahead. It is a fun experience getting to book our own campgrounds the night before and deciding where we want to explore at the moment. We knew we were in for an adventure, but little did we know just how amazing self-driving through Tanzania would be!
In order to make our self-drive safari in Serengeti National Park a reality, we had to find a company to rent us the perfect safari vehicle. That’s how we discovered Mili Adventure Africa. From the first time we contacted them to when we dropped the car off, they made the entire experience so easy!
Based out of Arusha, Tanzania, Mili Adventure Africa is centrally located between Serengeti National Park and Mount Kilimanjaro. Within a day’s drive, we could go from Africa’s tallest mountain to one of its most famous safari parks. The company is a licensed, locally-owned and operated Tanzanian car rental company whose owners have a passion for helping people from around the world be able to explore their beautiful country. Mili Adventure Africa was founded by safari guides with more than 40 years of experience and – in addition to renting 4×4 vehicles, they also offer chauffeur-driven adventures.
Mili Adventure Africa has multiple options of 4×4 vehicles to choose from. One of the most popular options is the incredibly versatile extended land cruiser. If you go on a safari, chances are that 75% of the vehicles you’ll see will be this car. From its high clearance to its incredible suspension and pop-up roof, the extended land cruiser seems to be custom-made as the perfect safari vehicle.
We decided to go with the rooftop tent and full camping gear setup option on the 4×4 Suzuki Escudo. The car may be smaller than the land cruiser, but Mili Adventure Africa has outfitted it with everything you could ever need for a self-driving safari. They know the terrain and the best gear it takes to explore the area.
As former RVers, we were blown away by all of the tools and camping equipment that the Mili Adventure Africa team outfitted the car with. For starters, there is an entire rooftop tent on top of the car. It was incredibly easy to set up. I decided to time myself the second time I set up the tent, and from start to finish it took me less than 5 minutes to completely set up by myself! This was super helpful when we were rolling into campgrounds at the last minute to not have to take too much time setting up our camp. The tent was exceptionally long and there was a full size foldable sleeping mat already inside. The company also provided sleeping bags and full sized pillows. Sleeping in the tent were honestly some of the best nights of sleep my wife and I had during our time in Tanzania! It was a great feeling being off the ground and not having to worry about any wandering animals at night.
The inside of the vehicle was also packed with everything a camper could ever imagine. We were camping in Serengeti, but we definitely weren’t roughing it! In addition to the electric fridge, Mili Adventure Africa also provided a portable camping stove, propane tank, real dishware, cups and utensils, pots, pans, serveware, and storage containers. Anything we needed for cooking we had with us. For camping we had 2 full sized folding chairs, tow rope, shovel, machete and hammer. There was a very large storage container for non potable water so we could wash all of our dishes or take a quick shower. The car had a first aid kit, portable light, and many other useful camping essentials.
But the most impressive thing was how well it was all organized inside the car. Everything had a place and was easily accessible. Mili Adventure Africa created their own custom storage bins that fit the inside of the car perfectly. Having lived out of an RV for 2 years, we loved the internal organization and were so impressed how well everything was organized and protected from the vibrations of the road. The car even had a built-in, pull-out table in the back! It is clear that the company put a lot of thought into making this the ultimate self-camping vehicle!
Although guided tours may be the best way to see wildlife, we were still able to see more wildlife than we could have imagined! Within 3 days traveling around Serengeti National Park, we had a cheetah walk right by us, were stopped by lions lying in the road, and saw several giraffes grazing just feet away from our window! Em’s favorite experience was seeing thousands of wildebeest crossing the Mara river for the Great Migration! It was incredible hearing them jump into the river and trying to avoid the crocodiles as they crossed. My favorite sight was a parade of 50+ elephants walking together in a straight line. There was something surreal about being the only people in sight getting to witness such an incredible experience.
We were so thankful for the opportunity to drive through Serengeti National Park on our own. The one night we knew we wouldn’t have time to make it to our campground, but we were able to have the flexibility of switching at the last minute to another location thanks to self-driving. It was a great comfort to know that by renting with Mili Adventure Africa, there was also someone located in Tanzania that we could contact in case of an emergency. If you love adventure, camping, and seeing incredible wildlife then I highly recommend visiting Tanzania and doing a self-drive safari in Serengeti National Park with a car rented from Mili Adventure Africa!
