TANZANIA SAFARIS

 

THE NORTHERN CIRCUIT

The Northern Circuit, Tanzania North Safari Circuit consists of some of the most famous national parks in the world, from the impressive vastness of the Serengeti plains to the breathtaking views of the Ngorongoro Crater, a natural heritage site and Lake Manyara National Park. Across these magnificent terrains exists a multitude of animals including the big five and the occurrence of one of the most magnificent events, the annual wildebeest migration. In addition to the indescribable beauty of the wilderness exists the history of the Olduvai Gorge, Oldonyo Lengai volcanic mountain, Mt. Meru to crown it all the art and culture of the Maasai people.

 

NGORONGORO CRATER / CONSERVATION AREA

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is situated some 190 km. west of Arusha, between Lake Manyara and Serengeti National Parks. Covering approximately 8,288 square km, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area consists of the Ngorongoro Crater itself, the Olduvai Gorge and Ndutu, the Empakai crater and the Oldonyo Lengai Mountain. The altitude at the crater rim is about 2286 meters above sea level, and temperatures can get quite chilly in the evening. The crater is home to many species of wild game and birds. With the exception of impala the topi (due to fierce competition with the wildebeest) and the giraffe (because there is not much to eat at tree level), almost every species of African plains mammal lives in the crater including the black rhino. The birdlife, which includes the flamingo, is mainly seasonal and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.

 

The Maasai, the main residents of Ngorongoro, are pastoralists who move widely with their herds of cattle, sheep, goat and donkeys in search of pasture and water. In recent years the Maasai have been encouraged to work on the land to supplement their traditional diet of milk, blood and meat. The Ngorongoro Crater, which is the central attraction in the area, is the largest Caldera in the world that has its walls intact. The sight of the Ngorongoro Crater is simply to ‘die’ for. It is one of the wonders of the world.

 

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

The Serengeti National park is the largest national Park in Tanzania covering an area of 14,763 sq. km. The park is located some 320 km to the northwest of Arusha, lying in a high plateau between the Ngorongoro highlands and the Kenya/ Tanzania border, and extending almost to Lake Victoria to the west. Declared a protected area in 1921 and gazetted as a National park in 1951, Serengeti is the oldest National Park in Tanzania and undoubtedly one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world. The principal features of the Serengeti are the short and long grass plains in the south and east, the acacia Savannah in the central areas, the hilly and densely wooded areas in the north and the extensive woodland in the west.

 

Serengeti comes from the Maasai name, “Siringet”, meaning endless plains you immediately experience this vastness as you enter the southeastern plains of the park from Ngorongoro. Home to countless numbers of a wide variety of animals and birds, you will encounter lions, cheetah, and leopards. There is a variety of scenery, which include the plains, lakes, hills and the rocky outcrops called kopjes. Common animals that can be seen here are lions, buffaloes, impalas, hippos, waterbucks, elephants, cheetahs and the leopard. From December, when the long rains start, to May, eastern Serengeti plains provide the best opportunities for game viewing as hundreds of thousands of the migratory animals are concentrated in this part attracted by the short palatable grass.

 

LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK

The park situated between 900m and 1800m above sea level, is bordered to the west by the western escarpment of the Rift valley. To the east is the alkaline Lake Manyara at certain times of year-hosts thousands of flamingos and a diversity of other migrant and resident birdlife.

 

Apart from its striking setting and peaceful surroundings, Lake Manyara's main attractions are its superb birdlife, its tree-climbing lions, hippos and elephants.

 

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

The park's has a permanent water supply that ensures a huge and varied animal population, especially during the dry season when it rivals that of the Serengeti. The most common animals found in the park include zebras, wildebeest, lions, leopards, waterbucks, giraffe, elephants, gazelles, impala, gerenuk, lesser kudu and the beautiful fringe-eared Oryx. You may be lucky to spot the tree-climbing python, for which the park is famous, or the kudu and the roan antelope which are rare species in Northern Tanzania. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Park. The best bird watching months are October to May.

 

ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK

This park consists of three spectacular features namely lush swamps of the Ngurdoto crater (often nicknamed Little Ngorongoro) the shallow alkaline Mommela Lake to the east and beautiful Mt. Meru to the west. The park has a variety of vegetation areas supporting numerous animal species. The park has a rich variety of animal life. You will definitely see zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, reedbucks, hippos, African buffaloes, hyenas, mongooses, dik-diks, warthogs, baboons, velvet and colobus monkeys.

 

 

 

SOUTHERN CIRCUIIT

The southern Circuit present a wide range of experiences, from savannah to wetlands, Nature walking safaris to river experiences

 

The south of Tanzania is mostly a destination for the second-time visitor. The south can also be combined with the Serengeti in the north or linked with the west if time and budget allow. The southern circuit includes parks and reserves that can be visited using Dar es Salaam as a starting point. There's Saadani National Park north of Dar, then two hours drive to the west the little park of Mikumi on both sides of the highway that meanders down to Iring, Mbeya and eventually to Zambia or northern Malawi. The Selous Game Reserve to the south of Mikumi is great for river experiences on the Rufiji River and also for walking safaris. Udzungwa Mountains National Park is all about forests, waterfalls and weird endemics, while Ruaha National Park just west of Iringa is the game of the southern circuit.

 

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha is a remarkable dry season park and because of its remote location, it has very little tourist traffic. You can join one of our walking safaris to enjoy areas where hardly anyone ever goes. Ruaha is also part of the so-called Tabora species divide – the latitude line where Southern African species meet East African species. It's the only place where you can find lesser and greater kudu, roan and sable antelope all in one park, and it's the southernmost habitat for Grant's gazelle, although it's probably a sub-species.  We recommend as much time as possible in Ruaha, especially now that the southern swamps and wetlands have been included, doubling the size of the park and making it the biggest in Tanzania.  Ruaha would definitely be our first recommendation, followed by the Selous and then Saadani. Mikumi is hardly worth a visit unless you're stuck in Dar es Salaam and you only have a night or two, but even then it would be more rewarding to fly to Ruaha or the Selous.

 

Mikumi National Park

Since the completion of the paved road connecting the park gate with Dar es Salaam, Mikumi National Park has been slated to become a hotspot for tourism in Tanzania. Located between the Uluguru Mountains and the Lumango range, Mikumi is the fourth largest national park in Tanzania and only a few hours drive from Tanzania’s largest city. The park has a wide variety of wildlife that can be easy spotted and also well acclimatized to game viewing. Its proximity to Dar es Salaam and the amount of wildlife that live within its borders makes Mikumi National Park a popular option for weekend visitors from the city, or for business visitors who don’t have to spend a long time on way.

 

Uduzungwa National Park

Udzungwa is the largest and with most biodiversity and a chain of a dozen large forest-swathed mountains that rise majestically from the flat coastal scrub of eastern Tanzania. Known collectively as the Eastern Arc Mountains, this archipelago of isolated massifs has also been dubbed as the African Galapagos for its treasure-trove of endemic plants and animals, most familiarly being the delicate African violet.

Brooding and primeval, the forests of Udzungwa seem positively enchanted: a verdant refuge of sunshine-dappled glades enclosed by 30-metre (100 foot) high trees, their buttresses layered with fungi, lichens, mosses and ferns.

Udzungwa alone among the ancient ranges of the Eastern Arc has been accorded the national park status. It is also unique within Tanzania in that its closed-canopy forest spans altitudes of 250 meters (820 feet) to above 2,000 meters (6,560 ft) without interruption.

 

Katavi National Park

It offers un-spoilt wildlife viewing in the country’s third-largest national park, in a remote location far off the beaten track. The national park is Africa at its most wild - unadulterated bush settings, spectacular views, and rich wildlife.

The wilderness of Katavi National Park, located in the western area of Tanzania, is one of the most untouched areas in the entire country.

Katavi’s dramatic scenery is as varied as it is pristine. Flood plains of thick reeds and dense waterways are home to a huge population of hippo and varied birdlife. In the woodlands to the west, forest canopies shroud herds of buffaloes and elephants. Seasonal lakes fill with dirty colored water after the rains and animals from all corners of the park descend in them to drink. The park is also home to the rare roan and sable antelope species, and it is a must-see for the visitors intending to explore the wilds of the continent.

 

Kitulo National Park

Locals refer to the Kitulo Plateau as Bustani ya Mungu (The Garden of God ) whereas botanists have dubbed it the Serengeti of Flowers, host to ‘one of the great floral spectacles of the world’. Kitulo is indeed a rare botanical marvel, home to a full 350 species of vascular plants, including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchids, which erupt into a riotous wildflower display of breathtaking scale and diversity during the main rainy season of late November to April.

Perched at around 2,600 meters (8,500 ft) between the rugged peaks of the Kipengere, Poroto and Livingstone Mountains, the well-watered volcanic soils of Kitulo support the largest and the most important montane grassland community in Tanzania.

Having its unique flower species remained wild, with birds singing and migrating to the highland forests, Kitulo Plateau National Park is latest and a new comer to Tanzania’s tourist attractive sites.

Bustani ya Mungu (God’s Garden) is the visitors name given to this new park, the only of its kind in Africa where wild flowers, birds and harmonious grass eating mammals are dominating. Kitulo Plateau is perched between the rugged peaks of the Kipengere, Livingstone and Poroto Mountains in Southern Highlands of Tanzania. It is the site of one of the world’s great floral spectacles. The eminently hike-able park is carpeted in wildflowers for six months of the year, from November to April. There is a documented 350 species of wild flowers including lilies and fields of daisies.