Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire, Arusha, Kilimanjaro

Ngorongoro National Park

The Ngorongoro area originally was part of the Serengeti National Park when it was created by the British in 1951. Ngorongoro has over 20,000 large animals including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino, protected within its rim.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a huge area containing active volcanoes, mountains, archeological sites, rolling plains, forests, lakes, dunes and of course, Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai Gorge. Ngorongoro Crater is also known as 'the eight wonders of the world', this heritage center harbors the most gorgeous wildlife Shangri-La on earth.

The views at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater are sensational. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and mountains - all a heaven for wildlife, including the densest predator population in Africa. The crater is home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and warthog.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park, undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world is a large national park in Serengeti area, Tanzania. It is most famous due to annual migration of over one million white bearded wildebeest and 200,000 zebra to Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve in search of pasture.

The Seronera Valley in the Serengeti is famous for the abundance lion and leopard that can usually be seen quite easily. The adult male lions of the Serengeti have characteristic black manes.

Selous Game Reserve

It’s one of the largest fauna reserves of the world, located in the south of Tanzania. It was named after Englishman Frederick Selous, who died in 1917 while fighting against the Germans in World War I. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982 due to the diversity of its wildlife and undisturbed nature.
The reserve covers a total area of 54,600 km² (21,081 square miles). Some of the typical animals of the savanna (for example elephants, hippopotami, African Wild Dog and crocodiles) can be found in this park in a larger numbers than in any other African park.

The park is the home to one of the single largest remaining elephant populations in the world. Most of these elephants are found in the remote and wildly beautiful Selous Game Reserve, a World Heritage Site.

Accommodations at Selous Game Reserve:

	Mbuyu Safari Camp
	Rufiji River Camp
	Sand River Camp
	Sand Rivers Selous Nomad Safari
	Selous Safari Camp
	Stiegler's Gorge Camp

Tarangire National Park

This park has some of the highest population density of elephants anywhere in Tanzania, and its sparse vegetation, strewn with baobab and acacia trees, makes it a beautiful and special location.

Located just a few hours drive from the town of Arusha, Tarangire is a popular stop for travellers on safaris to the northern circuit on their way to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. It lies a little distance to the South East of Lake Manyara and covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometres. It is named after the Tarangire River that flows through the park. The park extends into two game controlled areas and the wildlife are allowed to move freely throughout.

Before the rains, droves of gazelle, wildebeest, zebra, and giraffes migrate to Tarangire National Park’s scrub plains where the last grazing land still remains. Tarangire offers unparalleled game viewing, and during the dry season elephants abound.

The best times to visit Tarangire National Park are from the months of June to February of the following year.

Accommodations at Tarangire National Park:

	Tarangire Safari Lodge
	Tarangire Sopa Lodge

Arusha National Park

It has three distinct zones: Ngurdoto Crater (often described as a mini Ngorongoro), the Momella Lakes, a group of shallow alkaline lakes fed by underground streams, and Mount Meru, one of the most rewarding mountains to climb in Africa.

The most common animals here include buffalo, elephant, hippo, giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope, blue monkey and black and white colobus monkey, leopard and hyena.

Accommodations at Arusha National Park:

	Momella Lodge in Arusha town:
	Dik Dik Hotel
	Impala Hotel
	Mountain Village Lodge
	Novotel Mount Meru Hotel

Gombe Stream National Park

This is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks. It is fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika. Its chimpanzees – habituated to human visitors – were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioural research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world.

The most visible of Gombe’s other mammals are also primates. A troop of beachcomber olive baboons, under study since the 1960s, is exceptionally habituated, while red-tailed and red colobus monkeys - the latter regularly hunted by chimps – stick to the forest canopy.

The park’s 200-odd bird species range from the iconic fish eagle to the jewel-like Peter’s twinspots that hop tamely around the visitors’ centre. The forests are alive with the famous chimpanzee, red colobus and red-tail and blue monkeys. You can also spot bushbuck and bush pig and grey duiker.

The lake shore is home to the pied and giant kingfishers, the crowned eagle, the African broadbill, Ross's turaco and the trumpeter hornbill.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Located West of Dar es Salaam, the Udzungwa Mountains rise up from the western edge of the Selous Game Reserve.

Vervet monkeys play high in the forest canopy, and small forest antelope can be viewed at the right time of day. Botanical diversity is exceptional, and the park is host to a large number of endangered bird species. Views from the peaks of the mountains, towards the Selous Game Reserve and the distant Indian Ocean coast, are incredible and well worth the effort.

The Udzungwa Mountains offer visitors the opportunity to view several species of primates and endangered birds in a beautiful African rain forest.

Katavi National Park

Lies south of the Mahale Mountains on a high flood plain surrounding Lake Katavi. It is one of the most difficult Parks to reach and is strictly for those of an adventurous spirit, but it has excellent game viewing with a real wilderness atmosphere. Best visited between July to October. The water of the Park shelters crocodile, hippo and large flocks of pelicans.

The diverse woodland, acacia bush, lakes and swamps have attracted over 400 species of birds. Leopard, lion, elephant, eland, roan and sable antelopes, southern reedbuck and topi inhabit the short grasses and thickets. Kitavi is also home to one of the largest herds of buffalo, with as many as 1,600 animals.

Kilimanjaro National Park

This a national park, located near Moshi, Tanzania, is centered on Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and one of the largest free standing mountains in the world.

Climbing Kilimanjaro is a must-do challenge for almost every trekker and mountaineer in the world. Even though you can climb throughout the year, January, February and September are the best months, with July, August, November and December also being good.

Accommodations at Mount Kilimanjaro:

	Kibo Hotel (at base)
	Marangu Hotel
	Mountain Inn

Lake Manyara National Park

Stretching for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.
While most known for baboons, Lake Manyara and its environs is also home to herbivores such as hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs and giraffes.

The lake itself is a magnet for birdlife and a kaleidoscope of different species can be found around its shores, including huge flocks of flamingoes. The park is ideal for a day trip. A four-wheel drive is recommended during the rains. The dry season is from June to September and January to February.

Accommodations at Lake Manyara National Park:

	Gibb's Farm
	Lake Manyara Hotel
	Lake Manyara Serena Lodge
	Maji Moto Luxury Tented Camp

Mkomazi Game Reserve

Located just East of the Pare Mountains in Tanzania’s Eastern Arc range, and situated just south of the border with Kenya, Mkomazi Game Reserve is the focus of an intensive breeding program to save the endangered black rhinos. Adjacent to Tsavo National Park in Kenya, Mkomazi’s tourist facilities are exceedingly sparse and limited, and travel to the area is often neglected in favour of more accessible national parks and reserves.

Mahale Mountains Park

Just like Gombe, Mahale park is home to some of the last remaining wild chimpanzees in Africa. The Park is reached by boat or plane, both of which are available for charter.

The best time to visit the park is between May to October. There are no roads and all game viewing is done on foot. Mahale is a unique ecological zone with lowland forest, moist and dry savannah, miombo and open woodlands. Animals range from elephant, buffalo, leopard and primates to roan and sable antelopes, giraffe, kudu, eland, leopard and lion.

Mikumi National Park

The park is North of the Selous and is only 283 km away from Dar es Salaam. It was established to protect the environment and resident animals and is also an important educational centre for students of ecology and conservation.

Animals commonly found here include lion, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hippo and elephant. Lions roam the Mikumi plains and will take refuge in the branches of trees. Wild dogs can be seen in packs here.

Accommodations at Mikumi National Park:

	Mikumi Wildlife Lodge
	Morogoro Hotel

Saadani National Park

This park in the centre of the historic triangle of Bagamoyo, Pangani and Zanzibar, It covers 1100 km2 and it’s the only wildlife sanctuary in Tanzania bordering the sea.

The climate is coastal, hot and humid. It offers a unique combination of both marine and mainland flora and fauna in a culturally fascinating setting. About 30 species of larger mammals are present as well as numerous reptiles and birds. Besides many species of fish, Green turtles, Humpback whales and dolphins also occur in the ocean nearby.

Kitulo National Park

This park recently become a fully protected National Park. It’s situated on the Kitulo Plateau, which forms part of Tanzania's Southern Highlands. The area, which is known locally as the "Garden of God," provides a home for a wide variety of wildflowers such as balsams, bellflowers, honey-peas, irises, lilies and orchids.

Ruaha National Park

This is Tanzania's second largest national park and one of the wildest. Crocodiles, hippos and clawless otters soak and play in the water and on the banks of the great Ruaha River. Reedbuck, waterbuck and buffalo drink, ever watchful for lion, leopard, jackal, spotted hyena and hunting dog. The grassland borders of the River are home to greater and lesser kudu, a large elephant population, eland, impala, Grant's gazelle, dik-dik, zebra, warthog, mongoose, wild cat, porcupine and the shy civet.

There are plenty of Eurasian migrant birds on their outward and return journeys as well as resident kingfishers, plovers, hornbills, green wood hoopoes, bee-eaters, sunbirds and egrets. The best months to go are between July and November when the animals are concentrated around shrinking water holes.

Rubondo Island National Park

Located Southwest of Lake Victoria and covering 240 km2 island, the park provides an unforgettable experience for visitors in Tanzania, combining the breathtaking natural beauty of forest refuge with the relaxing tranquility of sandy lake-shore beaches.

Rubondo Island boasts a unique diversity of flora and fauna. Only here can the visitor be sure of seeing Sitatunga, also small gangs of chimpanzees can sometimes be seen.

Zanzibar Island

Zanzibar is located about 35 kilometers off the coast of Tanzania. It comprises the 1,464 square kilometer main island of Unguja (also known as Zanzibar); the island of Pemba (868 - square kilometers), which is located about 50 kilometers north of Unguja and famed for its deep-sea fishing and scuba-diving; and a number of smaller islands.

Set as a jewel in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar has evoked the magic of "A Thousand and One Nights" for over two centuries. This exotic spice island combines mesmerizing beauty with the outstanding hospitality of its colorful people.

The generally laid-back pace of this island has ensured that its rich tradition of spice trading is still evident, as is the historical structures, ancient ruins and crumbled palaces of past Sultans. Kiswahili is the main language and more than 90 percent of the population is Muslim. Visitors are advised to dress modestly in public places.

Zanzibar is warm almost all the year round with heavy rains from March to May and lesser rains during October and November. February is the hottest month with a maximum average temperature of 29 degrees Celsius, while in August the temperature falls to 21 degrees Celsius.

The city of Zanzibar consists of two distinct areas - Stone Town and Ngambo. In Stone Town shadows play with shafts of sunlight. Here and there, one will catch a glimpse of ornate latticework on a balcony or admire the intricacy of a carved door in sun warmed wood.

A spice tour is a specialty of Zanzibar and involves a walk in the western and central regions of the island through plantations, private gardens and forests. There are more than 50 different spices and fruit - cinnamon, pepper, ginger, tamarind, coffee, ylang-ylang, coco, and sugarcane. Coconuts are another main produce of the archipelago.

Hotel accommodations span the range of exclusive private island resort to comfortable small guest houses.

Accommodations at Zanzibar:

	Sunrise Guest House
	Zanzibar Serena Inn, Stonetown
	Dhow Palace Hotel, Stonetown
	Mazson's Hotel
	Emerson's House, Stonetown
	Fisherman's Resort, West Coast
	Marine Hotel
	Mapenzi Beach Resort, East Coast
	Karafuu Hotel Village, North East Coast
	Matemwe Bungalows, North East
	Emerson's & Green Hotel, Stonetown
	Mbweni Ruins Hotel, West Coast
	Mnemba Island Lodge, Mnemba Island
	Ras Nungwi Beach Hotel, North East Beach
	Breezes Beach Club
	Tembo House Hotel, Stonetown
	Chavda Hotel


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