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Serengeti
Ngorongoro Crater
Ruaha National Park
Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Selous Game Reserve
Gombe Stream National Park
Mahale Mountains National Park
Mount Kilimanjaro trekking

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the best known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled in its natural beauty and scientific value. The name Serengeti conjures up images of millions of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle meandering about their migration routes with prides of lions, sometimes sleeping, sometimes alert and carefully stalking their prey.

The park's name Serengeti means endless plains and is derived from the Masai language.  Within Serengeti's vast plains, scattered rock outcrops, patches of Acacia bush, forest, and occasional small rivers lies endless habitat for more than 3 million large mammals.  This is the Africa you dreamed of as a child.  Wild and unchanged.

The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.

It is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back.

Along with the millions of wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelle there are over 30 other species of plains animals in the Serengeti ecosystem.  These include the "big five" of the African safari circuit: elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo.  Other animal species in Serengeti include cheetah, hippo, giraffe, eland, impala, waterbuck, baboon, warthog, Kongoni, Topi, various species of monkey and a rich selection of bird-life with nearly 500 species of birds recorded.
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Ngorongoro crater

"It is such a captivating and breathtaking phenomenon, it is impossible to give a fair description of the crater there is nothing with which to compare. It is one of the wonders of the world..." - Professor Bernard Grzimek

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The Ngorongoro Crater, at 2286 meters above sea level, is the largest unbroken caldera in the world. Surrounded by sheer walls rising 610 meters from the crater floor, this natural 259 sq. km amphitheater provides a concert of life for all species.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area boasts of the finest blend of landscapes, wildlife, people and archeological sites in the world. It is also a pioneering experiment in multiple land use. For NCA, the concept means best use of the resources to achieve the basic objectives of the establishment of the NCA. It entails the management and utilization of resources in the form for which it is best suited based on biological productivity and pertinent social and economic factors. 

On the floor of this "Garden of Eden" roam over 20,000 large animals including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino. Animals are free to leave or enter the crater but most of them stay because of the plentiful water and food available on the crater floor throughout the year.  Some of the other species are mainly wildebeest, zebra, buffalo and gazelles. All these animals in turn support large predators such as lions and leopard, and scavengers such as hyena and jackals. More than a hundred species of birds reside within NCA including: ostriches, kori bustards, secretary birds, crested cranes, egrets, red-billed ox-peckers and countless flamingos forming a pink blanket over the soda lake.
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Ruaha National Park

Lying 130 km west of Iringa, Ruaha National Park is Tanzania's third-largest park providing 13,000 sq. km of pristine wildlife habitat. Ruaha National Park's name derives from the Great Ruaha River which flows along its entire border, creating spectacular gorges and scenery.

Ruaha National Park's vegetation represents a wide range of ecosystems from treeless grasslands and swamps to evergreen forests. Typical vegetation of the river valleys comprises tall stands of acacia species, fig species, tamarind trees and clumps of palms as well as patches of open black cotton soil grassland.

Beyond the valleys and to the north, the landscape is dominated by baobabs scattered throughout scrubby Combretum and Commiphora woodland.

Ruaha National Park harbors one of Tanzania's largest elephant populations along with great numbers of hippo, crocodile, and various fish species inhabit the river. The park is also known for its concentration of lesser and greater kudu, its roan sable antelope, lion, hyena, leopard populations along with its rich birdlife. Also, 1650 plant species have been recorded in Ruaha.

Because of such rich biodiversity Ruaha National Park is a wildlife photographers paradise. This is made even better by numerous photographic blinds placed at strategic places where wildlife congregates.

The best months of game viewing are July and November when the vegetation is at its minimum density increasing viewing distances and the animals are concentrated to areas nearby the limited water sources.

Ruaha National Park is easily accessible by car and has an airstrip for light aircraft's on the western bank of the river.
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Udzungwa Mountains National Park

Udzungwa National Park, Tanzania's newest park (est. 1992), has a total area of approximately 2000 sq. km lying between 300 and 2800 m. Udzungwa National Park is located 100 km from Mikumi National Park. Because of such a wide range in altitude and habitat types, Udzungwa National Park has one of the highest degrees of species endemism worldwide.

Udzungwa National Park supports a large number of game including elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, sable and at least two endemic species of primate, the Iringa Red Colobus Monkey and Sanje Crested Mangabey.

The Udzungwa mountains qualify to be the richest forest bird habitat in Tanzania and one of the top three most important zones for bird conservation in Africa. Several new species have been identified in recent years including a new member of the Francolin family(Modulatrics O. Sanjei) and rufous winged sunbird.

With no roads entering Udzungwa National Park it is a haven for hikers and backpackers alike. Numerous breath-taking day-hikes can be organized along with multiple day excursions into the dense rain forest or onto the high plateau.
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Selous Game Reserve

The Selous Game Reserve is the largest protected wildlife area in Africa at 55,000 km sq. A UN World Heritage site, this pristine, uninhabited area is larger than Switzerland. It is situated in the Southern part of Tanzania and it is the world's largest reserve. The reserve contains some of the most primitive and untamed virgin bush in Africa.

Because of Selous' vastness it encompasses numerous ecosystems. These range from open to dense woodlands, mountains, river and river valleys, swamps and hot springs.

The Selous Game Reserve is second only to Serengeti in its concentration of wildlife. Selous holds Tanzania's largest population of elephants along with large numbers of buffalo, hippo and wild dog. Other commonly seen species are lion, leopard, bushbuck, impala, hartebeest, sable antelope, reedbuck, waterbuck, giraffe, eland, baboon, zebra, greater kudu, warthogs and crocodiles.

Selous is also unique as it is the only area in Tanzania that one can combine game drives, boat, and walking safaris.

Safari camps, including Rufiji River Camp, Beho Beho Camp, and Mbuyu Safari Camp, provide comfortable accommodations.

The Selous, though inaccessible during the rainy season from March to May due to floods, can be reached by railroad (Tazara Railway Line) and air. The best time to visit the Reserve is from June to October.
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Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania's smallest park (52 sq. km), is also one of its most awe-inspiring.  Gombe Stream National Park is dissected by 13 steep-sided valleys carved out by swift-flowing streams running from east to west.  Within these steep valleys lives some of the world's most famous primates; as Gombe is home to the chimpanzee studies led by Dr. Jane Goodall. 

Although the chimpanzees are the park's star attraction they are not its only one.  Many other species of primate inhabit the park including baboons, vervet monkeys, red colobus monkey, blue monkey, and bush babies.  Along with other mammalian species such as bush pigs and bushbucks, Gombe hosts a wide variety of bird species.

After a day of hiking the trials in search of the chimps one can take a swim in the crystal clear waters of Lake Tanganyika, the world's longest and second deepest lake.  While swimming you have the opportunity to observe many of the 250 fish species, most of which are endemic, living in the lake.

Gombe lies 16 km north of Kigoma and is reachable year-round by a two to three hour boat ride on Lake Tanganyika.
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Mahale Mountains National Park

The park is situated slightly over 150 km south of Kigoma covering a total area of 1577 sq. km.  Its western boundary is the shore of Lake Tanganyika while the steep-sloped Mahale mountains are the central part of the Western Rift Valley.

Though there are numerous species of animals in the park the most remarkable creature is the chimpanzee.  It is estimated that there are about 100 chimpanzees which can be seen in groups of five up to 30 at a time, in their natural habitat.

The quickest way to reach Mahale is by air to Kigoma town, then by boat to Kasoge in Mahale.
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Mount Kilimanjaro Trekking

Mt. Kilimanjaro rises majestically from the rolling and hot savannah of Tanzania to a barren and snowcapped 3-1/2 mile high peak.  At an altitude of 5895 meters above sea level Kilimanjaro is the "roof-top of Africa" and one of the largest free standing mountains in the world.  Climbing Kilimanjaro is a must-do challenge for any visitor to East Africa.

Since climing Mount Kilimanjaro is such a special, rewarding thing to do with so much information surrounding it, we have taken the liberty to devote a special page to it. Please click here to go to this page for more general and tour specific information.
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