Tanzania - Destinations
Tarangire National Park Tanzania
Tarangire National Park is a national park located in Tanzania’s Manyara Region approximately 120 km away from Arusha. Tarangire National Park ranks as the 6th largest park in Tanzania stretching over an area of 2,600 square kilometers .The name of the park originates from the Tarangire River that crosses the park. The Tarangire River is the primary source of fresh water for wild animals in the Tarangire Ecosystem during the annual dry season.
Tarangire National Park is famous for the large herds of elephants, the mini wildlife migration, and the baobabs.
There are eight species of the baobab trees with only one found in Africa, six come from Madagascar and the last species is found in Australia.
The baobab trees are so popular because of their special shape with very long trunks that allow the trees to reach great height.
The trees have a relatively small crown with short and thick branches. The boabab that can be found in Tarangire National Park can reach a height of eleven meters, but a thickness of no less than 34 meters in circumference
The Tarangire National Park is also known as a wonderful birding destination and also features large numbers of game, particularly during the dry season, when the Tarangire River is the only source of water in the area.
Tarangire National park has a varied landscape in northern Tanzania. With majestic baobabs, many sunlight termite mound and large grassy savanna with extensive swamps. The beautifully rough and hilly terrain around a winding river that many animals come to drink water is eye-catching.
The meandering Tarangire River splits the park into two, and Tarangire River serves as the major lifetime of Tanrangire National park during the dry seasons.
The southern part of the park is normally less crowded and gives opportunity to travelers to enjoy the authentic African feel of Tanzania’s countryside.
Serengeti National Park Tanzania
The Serengeti National Park is by far the most famous national park in the world with most impressive natural beauty and wildlife. Most impressive nature films have been shot here.
The park is Tanzania’s oldest national park and remains the flagship of the country’s tourism industry, providing a major draw to the Northern Safari Circuit encompassing Lake Manyara National Park, Tarangire National Park, Arusha National Park and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It has over 2,500 lions and more than 1.5 million wildebeest.
Serengeti National Park covers about 14,759 square kilometers consisting of grassland plains, savanna, riverine forest and the woodlands.
The park lies in northwestern Tanzania, bordered to the north by the Kenyan border, where it is continuous with the Maasai Mara National Reserve. To the southeast of the park is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, to the southwest lies Maswa Game Reserve, to the west are the Ikorongo and Grumeti Game Reserves, and to the northeast and east lies the Loliondo Game Controlled Area. Together, these areas form the larger Serengeti ecosystem.
Selous National Reserve Tanzania
The Selous Game Reserve is a protected area in southern Tanzania. It covers a total area of 50,000 km2 (19,000 sq. mi) and has additional buffer zones. The Selous Game Reserve covers a total of no less than 5 percent of the surface of Tanzania and is divided into dozens of sub-regions.
Although selous national reserve is less known than, for example, the Serengeti and the Kruger Park, the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania is referred to as the largest game reserve in Africa.
Selous national park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa and in the world, with its total land area larger than Switzerland and four times larger than the Serengeti national park. The park is utterly beautiful with most scenic wildlife.
Selous national reserve is a home to great wildlife species, ranking number one with the individual species number from tens to hundreds of thousands, and many multiple of any other parks offer.
Selous national game reserve has the biggest concentration of elephants in the African ecosystem at around 65,000 species. About 4,000 lions reside in the reserve and many more wildlife such as buffalo, zebras, impala, hippo, about 200,000 wildebeest species and many more.
The reserve is also well known for habituating the rear African dogs.
Selouse national reserve has diverse land scape with lakes, the Rufuji and the Ruaha rivers, rocks, savannas, forests and hot water sources all found in the reserve. The Rufuji river serves as a source of nutrition to the wildlife in selous national reserve.
However being the largest national reserve in Africa and one of the largest in the world, Selous national park still receives a few visitors.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro conservation area is the most densely populated wildlife area in the world, the diversity of animal species in the Ngorongoro crater is exceptional with high wild concentration including all the big five. An estimated 25,000 animals live on the crater floor. With a diameter of 17-21 kilometers and an area of approximately 260 km2.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area spreads over vast expanses of highland plains, savanna grassland, savanna woodlands and forests which conserves biodiversity..
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a UNESCO world heritage site and covers a vast expanse of highland area that has stood alone as a protected region since 1959. The NCA is nearly 8,300 km2 and contains several volcanic craters, an active volcano, Tanzania’s third highest peak and the world’s largest intact caldera. (Ngorongoro)
The area is named after Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera within the area. The name of the crater has an onomatopoeic origin; it was named by the Maasai pastoralists after the sound produced by the cowbell (ngoro ngoro). Based on fossil evidence found at the Olduvai Gorge, various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years.
The Ngorongoro crater is famous for being the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic caldera, extends to about 610 meters deep with its floor covering up to 260 square kilometers and is the largest in the world. The Ngorongoro crater was created by an eruption that probably took place 2 to 3 million years ago.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also protects Oldupai or Olduvai Gorges, situated in the plains area. It is considered to be the seat of humanity after the discovery of the earliest known specimens of the human genus, Homo habilis as well as early hominidae, such as Paranthropus boisei
The Olduvai Gorge is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley, which stretches along eastern Africa. Olduvai is in the eastern Serengeti Plains in northern Tanzania and is about 50 kilometers (31 mi) long.
It lies in the rain shadow of the Ngorongoro highlands and is the driest part of the region. The gorge is named after ‘Oldupaai’, the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant, Sansevieria. It is one of the most important archaeological sites in the world, which was under the direction of Dr. Louis and Mary leakey.
Arusha National Park Tanzania
Arusha National Park is a small but very nice park to visit. Arusha National Park is popularly known for being the home of the fourth highest mountain in East Africa (Mt. Meru), a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566m. Arusha National Park is Tanzania’s most accessible park because it is conveniently located and also the best place for walking and canoeing safaris.
Arusha National Park doesn’t have large predators but hosts Africa’s largest giraffe population, a variety of primates and a number of large herbivores. This little jewel of Tanzania is host to Mount Meru (4566m) which is a popular option for mountaineers who do not want to hike the high Kilimanjaro Mountain.
Less visited than the popular Tanzania safari destinations, Arusha Park has a beautiful landscape with an incredible variety of flora and fauna. The vegetation of the park is formed as a blend from the swamp, grassland, tropical and montane forest.
Arusha National Park is found in the northern part of Tanzania. The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west the Meru crater funnels the Jekulumia River; the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim. Ngurdoto crater in the south east is grassland. The shallow alkaline momella lakes in the north east have varying algal colours and are known for their wading birds.
Arusha National Park is often overlooked by many visitors, worried they will not see that much wildlife. However Arusha National Park has such a lot to offer and dazzles with a perfect mix of flora and fauna and diversified landscapes
On your trip to Arusha Park expect to see green gems with breathtaking views. Despite being small, Arusha park is endowed with flora and fauna, the park has ancient fig trees with crystal clear water in flowing mountain streams.
Katavi National Park Tanzania
Katavi national park is a Tanzanian National park that was created in 1974. The park is located in Katavi Region and encompasses the Katuma River and the seasonal Lake Katavi and Chada flood plains. It’s a remote park that is less frequently visited than the other national parks.
The park is approximately 4471 square meters making it the third largest national park in Tanzania. . Katavi boasts Tanzania’s densest concentration of both crocodiles and hippos. Katavi’s lions and leopards have no shortage of prey: impala, eland, topi, zebra and big herds of buffaloes wandering the short grass plains. With a bit of luck you can also see sable and roan antelopes. A kaleidoscope of more than 400 bird species flits across the trees, riverbanks, swamps and palm groves while flotillas of pelican cruise the lakes.
It is during the dry season, when the floodwaters retreat, that is when Katavi truly comes into its own. The Katuma River, reduced to a muddy trickle, forms the only source of drinking water for miles around. Katavi’s most singular wildlife spectacle is provided by its hippos. Towards the end of the dry season, up to 200 individuals might flop together in any riverine pool of sufficient depth.
The park is easily accessible by use of a charter flight operated by Zantas Air services or Safari Air Link. The other option is by the use of the road which takes approximately20 hours of driving making it a tough but spectacular journey.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Mount Kilimanjaro national park is found in Tanzania, located 300 kilometers south of the equator within the Kilimanjaro region. Mount Kilimanjaro national park is located near the Moshi and can easily be accessed by either road or flight. Mount Kilimanjaro national park extends to about 652 square miles (1,688sq km) harboring the Montane forest that surrounds mountain Kilimanjaro.
Mountain Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, rising 4877m above surrounding plains to 5895m at its peak; it is denoted as the largest free standing volcanic mass in the world. Therefore the mountain is one of the highest volcanoes in the world and has mainly three volcanic peaks; kibo, Mawenzi, and sharia.
It is hiked by several tourists who travel to Tanzania annually and is one of those daring places that any adventurer should visit at all costs.
Mount Kilimanjaro national park was established in 1973, currently the game park harbors all of the mountain above the treeline (2700 meters), comprising the six corridors that stretch down through the Montane forest belt.
Mount Kilimanjaro and the surrounding national park area is unique compared to most national parks because almost all ecosystems are accounted for from the area between the base and summit. The summit provides for an arctic ecosystem with a trek up the mountain delivering visitors through cultivated land, rainforest, heath, moorland, and alpine desert.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the easiest climb of the Seven Summits; the “seven summits” include the tallest mountain from each of the seven continental regions. Accordingly, Mount Kilimanjaro is the most frequently climbed mountain as well.
Wildlife however is not abundant in Mount Kilimanjaro National park, despite the fact that a few animals such as elephants, leopards, and buffalos may be seen and the western black and white colobus monkey that keeps on jumping in the mountain forest.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara National park is one of the smaller parks in Tanzania with a total area of about 330sq km. Lake Manyara national park is located in the rift valley. During the green seasons; two thirds of the park is normally covered by the water from the lake. Lake Manyara is famous for its great diversity of birds and the black tree climbing lions, habituated baboons and large elephants.
Lake Manyara regularly turns pink due to the thousands of flamingos that are attracted by the lake’s algae.
Gombe Stream National Park Tanzania
Gombe National Park is also known as Gombe Stream National Park is located on the western border of Tanzania and Democratic Republic of Congo, and lies at the shores of Lake Victoria.
Gombe National Park appears to be Tanzania’s smallest national park stretching about 56sq km. Despite being small in nature Gombe Park is famously pronounced for primate inhabitants and its connection to Jane Goodall has made it to be renowned worldwide.
Gombe Park has a variety of wildlife which is so attractive. Gombe Park is one of the best parks with chimpanzee trekking in East Africa. Gombe Stream is an untamed place of lush forests and clear lake views. The lush forest is divided by 13 streams that run down the escarpment to the sandy beach. The streams contribute to the name of the park.
The major attraction at Gombe stream is the chimpanzee families that live protected in the park’s boundaries. The park is also home to troops of habituated olive baboons that are usually found on the lakeshores, the red-tailed and red colobus monkeys that are regularly hunted by chimps – stick to the forest canopy.
Gombe Park has also got 200 odd bird species that range from the iconic fish eagle to the jewel like Peters twin spots that hop tamely around the visitor’s Centre are all to know about the attractions in Gombe Park
Ruaha National Park Tanzania
Ruaha national park apparently appears to be largest national park in Tanzania, The addition of the Usangu Game Reserve and other important wetlands to the park in 2008 increased its size to about 20,226 km2 (7,809 sq. mi), making it the largest protected area in Tanzania, as well as in East Africa.
Ruaha national park is about 130 km west of Iringa, it is also part of the 45000 square kilometers with Rungwa Kizigo Muhesi ecosystem consisting of the Rugwa game reserve, the kizigo and Muhesi game reserve.
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