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Member of
Tanzania Association of Tour Operators
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National
Parks
About
a quarter of Tanzania's landmass is officially protected -
a monumental tribute to its natural wealth. Much of this area
is composed of national parks and reserves, and we have selected
the best for your choice of safari destination below.
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Northern
Circuit |
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Southern
Circuit |
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Coast
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Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti is one of the world's last great wildlife refuges.
This vast area of land supports the greatest remaining concentration
of plain game in Africa, on a scale unparalleled anywhere
else in the world. The name comes from the Maasai 'Siringet',
meaning endless plains. The Serengeti extends over some 5,700
sq. miles supporting over four million mammals and birds and
the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet. Due
to the size of the Serengeti, we will concentrate on different
areas for the different times of the year. The short grass
plains ( Dec-March), transform when the first rains start
allowing the grass to grow from a dull brown to a bright green.
The volcanic soil enables nutrient |
rich
grasses to attract the pregnant wildebeest to feed and give
birth. The Central Serengeti (April-June) Moru Kopjes and,
the Seronera valley are the most popular areas of the Serengeti,
this time of year and is an ideal time to visit. The wildebeest
migration will be passing through the area heading out of
the short grass plains towards the western corridor. |
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The
Western Corridor provides a very exciting time, between June
and August, as the wildebeest migration meets the Grumeti
river where some of the largest Nile crocodiles can be found.
Northern Serengeti (AugustNovember). The best kept secret
of the Serengeti, is relatively devoid of tourists who will
venture this far. It is perhaps our favourite area operating
in this region for over 10 years, and knowing it intimately.
The Migration will be crossing the Mara river, traversing
some of the most photogenic areas, a patchwork quilt of colour
and diversity. |
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Ngorongoro
Crater
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 haven for wildlife, including
the most dense predator population in Africa. The crater is
home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle,
buffalo, eland, hartebeest and warthog. There are a small
number of black rhinos here too. The birdlife is largely seasonal
and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in
Lake Magadi on the crater floor. |
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Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai,
more accurately called Oldupai after the wild sisal in the
area, is the site of some of the most important fossil hominid
finds of all time by Louis Leakey ; the most important being
the- "Nutcracker Man" (Australopithecus boisei)
who lived 1.75 million years ago. There is a small informative
museum located at the visitor centre. The gorge is a treasure
trove of archaeological sites filled with fossils, settlement
remains and stone artefacts. |
Lake
Manyara National Park
Manyara's
mahogany, sausage-tree and croton are alive with blue monkeys
and vervets. Elephants feed off fallen fruit while bushbuck,
waterbuck, baboons, aardvark, civet, the shy pangolin and
leopard all make their home in the forest. Manyara is a sanctuary
to elusive buffalo and hippo, giraffe, impala, zebra and the
famous residents - tree climbing lions. Lake Manyara itself
is a magnet for birdlife and a kaleidoscope of different species
can be found around its lake shores, including huge flocks
of flamingoes. |
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Tarangire
National Park
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Located
in the Rift Valley, Tarangire covers approximately 2600 square
kilometers and contains nine different vegetation zones, each
supporting distinct types of wildlife. Panoramic and wooded
savannas stretch far and wide in every direction punctuated |
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with majestic Baobab trees. The park's main source of water,
the Tarangire River, attracts nearly as high a concentration
of animal life as Ngorongoro Crater.
Large
herds of elephant, zebra, wildebeest, eland and oryx congregate
along the riverbank until the wet season allows them to migrate
to lush new grazing land. |
Arusha
National Park
Arusha
National Park is montaine forest habitat with three distinct
zones: Mount Meru, Ngurdoto Crater, 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. Animals here include buffalo, elephant, hippo, giraffe,
zebra and a variety of antelope, blue monkey and black and
white colobus monkey, leopard and hyena. |
Kilimanjaro |
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at 19,344 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the zenith of Africa and
stands as a colossal monument to the beauty and enormity of
the continent. The climb is an amalgamation of experiences as
the trek passes through rainforests, |
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moorland
and summits on snow and ice. With these breathtaking landscapes,
a diversity of wildlife can also be found including, monkeys,
birds, antelope, Elephant, buffalo and even leopard. It is not
so much a climb as a pilgrimage of the stunning sights of Africa. |
Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe
is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks, and one of the
best known due to Jane Goodall's research on the Chimpanzees.
Travel to the park is by boat only from Ujiji or Kigoma. The
forests are alive with the famous chimpanzees, red colobus,
and red-tail and blue monkeys. You can also spot bushbuck,
bushpig 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. |
Katavi
National Park |
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Katavi National Park lies south of the Mahale Mountains on
a 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. The waters of the Park shelter crocodile, hippo
and large flocks of pelicans. The diverse woodland, acacia
bush, lakes and swamps attract over 400 species of birds.
Leopard, lion, elephant, eland, roan and sable antelopes,
southern reedbuck and topi inhabit the short grasses and thickets.
Katavi is also home to Africa largest herds of buffalo. |
Mahale
Mountains Park
Mahale
Mountains, is the home to some of the last remaining wild
chimpanzees in East Africa. 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. |
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Mikumi National Park
Mikumi,
to the north of the Selous, is only 283 km away from Dar-Es-Salaam.
The park's flood plain bordered with mountain ranges, is the
main feature. Animals commonly found here include lion, eland,
hartebeest, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hippo and
elephant. The Mikumi elephants are mainly grazers and do not
cause extensive tree damage. Lions roam the plains and will
occasionally climb into the branches of trees. The rare Wild
dogs can be seen in packs here. The vegetation includes woodland,
swamp and grassland with two water holes, Mkata and Chamgore.
Apart from the saddle-bill stork, hammerkop and malachite
kingfisher, you will also find monitor lizard and python inhabiting
the pools. |
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha
is Tanzania's second largest national park and one of the
wildest with Tanzania's most spectacular and diverse scenery,
this park is truly a photographers paradise. 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 are among the diverse wildlife that reside
here.
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Selous
Game Reserve
Tanzania
is 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. The Reserve has a varied terrain of rolling savannah
woodland, grassland plains and rocky outcrops. Buffalo, crocodile,
hippo and
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Zanzibar
A
fusion of cultures, dating back to 700 AD with the colonization
of the Bantu tribes by the Arabs, pulses throughout Zanzibar
and provides an explosion of colours and sights for any newcomer
to the island. Also known as "The Spice Island",
the air in Zanzibar is a mixture with the various fragrant
scents of cloves, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom. Stone Town,
the capital of Zanzibar is a most amazing place with
buildings ranging from Arabian forts, to the Cathedral Church
of Christ to the explorer |
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Livingstone's House and is nothing short of breathtaking for
the tourist who will undoubtedly have never seen such beauty
and diversity in one town. There are also twenty five white
beaches where there are opportunities for water sports, fishing
and relaxation. Zanzibar really is the stuff of an ancient
traveler's tale, full of fantasy and wonder, of stories of
the exotic and experiences untold.
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