SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
This is the biggest and oldest park in Tanzania as it is a shelter to many wild animals. The name Serengeti was derived from Masai people which means”endless plains”.It host the big five game and other animals like spotted hyenas, jackals, African golden wolf, honey badger, striped hyena, mongooses, otters, wild dogs, yellow and olive baboons and vervet monkeys, patas monkey, black and white monkeys. Serengeti National Park boasts for its about 500 bird species, including Masai ostrich, secretarybird, kori bustards, helmented guineafowls. southern ground hornbill, cranes, marabou stroks, yellow billed stork. lesser flamingo, martial eagles, lovebirds, oxpeckers and many species of vultures. In this park is where great migration happens as wildebeest and zebras seeking new pasture, the herds move north from their breeding grounds in the grassy southern plains. Many cross the marshy western corridor’s crocodile-infested Grumeti River. migrate from here to Masai Mara in the month of July and August. The park is divided into three regions namely Serengeti plains, western corridors and northern Serengeti.
NDUTU AREA
It lies at the heart of the South Serengeti the world famous Ndutu. The area offers consistently the best wildlife viewing during the green season, Ndutu is strategically situated at the center of the southern plains although the immediate area is blanketed with a forest of acacia trees. Since the 1960s, this area has been used by many distinguished authors, filmmakers and wildlife biologists like Jane Goodall and Hugo Van Lawick. It is a perfect base for seeing the drama of the migration and all that is involved with it. It hosts Elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, buck, hyena, bat eared fox, African wildcat and more are here all year round. The woodland provides a wonderful habitat for lots of different bird species and the rare striped hyena is regularly spotted. Also migration of wilde beest, zebras, gazelle, elad happens here they migrate clockwise from Ngorongoro and the Southern Serengeti to the Northern Serengeti into Kenya and back.
NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA(CRATER)
The Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtakingly beautiful setting and the best place in Tanzania to see the Big Five. The main feature is the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest inactive, intact and unfilled volcanic. The crater, which formed when a large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself. the area is inhabited by hippopotamus, elephants, lions, rhinos, zebras and many others. Many other small springs can be found around the crater’s floor, and these are important water supplies for the animals and local masai, especially during times of drought. The name Ngorongoro was given by masai pastoralists meaning the noise produced by the cowbell(ngoro ngoro). This huge caldera or collapsed volcano is 250 square kilometers and 600metres deep. Its spectacular settings and abundance of wildlife makes it one of the natural great wonders of the world – is referred to as the eighth wonder of the world or the EDEN of Africa.
LAKE MANYARA
Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania’s smaller and most underrated park and it is known for its flamingo inhabitation during the wet season and other 40 species of birds and it supports one of the highest biomass densities of large mammals in the world. Other animals like leopards, lions, cheetahs, elephants, blue monkeys, dik dik, gazelles hippopotamus, masai giraffe, impala, zebra and many more wild animals inhabit this park and many can be seen throughout the year. There is a hippo pond at one end of the park where visitors can get out of their cars and observe from a safe distance. The leopards and lions are both known to lounge in the trees while not hunting for prey.
TARANGIRE
It is most famous for its elephant migration, birding, baobab trees and authentic safari atmosphere. The parks boast for being home to Tanzania’s largest population of African elephants. With four of the Big Five also residing within the park, This park is named after the Tarangire River which flows through it, it homes 550 species of birds like hoopoes, hornbills, brown parrots, and the white-bellied go away bird as well as game birds such as the helmeted guinea fowl, yellow necked spurfow, and the crested francolin, yellow-collared lovebirds, lilac breasted rollers, mousebirds, swifts, striped swallows, starlings, bee-eaters, hammerkops, plovers, Kori bustards, bateleur eagles, steppe eagles, and the gigantic lappet-faced vulture.
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
It is located just a short drive from Arusha and Moshi, the Arusha National Park is Tanzania’s most accessible national park and the perfect place for a day trip or as the first or last stop. At just 552 square kilometres, it’s a small park with a lot to see. It diverse wildlife that includes herbivores such as elephants, hippos, buffalo, zebra, and even the occasional wildebeest, the Park is also a perfect place to get out and stretch your legs – with both walking safaris and canoe safaris available within the park. The park is also home to the words largest population of giraffes, making it a great place to visit for fans of these long-necked, beautiful animals. It boasts a broad variety of landscapes, ranging from open savannah through acacia scrubland to rainforest and, eventually, to alpine conditions on the higher reaches of Mt. Meru.
MOUNT KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK
Is a Tanzanian national park, located 300 kilometres (190 mi) south of the equator. This park is located near the city of moshi, the park includes the whole of mt kilimanjaro above the tree line and the surrounding montane forest belt above 1,820 metres , is a home to the continent’s highest mountain, snowcapped Mt. Kilimanjaro. Around the base of its tallest peak, relatively accessible hiking trails wind through rainforest inhabited by colobus monkeys and past the volcanic caldera of Lake Chala. Approaching the summit of Uhuru Peak, the slopes steepen and are studded with glacial ice fields.
ARUSHA
It is Located in the northern highlands of Tanzania, beneath the twin peaks of Mt. Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, Arusha is the safari capital of the country. Guests embarking on the popular northern safari circuit all stop in the ‘Geneva of Africa’ to prepare for their journeys into the African bush. To the west lies Serengeti National Park, home to wildlife including lions, rhinoceros, giraffes and leopards. Annual migrations feature huge herds of wildebeests crossing its plains.
MTO WA MBU
This village lies within the east African Valley, some 120km from Arusha City, Maasai being the original inhabitants of the area. Mto wa Mbu flourishes in the presence of three great rivers namely, Kirurumu river, Mahamoud River And Magadini river. The word Mto wa Mbu literally means “Mosquito River” The village is among the most active Villages in northern Tanzania, and it is the best stop over for tourist touring to the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park. Mto wa Mbu borders Lake Manyara National Park to east-south side and the Lake itself. This village is surrounded by magnificent scenery and situated on the main road which leads to the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater and Conservation Area. Various activities in mto wa mbu are excellent walking, hiking and biking tours which are offered in the village ranging in length from a couple of hours to a full day (bikes can be hired in the village).
