Tanzania

Tanzania

The best game viewing areas on the continent of Africa is a highly debated topic, but Tanzania is one obvious contender. In Tanzania, you can see game by roof hatch, poptop or open vehicle (in some areas) in the parks and participate in walking, hiking, mountain climbing, boating, canoeing and ballooning. Accommodations vary from lodges to small fixed tented camps and mobile tented safaris.

The “Northern Circuit” includes Arusha National Park, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Oldupai Gorge and the Serengeti National Park.

Serengeti is derived from the Masai language and appropriately means “endless plain.” Huge herds of wildebeest, zebra and antelope dominate various areas of the park during the Great Serengeti Migration. The Serengeti is one of the best parks in Africa to see lion, leopard, cheetah and other predators who follow the game.

Ngorongoro Crater The largest intact, unflooded caldera (crater) in the world, Ngorongoro is a haven for one of the largest permanent concentrations of large mammals in Africa. Lion and hyena are plentiful.

Lake Manyara National Park The park is situated in the Great Rift Valley and is noted for hippo, elephant, giraffe and excellent birdlife.

Tarangire National Park Tarangire, home to large herds of elephant, has a spectacularly scenic baobab woodland. This is also the best place to see tree-climbing lions.

Arusha National Park With Mt. Kilimanjaro in the background, this mountain park is home to blue monkey and the black-and-white colobus monkey, bushbuck, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and reedbuck.

Mt. Kilimanjaro Mt. Kilimanjaro is considered a worldclass climb, rising from the surrounding plains of 3,300 ft. (1000m) to 19,340 ft. (5,895m). There are four routes typically used by climbers, Rongai, Machame, Shira, and Marangu. Other top wildlife reserves include the Selous Game Reserve, Ruaha, Mikumi, Katavi, Gombe and Mahale National Parks. All of these reserves are less visited than the northern Tanzania parks and offer a great opportunity to explore wild and unspoiled bush.

Selous and Ruaha National Park Selous is one of the world’s largest game reserves that offers game viewing by boat, on foot and by open vehicle. Ruaha is known for its magnificent scenery and great populations of elephant, buffalo and kudu.

GOMBE STREAM AND MAHALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARKS The main attraction of these remote parks is to be able to walk among large populations of chimpanzees.

Serengeti

Excellent: Year-round

Ngorongoro

Excellent: Year-round

Tarangire, Selous and Ruaha

Excellent: Jul-Oct

Good: Nov-Dec

Fair: Jan-Feb, Jun