- TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES
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- Arusha National Park
- Described as a “little gem”,
Arusha National Park consists of three spectacular features – the Momella
Lakes, Meru Crater and the Ngurdoto Crater. Altitudes range from 1525 m /
5002 ft. above sea level at Momella to nearly 4575 m / 15006 ft. at the summit of Mount Meru. On
Clear day, magnificent views of Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen from almost
any part of the park.
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The park is famous for its profuse bird life both migrant and
resident and the handsome black and white colobus monkey which inhabit the
lush green forest of ancient cedar and podocarpus. Other animals commonly
seen in the park are the baboon, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, rhino,
leopard, hyena, klipspringer, red and bush duiker. The all-time thrillers,
“Hatari” and “Sammy Going South” were filmed in this enchanting
wildlife sanctuary. With a small area of about 137 sq km and situated only
32 km / 20m from Arusha, the park can be visited in a day.
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Arusha 45 km/28 miles
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- Lake Manyara National Park
- Nestling at the base of the Great
Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara National Park (330 sq km) is one of the
most beautiful places in Africa. As you enter the gate, the park is
dramatically marked off by lush green vegetation consisting of tall trees of
the ground water forest, which provide home to troops of baboons and blue
monkeys. Further down, the forest opens into woodlands, grassland, swamps
and beyond, the soda lake itself where 350 species of birds including the
lively flamingo (less and greater), pelican, scared ibis, grebe and stork
can be viewed (The bird watcher’s paradise). At the southern end of the
park are hote sulphur springs (60C) called Maji
Moto.
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Lake Manyara 60 km/37 miles
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- Ngorongoro Crater
- The Ngorongoro Crater standing at
2,236 meters above sea level is the largest unbroken caldera in the world.
Surrounded by very steep walls rushing 610 meters from the Crater floor,
this natural amphitheatre measures about 16-19 miles across in diameter and
has an area of 259 sp km. It is such a captivating and breathtaking
phenomenon. “It is impossible to give a fair description of the crater”
so wrote Professor Bernard Grzimek, “there is nothing with which to
compare. It is one of the wonders of the world….” On the floor of this
Garden of Eden, which can be reached by a 4 wheel-drive vehicle, roam
hundreds of thousands of plains animals. Elephants, buffalo, zebra,
wildebeest, gazelle, rhino, verve monkey and the ever hungry predators,
including cheetah, hyena’s and black-manned lion can be observed at close
quarters in their natural habitats. More than a hundred species of birds not
found in the Serengeti have been spotted here. Ostriches, koori bustards,
secretary birds, crested cranes, egrets, red billed oc-peckers and the
countless flamingoes which form a pink cover over the soda lake can be
observed. Ngorongoro Crater is about 190 km from Arusha, 60 km from Lake
Manyara and 145 km from Serengeti. Very comfortable accommodation facilities
are available at Ngorongoro Crater, Ngorongoro Serena, Sopa and Wildlife
Lodges.
- Tarangire National Park
- Tarangire National Park, situated
only 120 km from Arusha and South East of Lake Manyara is famous for its
dense wildlife population which is most spectacular between June and
December. During this time of the year thousands of animals migrate from dry
Masai steppe to Tarangire River looking for water. Among other species to be
seen at Tarangire are rhino, buffalo, elephant, lion, warthog, eland, the
fringe eared oryx, lesser and greater kudu, gerenuk and large number of
impala. The national park is also famous for tree climbing pythons and
abundant bird life. Day trips can be organized from Arusha to this park.
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- Olduvai Gorge
- Between the great wildlife
sanctuaries of Ngorongoro and Serengeti lies Olduvai Gorge – the “Cradle
of Mankind”. Under the direction of Dr Leakey, the gorge has yielded
abundant fossil material dating back at least two million years and possibly
much longer. The remain of prehistoric elephant, giant horned sheep and
enormous ostriches have been unearthed in this stone age site. In 1959 the
remains of the Nutcracker Man or Zinjathropus
Boisei, whose skull is in the Museum of Dar es Salaam, were uncovered
here. Nearby is Laetoli, where the footprints of hominoid (said to be over 3
million years old) were discovered by Mrs. Leakey in 1979. Around these
sites of man’s origin team millions of wild animals.
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- Serengeti National Park
- Serengeti National Park is
undoubtedly the best known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for
its natural beauty and scientific value. Within its boundaries are more than
3 million large mammals living in total freedom on the “endless plains”
(as Serengeti means in Masai language) scattered with rock outcrops, patches
of acacia bush, forest and occasional small rivers. About 35 species of
plains animals can be observed here included the “big five” –
elephant, rhino, lion (more than 2,000 of them), leopard and buffalo and
huge herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra which in late May or early June,
depending on the weather, begin the spectacular migration from the central
plains to the permanent water in the north west of the park. Lines and
columns of wildebeest up to 40 km long have been observed. At the tail end
of the procession, come the crippled and those too old to keep up. Lions,
cheetah, hyena and hunting do follow making sure that only the fittest
survive while vultures circling overhead, wait patiently to scavenge. Other
common species found in the Serengeti include hippo, giraffe, eland, impala,
waterbuck, klipspringer, baboon, vervet monkey and pates, warthogs, kongoni,
toip and a rich selection of birdlife. Nearly 500 species of birds have been
recorded in the park, some of them Eurasian migrants which are present from
October to April. Crocodiles can also be observed in the rivers traversing
the park.
- Ngorongoro Crater 145 km/90 miles
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- Mount Kilimanjaro
- The beauty of this great mountain
must be seen to be believed. Tanzania’s shining mountain always bearing a
glittering mantle of snow was discovered by Johannes Rebmann in 1848, but a
skeptical world did not acknowledge its existence at the time. Mt
Kilimanjaro is 5,895 m/19,340 ft and the highest mountain in Africa. The
National Park extends from mountain rain forest to scrub and alpine moorland
and finally the snow and ice fields at the summit.
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- THE COASTAL AND SOUTHERN CIRCUIT OF TANZANIA
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- Dar es Salaam
- Dar es Salaam – “Haven of
Peace” – is one of the most informal and relaxed cities in the world.
Essentially African in character and an ideal centre for holidaying in
Tanzania, Dar es Salaam is the stating point for Tanzania’s “Southern
Circuit” – embracing wildlife viewing in the Selous, Ruaha and Mikumi,
beach holiday, big game fishing and visits to Zanzibar and Mafia Islands.
Dar es Salaam is the country’s chief port and commercial centre. The
bustling city offers spectacular sightseeing areas among which is a
traditional village museum.
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- Bagamoyo
- 75 km north of Dar es Salaam is the
former capital of Tanganyika and chief seaport, Bagamoyo, once a notorious
embarkation port for slave trade: remainders of which can still be seen in
the shape of shackle rings, stone pens etc. Bagamoyo is said to mean “Here
I lay down my heart” a cry of desperation by slaves before they were
packed aboard vessels for their voyage into captivity. It was at the
Catholic Mission chapel here that Livingstone’s remains lay before they
were taken to Zanzibar and then to England. The Mission is a museum with a
wonderful collection of photographs and mementos relating to Livingston and
to the German colonial times. A house in which Henry Morton Stanley lived a
century ago can still be seen in solidarity splendour near the beach. About
5 km to the south, at Kaole, are ruins of mosque as well as graves and
houses dating back to the late 13th century.
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- Mikumi National Park
- Situated some 300 kms south-west of
Dar es Salaam, Mikumi National Park offers a wide variety of wildlife in its
3230 sq km area. Baboon, Buffalo, colobus monkey, African hunting dog,
eland, elephant, giraffe, hartebeest, hippo, leopard, lion, impala, sable
antelope, warthog, waterbuck, wildebeest, zebra and the greater kudu can be
seen here. Over 300 species of birds have been observed in the park some of
which are Eurasian migrants that are present from October to April. Also
reptiles including crocodile, monitor lizard and python are resident in
Mikumi. Weekend excursions departing from Dar es Salaam every Saturday noon
to Mikumi are organized by several Tour Operators.
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- Selous Game Reserve
- The Selous, occupying an enormous
land area of 55,000 sq km is the largest Game Reserve in Africa. The reserve
is one of Africa’s greatest wilderness, where the forest and bush are
untamed and animals unmolested by man. The Rufiji River system which flows
through the reserve, flooding it during rain season, further limits human
trespass into this animal kingdom which boasts of over a million wild
animals including some of the biggest population of elephant in the world.
Other species commonly seen are lion, wild dog, buffalo, bushbuck, impala,
warthog, leopard, hartebeest, rhino, sable antelope, reedbuck, waterbuck,
giraffe, eland, baboon, zebra, greater kudu and countless hippos and
crocodiles which flock the Rufiji River (the greatest in East Africa).
Walking safaris accompanied by an armed ranger can be organized together
with game drives and boat trips. The Selous is inaccessible during the rainy
season March to May due to floods and the best time to visit the reserve is
from June to October.
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- Ruaha National Park
- Covering 13,000 sq km, this
relatively new and undisturbed park is one of Tanzania’s largest elephants
sanctuaries. Its name derives from the great Ruaha River which flows along
its entire eastern border creating spectacular gorges and scenery. Hippo,
crocodile and fish inhabit the river. The park is rich in all forms of
wildlife except some of the typical plains animals such as Thomson’s
gazelle, wildebeest and topic whose range does not extend into this area. On
the other hand, both Grants gazelle and ostrich are found in the park as
well as rare greater and lesser kudu and the roan and sable antelope. The
bird life is very interesting and varied and over 370 species have been
recorded here some of which are not found in Northern Tanzania.
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- Gombe National Park:
A CHIMPANZEE'S ENCOUNTER
- Situated 16 km, north of Kigoma
town in western Tanzania, Gombe National Park occupies 52 sq km of land.
Commissioned in 1968, Gombe is a narrow strip of a mountainous country
bounded to the east by the crest of the Rift Valley escarpment and by Lake
Tanganyika to the west. The beauty of Gombe National Park is unique; it is a
park without roads, where you can walk and experience nature with all your
senses. Due to its altitude, the park’s vegetation varies from ever green
forest of tall trees to open woodlands and grassland. Common mammals found
in the park are forest species mostly primates. These include chimpanzees,
baboons, blue monkeys, red-railed monkeys and red colobus monkey.
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- Katavi National Park
- Covering an area of 2253 sq km,
Katavi National Park which was gazetted in 1974 is located in Mpanda
District, Rukwa Region about 40 km south east of Mpanda town. The park is
famous for its undisturbed natural face compared to other parks in the
country. The main vegetation of the park is Miombo woodland with scattered
Acacia trees near Lake Chada. Lake Chada is reach in bird life and it is one
of the areas with high population density of crocodiles in the country.
Major features of attraction include Lake Katavi with its vast short grass
flood plains in the north, palm-fringed Lake Chada in the south east and
Katuma River. Animals found in the park include zebras, sable and roan
antelopes, elands, leopards, elephants, buffalos and lions. Water fowls also
found. For accommodation there is a rest house and campsites with the park
area, hotels and lodges in Mpanda and Sumbawanga towns.
- Mahale Mountains National Park:
A CHIMPANZEE'S ENCOUNTER
- Gazetted in 1980, Mahale National
Park lies 120 km south of Kigoma on a peninsula that cuts out into Lake
Tanganyika. The park which is 1577 sq km in size is dominated by the Mahale
Mountains chain running from north-west across the middle of the park (the
highest peak being 2462 m above sea level). The park vegetation is mainly
miombo woodlands with narrow strips of riverine forest. The park enjoys the
habitat of a variety of animal species from elephants, warthogs, giraffes,
zebras, roan antelopes, buffalos, hyenas, wild dogs to lions in the eastern
woodland. According to recent census there are more than 700 chimpanzees in
about 15 communities. There is a small guest house near Kasiha village and a
luxury tented camp is only opened during the dry season (May – October).
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- Rubondo Island National Park
- Gazetted in 1977 with an area of
about 457 sq km and surrounded by a number of islets which are part of the
park, Rubondo National Park is located west of Mwanza town. Rubdondo Island
National Park is unique in its being the only park in the vast Lake
Victoria. The lake is the largest in Africa (with 26,200 sq m) and second
largest in the world (next to Superior – 31,830 sq m). It provides a
variety of habitats ranging from savannah to open woodland, dense forest and
papyrus swamps. Animal species (some introduced to the area about 20 years
ago) found in the park include hippos, crocodiles, bushbucks, sitatunga,
giraffes, elephants and chimps. Rubondo is also unique in bird life. Birds
from east, central and southern Africa can be observed breeding at the
“Bird Island”. There are campsites and huts for accommodation.
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- Udzungwa Mountains National Park
- The park falls in the Iringa and
Morogoro Regions of South-central Tanzania. The park, commissioned in 1992,
is bordered by the Great Ruaha River to the north and the Mikumi-ifakara
road to the east. The area of the park is 1900 sq km and its headquarters at
Mang’ula, 60 kms from Mikumi. The major attractions to the park is its
biological diverse and unique forest. Udzungwa Mountains National Park also
harbors plant species found nowhere else in the world from a tiny African
violet to 30 m high trees. Apart from accommodating about six species of
primates, its plateau contains populations of elephants, buffalos, lions,
leopards, African hunting dogs and several forest bird species including
“Modulatrics O. Sanajei” a new endemic francolin discovered in 1979.
Accommodation and good food are available near the park gate at the Twiga
Resort. For those with camping equipment, three campsites have been
established inside the park. Very basic supplies and a market are available
in Mang’ula Village.
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- Mafia Island
- Only 40 minutes flight south for Dar es Salaam is
one of the most exciting game fishing and diving location in the world. The
virtually unfished waters off the island abound with a rich variety of fish
of tremendous size and weight, many of them being great fighters. Catches
include marling, sailfish, shark, tinny, kingfish, barracuda, snapper, rock
cod, dolphin, horse mackerel, Wahoo, five fingered jack and fimbo. The main
fishing season is from September to March although fishing is possible all
year round inside the reef and channel. Mafia Island Lodge offers
accommodation, facilities for underwater-diving and “Seafaris” along the
coast and to neighboring islands.
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