TANZANIA GAME PARKS

Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara Game Park nesting under the wall of the Great Rift Valley is like a perfectly cut gemstone. It contains a variety of habitats and diverse animals and birds. It covers an area of 319sq Km, altitude 945 meters. Lake Manyara has 5 distinct zones.

• Ground water forest with towering mahogany and fig tree
• Extensive marshland reeds
• Plains of Savannah grassland
• Outback scattered with acacia trees
• Scrub-land on the face of the rift wall
  

Serengeti National Park
One of the most unique wilderness areas of the world, fantastic in its natural beauty and unequalled in its scientific value. It occupies 14763sq Km. This Park is one of the most popular wildlife sanctuaries in the world. One of the most remarkable scenes in this wildlife sanctuary is the migration of wildebeest, zebras, giraffe, gazelle, buffalo and other plain animals. As the herds move to new grazing grounds they are followed by predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, jackals and hunting dogs waiting for weak prey, while vultures soar overhead waiting for their share of the kill.

Ngorongoro Crater
The largest intact crater in the world and second largest extinct volcano in the World has a spectacular concentration of wildlife. The crater rim is wooded with mountain forest vegetation. Its oval in shape and 20Km in diameter, 100sq miles in area, 2000 feet deep and 2286metres above sea level.

Mikumi National Park
Located north of the Selous Reserve, some 300kms from Dar es Salaam this park covers an area of 3,230 square Kilometers. Among the species that can be seen here are baboons, buffaloes, colobus monkeys, hunting dogs, elands, elephants, giraffes, hartebeests, hippos, lions, impalas, sable, antelopes amongst other species.

Katavi National Park
This remote and difficult park to reach (strictly recommended for those of an adventurous spirit) lies on a high flood plain surrounding Lake Kitavi, to the south of the Mahale Mountains. The main vegetation found here is the Miombo woodland. It has a wide variety of wildlife (crocodile, hippo, leopard, lion, roan and sable antelopes, southern reedbuck, topi, eland, elephant, and one of the largest herds of buffalo, with as many as 1,600 animals) and offers excellent game viewing with a real wilderness atmosphere. The diverse woodland, acacia bush, lakes and swamps have attracted over 400 species of birds, including large flocks of pelicans. Other attractions are Lakes Katavi and Chada, which are joined by the River Katuma. The best months to visit are July to October.

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 - "Nutcracker Man" or Australopithecus boisei who lived 1.75 million years ago - by Leaky. There is a small informative museum located at the visitor center. The gorge is a treasure trove of archeological sites filled with fossils, settlement remains and stone artifacts. Lecture tours are offered.

Mahale Mountains Park
Mahale Mountains, like Gombe, are home to some of the last remaining wild chimpanzees in Africa. The Park is reached by boat or plane, both of which are available for charter. May to October is the best time to visit. There are no roads and 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.

Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks, but thanks to Dr. Jane Goodall, one of the best known. Since 1960, Goodall and colleagues have lived among the Gombe chimpanzees, making significant contributions to the study of primates. Travel to the Park is by water only from Ujiji or Kigoma. The forests are alive with the famous chimpanzee, red colobus and red-tail and blue monkeys. You can also spot bushbuck and 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.

Arusha National Park
This park is remarkable for its range of habitats – miniature volcanic craters, highland rainforest, acacia, woodland and a string of crater lakes (The Momella lakes). In addition, on clear day there are spectacular views of both Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru. Arusha National Park offers many beautiful panoramic views. An opportunity to visit this park is not to be missed. This park is wooded savannaland with baobab trees alternating with open acacia woodland. Open plains, swamps are also a part of this beautiful game reserve that is also home to rivers along which stand palm trees. Big game and birds abound. Among the wildlife that can be seen are lions, elephants, zebras, oryx and many more. The bird-life is also extremely rich and varied.