Arusha National Park

With an area of 137 sq. km, Arusha National Park is one of the smaller and most beautiful National Parks in Tanzania. Situated only 37 km from Arusha town, the park is very popular for day trips. Altitudes range from 1500 above sea level at Momella to 4572 at the summit of Mount Meru. Mt Kilimanjaro, towering at 5895 m to the east, can be visible on clear days from many locations in the park. The major attractions in this tiny park are the Natural Momella Forests, the Momella Lakes, the Ngurdoto Crater and the Meru Crater with its ash cone at 1829 meters. Another of the special features of the park are the many places where visitors can leave their cars and walk in the fresh air. The most common animals found in this park are the abyssinian black and white colobus monkeys, the Vervet monkeys, the red forest duikers, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, bushbucks and sometimes the leopard. More than 400 species of birds have been recorded in the park including Eurasian migrants, which can be seen between October and April. Mount Meru can be scaled within 2 nights and three days, with overnight accommodation in alpine huts on your way up and down.

Gombe Stream National Park

GOMBE STREAM NATIONAL PARK
Situated some 16 km north of Kigoma town, Gombe Stream is the smallest park in Tanzania with an area of 52 sq. km of lands. 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. The beauty of that park is unique; it is a park without roads, where you can walk and experience nature with all your senses. The park’s vegetation varies from the evergreen forests of tall trees to open woodlands and grasslands. Common mammals found are forest species, mostly primates including chimpanzees, baboons, blue monkeys, red tailed monkeys and red colobus monkeys.

MAHALE MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK
Gazetted in 1980, Mahale Mountains National Park lies 120 km south of Kigoma town on a peninsula that cuts out into Lake Tanganyika. The park has an area of 1,577 sq. km and is dominated by the Mahale Mountains Chain running from north-west across the middle of the park. The highest peak being 2,462 meters above sea level. The park vegetation is mainly Miombo woodland with narrow strips of riverine forests. The park enjoys the habitat of a variety of animal species from elephants, warthogs, giraffes, zebras, roan antelopes, buffaloes, hyenas, wild dogs to lions in the eastern woodland. Chimpanzees, blue monkeys are also found in Mahale. According to recent census, there are more than 700 chimpanzees in about 15 communities.

Both Gombe Stream National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park provide ornithologists with an outstanding opportunity to view the more than 340 species that have been sighted there. Travel on Lake Tanganyika can also be arranged.

Kilimanjaro National Park

“As wide as all the world, great, high and unbelievably white in the sun was the square top of Mount Kilimanjaro”, wrote Ernest Hemingway of this majestic volcano, rising to 5,895 metres above sea level. Situated near the town of Moshi, Mount Kilimanjaro rises from the dry plains through a wide belt of forest and high alpine heath to an almost bare desert and finally the snow capped peak. The highest point in Africa, Uhuru Peak in Kiswahili language, means ‘’The Peak of Freedom’’.

The outstanding features of the Kilimanjaro are the volcanic centres, like the Shira in the west, Mawenzi in the east and finally the snow capped Kibo in the west. The ascent of Kilimanjaro can be done from six routes: Mweka, Umbwe, Shira, Rongai, Machame, and the Marangu Route which is the easier and the most popular. Depending on which route one wants to use, the climb of Kilimanjaro can take between four nights to six nights on the mountain. On the famous Marangu Route, accommodation is in alpine huts while on Machame Route it is camping throughout. While expert guides and porters will accompany you on your climb, unlike Mount Everest, no technical equipment is required.

Lake Manyara National Park

Located 125 km west of Arusha town under the wall of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park has one of the most spectacular settings in Africa. The park has three distinct habitats. The savanna grassland of the Maasai Steppe, which approaches from the east but is interrupted by the Great Rift Valley, the ground water natural forest, and the soda lake itself. The park has a total area of 320 sq. km., about 70% of which being the lake. Lake Manyara is an ornithologist’s paradise containing over 400 bird species including most of the birds found in East Africa’s savanna or river habitats. Common water birds to be seen here are pelicans, spoonbills, Egyptian geese, hammerkops and the migratory flamingoes which arrive in hundreds of thousands creating one of Africa’s great natural sights over the soda lake. The most famous spectacle in the park is the tree-climbing lions, which are occasionally seen along branches of acacia trees. Other animals found in this area include buffalo, elephants, leopards, baboons, impala, giraffes and hippos. The altitude of Lake Manyara is about 1,000 metres, and it can be quite hot during midday. Game drives are therefore best in the morning and late afternoon. The park is very popular and can be visited throughout the year, although some roads may be closed during the rainy season from March to May.

Mikumi National Park

A game sanctuary easy of access and welcoming, Mikumi National Park is only three to four hours drive from Dar es Salaam on the highway to Zambia. The Mikumi plain, which is from time to time flooded by the Mkata River, forms a vast and undulating prairie on which herds of wildebeests and elephants wander freely. Lions are very common in that park as well as buffaloes, zebra giraffe, impala, hippo, eland, hartebeests, baboons, sable antelope and the rare hunting dog.

Ngorogoro Crater

A UNESCO protected ‘’World Heritage Site’’, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is situated some 190 km. west of Arusha, between Lake Manyara and Serengeti National Parks. Covering approximately 8,288 square km, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area consists of the Ngorongoro Crater itself, the Olduvai Gorge, the Empakai crater and the Oldonyo Lengai Mountain. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a pioneering experiment in multi-purpose land use where the diverse interests of wild animals, plants and people are being integrated. Wild animals are protected as in the National parks. The craters of Ngorongoro and Empakai are reserved exclusively for wildlife, while the rest of the Conservation Area is shared by wildlife, people and livestock. The Maasai, the main residents of Ngorongoro, are pastoralists who move widely with their herds of cattle, sheep, goat and donkeys in search of pasture and water. In recent years the Maasai have been encouraged to work on the land and supplement their traditional diet of milk, blood and meat.

The Ngorongoro Crater, which is the central attraction in the area, is the largest Caldera in the world that has its walls intact. The Ngorongoro Crater floor lies 610 metres below the rim and has an area of 265 sq. km, with a diameter of 16 km to 19 km. The sight of the Ngorongoro Crater is simply stunning. “There is nothing with which to compare. It is one of the wonders of the world…” once wrote Professor Bernard Grzimek. The crater floor is covered with plains animals, including wildebeest, zebra, gazelles, elands, rhino, and a large predator population of lions, hyena and jackal which can all be viewed at close quarters. Cheetah and leopard can also be seen here. The rainy season is between November and May. The crater rim is about 2286 metres high and is chilly during the evenings.

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park derives its name from the Ruaha River, which flows along its southeastern border. The river provides permanent water in the park and, during the dry season, animal concentration along its banks is extremely heavy. Ruaha National Park is about two to three hours drive from Iringa, a famous town on the Dar - Zambia highway, and covers an area of 12, 950sq km, making it the second largest National Park in Tanzania, after Serengeti.

The park is mainly woodland which provides a different habitat as compared to the popular northern Tanzania plains reserves. Ruaha National Park is famous for its elephant herds and animals that are rarely seen in the northern parks, like the greater kudu and the roan antelope. Other animals that are common include the sable antelope, lesser kudu, lions, leopard, hunting dog, buffalo, impala, waterbuck, warthog, giraffe, bushbuck, and the hippos and crocodiles which inhabit the Ruaha River. The park is also rich in bird life. The best time to visit the park is during the dry season, from May to December, when animals are concentrated along the river.

Selous Game Reserve

The Selous Game Reserve, established in 1922, covers an area of 55,000 sq. km. Stretching inland from the coast, Selous is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Africa. The Reserve is divided into four sections. The west, the east and the south are mainly hunting areas, while the north is reserved for game viewing. Nearly three quarters of the vegetation is Miombo woodlands, and the mighty Rufiji River, which flows through the reserve, plays an important role in the Selous ecosystem.

The reserve was named after Captain Frederick Courtney Selous, a naturalist, explorer and hunter, who died there in action in 1917.

In spite of the fact that for many years it was an important hunting area, Selous still contains the greatest concentration of big game left on earth. Last survey estimated an animal population of about 10,000 to 15,000 sable antelopes, 20,000 to 30,000 elephants, 120,000 to 150,000 buffaloes, and quite a few rhinos.

Besides game drives commonly offered in other parks, boat trips and walking safaris are organised here, providing a wider game viewing opportunity and experience. The best time to visit the Selous is from June to October. During the rainy season, between March and May, some parts of the Selous become inaccessible and game drives are temporarily suspended

Serengeti National Park

Covering an area of 14,763 sq. km, Serengeti National Park is the largest National Park in Tanzania. The park is located some 320 km to the northwest of Arusha, lying in a high plateau between the Ngorongoro highlands and the Kenya/Tanzania border, and extending almost to Lake Victoria to the west. Aptly named ‘’endless plains’’ by the Maasai people, you immediately experience this vastness as you enter the southeastern plains of the park from Ngorongoro.
Declared a protected area in 1921 and gazetted as a National park in 1951, Serengeti is the oldest National Park in Tanzania and undoubtedly one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world. The principal features of the Serengeti are the short and long grass plains in the south and east, the acacia Savannah in the central areas, the hilly and densely wooded areas in the north and the extensive woodland in the west. There is a variety of scenery, which include the plains, lakes, hills and the rock outcrops called kopjes.
The main game drive areas in the Serengeti are the Seronera Valley, the Western Corridor, and Lobo. In the Seronera Valley, animals that can be seen are lions, buffaloes, impalas, hippos, waterbucks, elephants, cheetahs and the leopard. From December, when the long rains start, to May, eastern Serengeti plains provide the best opportunities for game viewing as hundreds of thousands of the migratory animals are concentrated in this part attracted by the short palatable grass.
Between May and June, when drought sets in, Serengeti is the site of one of the most breathtaking events in the animal kingdom - the migration of thousands of wildebeest heading southwest, north or west in search of water and greener pastures.
The Lobo area remains rich in wildlife during the dry months of July to October when most of the game has moved from the grass plains in the south. This is also true of the Western Corridor towards Lake Victoria when the migration usually arrives between June and July.
Serengeti provides sanctuary to the highest concentration of plains animals in the world. Survey estimates indicate an animal population of about 4 million including 3,000 lions, 1,600,000 wildebeests, 500,000 zebras. There are over 400 species of birds in the Serengeti.

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park lies 120 km. south of Arusha, along The Great North Road highway. Tarangire offers a wide variety of wildlife in its area of 2,600 sq. km. As in all ecosystems, the vegetation and the types of animals you find are closely correlated. The principal features of the park are the flood plains and the grassland with thinly scattered acacia and baobabs. The Tarangire River, after which the park is named, provides the only permanent water for wildlife in the area.

When the Maasai Steppes dry up with the end of the long rains in June, migratory animals return to the Tarangire River, making Tarangire second only to Ngorongoro in the concentration of wildlife. This period stretches between June and November and it is the best season for game viewing in Tarangire. The most common animals found in the park include zebras, wildebeest, lions, leopards, waterbucks, giraffe, elephants, gazelles, impala, gerenuk, lesser kudu and the beautiful fringe-eared oryx. You may be lucky to spot the tree-climbing python for which the park is famous, or the greater kudu and the roan antelope which are rare species in Northern Tanzania. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Park.

Zanzibar the spice Island and Tropical Paradise

Come for a visit to the tropical island of Zanzibar. Here we cater for the needs of everybody.

Wonder through the narrow streets of Stone Town and take a step back in time.

For the diving enthusiast there are plenty of dive operations that will cater for your evey need, and point out the many spectacular dive sites.

Or if you are the type that just wants to laze the day away on the beach and enjoy a cool refreshing sundowner, then Zanzibar is the place for you.