National Parks of Tanzania
The National Parks of Tanzania
Protected areas and other interesting places
The Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti is known as one of the best wildlife sanctuary in the
world, especially renown for the migration of animals. Every year more
than a million wildebeest and zebras travel through the park. A
Serengeti Safari is a must for visitors of Tanzania.
Lake Manyara National Park
Nestling at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the park is
recognized for its incredible beauty. Wildlife at Lake Manyara is not
restricted to birdlife only. You can see many game animals such as
Buffalo, Elephant, Giraffe, Impala, hippo.
Tarangire National Park
It is the vast number of baobabs that first capture the eye as you enter
Tarangire National Park. The gently rolling countryside is dotted with
these majestic trees, which seem to dwarf the animals that feed beneath
them.
Arusha National Park
The Park on the foot of Mount Meru contains a diverse resident
population of herbivores, primates and predators. It is not too
spectacular, but It is just nearby Arusha, so you can visit the park on
a day trip..
Kilimanjaro National Park
Mount Kilimanjaro is the crown of Tanzania. With an altitude of 5895m
(19 340ft), it is the highest peak in Africa, the highest freestanding
mountain in the world, and one of the largest volcanoes.
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha is visually a treat, with wild landscapes of miombo forest and
rolling woodlands, hills, rivers and plains. Due to its accessibility it
is hardly visited. The center of the reserve is the Great Ruaha River,
with its deep pools and gorges, swirling rapids and excellent fishing..
Mikumi National Park
This relatively small (3230 sq km) National Park lies 300 km west of
Dar-es-Salaam and is the closest park to the capital. Although less
spectacular regarding Flora and Fauna, the Mikumi national park obtains
a good impression of the African animal world and is suitable for a
short visit..
Udzungwa Mountains National Park
Tanzanias last established park contains the greatest altitudinal range
of forests in East Africa - unbroken forest cover from lowland forest
communities at below 250m above sea level to mountain communities at
over 2,800m. Udzungwa National Park has one of the highest numbers of
species endemism worldwide.
Rubondo Island National
Park
Tanzanias 10th park major animal attraction is the abundance of
sitatunga, an aquatic antelope that cannot be found in any other Park in
Tanzania. Rubondo Island was declared Tanzania's 10th National Park in
1977.. A protector to introduced mammal species, rare orchids and fish
breeding grounds Rubondo is also more than just a watery wonderland.
Deserted sandy beaches nestle against a cloak of virgin forest which is
host to a rich abundance of mammals, reptiles, plant life and birds.
Saadani National Park
Saadani National Park was only gazetted in 2003 and is the only park in
Tanzania with ocean frontage. The park itself is unique to the rest of
east Africa combining a variety of ecosystems including bush, beach and
river.Some of the animals do come down to the beach and you can
occasionally see some in the surf.
Katavi National Park
Remote and rarely visited, the Katavi national park is a pearl among the
national parks in Tanzania. Tanzania third biggest national park lies in
the remote southwest of the country, and it has a higher density of
mammals than any other Tanzanian National Park. Rivers groan with
hippopotamus and crocodiles, and schattered over the plains are great
herds of buffaloes, with up to 1000 animals in one group
Protected Areas of Tanzania
Ngorongoro Crater
Also called the eights wonder of the world, this heritage center
shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven on earth. Ngorongoro has over
20,000 large animals including some of Tanzania's last remaining black
rhino, protected within its rim... more info
ngorongoro crater lake
Selous National Park
The Selous is the most remote and unexplored game protected area in
Africa with 54,600 square km. There are only few tourists..... the
Selous is not yet discovered by the mainstream of visitors to Tanzania,
also because he is difficult to access.
Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve
Gombe Stream is Tanzanias smallest park (52 sq km) and is home of the
world famous chimp reserve. It is located 16 km north of Kigoma on the
shore of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania...more info
Chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Reserve
Other places of interest
Usambara Mountains
It has been dubbed the "Galapagos" of the plant world. This incredibly
beautiful and lush area is a welcome retreat from Tanzania’s Game Parks
and cities. The mountain region is ideal for hiking...more info
Lake Eyasi and Lake Natron
Tourists hardly know this wild, still nearly unexplored landscape, and
you will be particularly impressed of it. One of the most original
landscapes in East Africa is the area around the soda Lake : home of the
Maasai, which live here still in traditional way and are hardly
influenced of the modern culture.
Olmoti and Empakaai Craters
Close to the Ngorongoro Crater there are two more craters, less famous
and less visited, but very interesting for a Walking Safaris off the
beaten track. Both craters offers you the rare sense of pure solitude
and peace, found only in remote, pristine places.
Olduvai Gorge
Olduvai Gorge is a canyon carved by water through the southern part of
the Serengeti Plain. The gorge is about 50 km long and in some places 90
metres deep. It drains the slopes of the nearby mountains plus the
Serengeti Plain. Its chief claim to fame is the rich treasure-trove of
human and animal fossils that it has yielded.
Pare Mountains
The Pare Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, an isolated
range of ancient massifs that stretch form the Taita Hills in
souteastern Kenya into Tanzania, where the range includes the Pare
Mountains, East and West Usambara and the Ulugurus near Morogoro and the
Udzungwa Mountains. They all offer a range of affordable activities
based around guided walks in the mountains and their forests, and
encounters with the rural culture of th Pare tribe, who have been living
in the mountains for the last six hundred years..
