TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES

LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Location: Northern Tanzania, close to the Serengeti and Tarangire National Parks. In earlier years Lake Manyara (318 km/123 m) was a famous hunting ground, now it is one of Tanzania's most attractive sanctuaries. Nestling into the steep Rift Valley wall, its shallow alkaline lake is surrounded by ancient baobabs, ground water forest of fig and mahogany and open grasslands. Bird life is prolific, with breeding colonies of pink-bellied Pelicans, Ibis, herons and egrets. Buffalo feed in the forest, zebra and wildebeest wander in small groups, whilst elephant and the famous tree climbing lion, sprawling indolently overhead, enchant all visitors to this park. Manyara airstrip is also the embarkation/dis-embarkation point on a schedule service when visiting Ngorongoro. No schedule service can go to the Crater as the weather is too unpredictable, with low cloud often not lifting until midday. Famous for the large elephant population, and tree-climbing lions, Manyara National park is often the first or last stop of ones safari. A shallow alkaline lake, its setting lends drama as it is at the base of the Rift Valley's sheer 600m western wall. The Park's habitat and scenery is one of the most diverse in Tanzania, as is the game found here. Flamingos gather when the water level is suitable, as do many other water birds. Indigenous fig forest is home to many species as are the grassy flood plains, the light acacia woodland and grassland. There are hot springs to the south of the Park. There is only one lodge actually inside the Park, and a collection on the rim of the Rift Valley and further a-field.
Safari Lodges in Lake Manyara National Park

NGORONGORO CRATER
Indisputably one of Africa's true wonders of nature and an extraordinary place of haunting beauty, with its grand majestic mountain ring and lake, pinkly shimmering in the blue grey haze. This sanctuary is located in northern Tanzania - famous not only for its abundant and diverse wildlife but also for its physical landscape, the Ngorongoro Crater; the world's largest intact crater created during the formation of the Great Rift Valley. The Crater needs no introduction, being the largest intact caldera in the world, and a World Heritage Site. It is one of the most spectacular sights. With the exception of impala and giraffe, almost every species of plains mammal lives or visits the Crater floor - a true African Eden. The massive depression is 12 miles wide (19 kms), and is in the Serengeti Ecosystem although under a different Wildlife area known as Ngorongoro Conservation Area which is an area of more than 8.000 km² in size Accommodation on the Crater rim is available and ranges from a campsite to one of the finest lodges in Africa. There are other smaller lodges nearby. Ngorongoro covers an area of 264 km/102 m and is the largest intact caldera in the world, its enduring charm stems from its overwhelming physical beauty and the abundance of wildlife permanently resident on the crater floor. On a full day's game drive with a stop for a delicious picnic lunch, commonly seen animals are lion, wildebeest, cheetah, jackals, zebras, buffalos and the black Rhino. Ngorongoro Crater is the largest collapsed volcanic crater in the world and fourteen kilometers of isolated natural beauty. This crater is surrounded by a ring of extinct volcanoes and the floor, dotted with watering holes, shelters some 30,000 animals. The rim of the crater rises to 7,500 feet, and on the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and mountains all a haven for wildlife and a must-see for Tanzania's travellers.
Safari Lodges in Ngorongoro

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
The Serengeti (14,500 km/5,600 m) is undoubtedly the most famous wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and the greatest concentration of plains game anywhere. It lies between the shores of Lake Victoria in the east and Kenya's "Serengeti", the Masai Mara, to the northwest. Hills rising out of the seemingly endless plains, rivers and small lakes, magnificent rocky outcrops and the occasional swamp all add to the park's fascination. Accommodation is either in a lodge or campsite. NOTE: the lodges in the Serengeti are often booked solid in the high season (July-December). Advance booking of up to five months is recommended. Go on a Serengeti Safari and experience a soul-stirring feeling of space. Serengeti comes from the Masai word meaning ' Endless Plains'. It is these grasslands and savannahs that ensure that the area is jam-packed full of game. The Serengeti is well known for the wildebeest migration and annually 2 million animals move clockwise around this 14, 763 square kilometre ecosystem in search of grazing and water. The predators follow the wildebeest and zebra closely - and a Serengeti Safari is an ideal opportunity to view lions and other big cats. Pin pointing and predicting the location of the wildebeest migration is challenging - but with a healthy resident population of animals, safari and game viewing within the Serengeti Game Reserve is great all year round. In addition to its vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's Gazelle and other plains game, the Serengeti is renowned for its lion and other predators, including wild dog, spotted hyena and jackal. Leopard may often be seen along the Seronera River. The wealth of bird life is of special interest, colourful rollers, bee-eaters, kingfishers and sunbirds are common, as are larger birds of prey, game birds and water fowl. Balloon Safaris SERENGETI BALLOON SAFARIS A popular addition to your stay in the Serengeti National Park is a balloon safari. A lifetime experience not to be missed. This option gives an entirely new perspective from ordinary wildlife view in safari vehicles. Launching at dawn, your balloon rises as the sun rises. The pilots have international qualifications and vast experience of flying in Africa. Up to 32 passengers can be flown daily. Floating gently over the plains and wildlife of the Serengeti National Park, the flight is for about one hour. After landing, enjoy a traditional champagne celebration and an Out of Africa breakfast prepared and served in the bush. Return transfer to Seronera arriving at 09.30 hrs. ready to continue with the days planned activities. This adventure is available to visitors staying at any central Serengeti lodge or camp. SERONERA This is the central point of Africa's most famous National Park, the Serengeti. The vast open plains and proliferation of animals which live in them is incredible, as is the annual wildebeest migration. With very little permanent water, the migration is closely linked to rainfall patterns. Little can be said that has not been said before about the Serengeti. The wildlife and scenery cannot fail to astound even the most hardened traveler. The National Park covers an area almost 15,000 km², while the whole ecosystem, which includes the Ngorongoro and Masai Mara, is more than double the size. The mountains in the region date from two periods. The Gol Mountains to the north of the Serengeti are exposed granite blocks over 500million years old, and other freestanding mountains are volcanic in origin, formed during the fracturing process that created the Rift Valley 15-20 million years ago.
Safari Lodges in Serengeti National Park
Olduvai Gorge - 'The Cradle of Humankind' The Gorge lies between the great wildlife sanctuaries of the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti National Park. Through the excavation of Dr. Louis Leakey and his wife Mary, the Gorge has yielded abundant remains dating back almost 2 million years. The remains of the earliest human (the Zinjanthropus Boisei) were found in this area which revolutionized theories of how man evolved. The Olduvai Gorge, popularly referred to as “The Cradle of Humankind”, is the site where in 1959 Dr. Louis Leakey discovered the skull of Zinjanthropus or “Nutcracker Man” believed to have lived 1.75 million years ago. Later reclassified as Australopithecus boisei, this creature had a massive skull though small brained (500 cc) with huge teeth. Several months later Dr. Leakey found another fossil hominid in the same layer of excavation, called Homo habilis or “handy man”, smaller than the “Nutcracker Man” but with a larger brain (600 cc) and capable of making simple stone tools.
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK Tarangire National Park is one of the larger parks in the area. It covers an area of approximately 2600 square kilometers. These best months to visit the park are June to October when a spectacular view of the wild population can be seen. Particularly during this time, Tarangire is second only to the Serengeti in number and variety of wildlife. Of particular interest here is the large number of elephant, as well as migrating wildebeest, antelope and gazelles. Tarangire National Park lies 120 km south of Arusha, along The Great North Road highway, and is very popular for day trips from the town. 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, mainly comprising of various types of acacia trees, and a few scattered baobabs, tamarind and the sausage trees. 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 National Park 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 kudu and the roan antelope which are rare species in Northern Tanzania. Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Park.
Safari Lodges in Tarangire National Park
ARUSHA TOWN A little known town prior to being made the headquarters for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) in 1995, Arusha now features regularly in international news headlines. Tanzania was also involved in the Peace Accord for Burundi which President Bill Clinton came to sign in Arusha in August 2000. However Arusha has other claims; it is the mid point between Cape and Cairo, it is the gateway to the famous northern parks of Tanzania, namely, Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Tarangire; in addition it is the headquarters for the East African community (EAC) of Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. Originally built as a German garrison in 1900, Arusha remained little more than a hamlet with a few shops, no cars and only accessible by ox wagon until the end of the First World War. Thereafter the town grew slowly with the railway from Moshi being opened in 1929. The town lies at the foot of Mount Meru, known in Maasai as the "Black Mountain", while Mount Kilimanjaro is the "White Mountain". Today it is an important centre for Tanzania's tourism and agriculture. It is a busy and bustling town with several good restaurants and boasting a number of hotels of international standard. Mount Kilimanjaro is one of Africa's most impressive sights. Snowcapped and not yet extinct, it rises 5,895m (19,335ft). A National Park surrounds the mountain and harbours various vegetation types from lush rainforest to alpine meadow. The airport stands in splendid isolation on the low plains between Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, equi-distant from the towns of Moshi and Arusha. Hotels in Arusha For those climbing the mountain, Moshi is the nearest town, and Kilimanjaro Airport the nearest airport. An international airport, most visitors coming to the northern Game Parks of Tanzania arrive in Tanzania here. Many arrive on International carriers, while others come in with Air Kenya from Nairobi. Those visitors arriving or leaving on Air Kenya will have to clear customs and immigration, before continuing their journey. If you are climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, then this will be your dis-embarkation point.
THE MIGRATION Tanzania_ Safari_ Planning The Wildebeest Migration is a dramatic story. It takes place within Kenya and Tanzania and is the greatest wildlife show on earth. Between the open plains of the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, thousands of wildebeest and zebra’s migrate to greener pastures as the seasons change and the circle of life and death continues. Predators closely follow the Wildebeest Migration waiting for an opportunity to strike weak prey as they make their way into different territories. The precise timing of the Wildebeest Migration changes annually and it is a very unpredictable and spontaneous natural event – The calving season takes place in the Serengeti between the months of January and mid-March before the Wildebeest Migration begins heading towards the Western Serengeti in June. The best time to see the migration is usually between June and August when the wildebeest congregate and prepare to cross the famous Grumeti River. There are a few excellent camps in this area where you can stay to witness this natural phenomenon. If you are in the Masai Mara you can expect the wildebeest to make their arrival as early as July, but they generally arrive between August & September and remain in the Mara between October & November. Between December and January the wildebeest gradually begin their migration back towards the Serengeti. Ndutu Ndutu area is located directly in the path of the Wildebeests migration. From January to April, the southeastern plains of the Serengeti ecosystem and the open woodlands around Lakes Ndutu and Lagaja become the centre of activity of the migratory animals which can be seen congregating in their thousands.