TANZANIA

Tarangire NP

Tarangire National Park in northern Tanzania is named after the Tarangire river which is the lifeblood of the park. The area, which is about 2600 km², is very dry and therefore the animals are dependent on this river. This means that numerous animals are present in the park during the dry season, and in rainy season, from approximately November to May game viewing is still very good by some animals stay.

In the dry season, the park is famous for its elephants who come to the river to drink, wash and play. You feel like being part of a wildlife documentary when witnessing this. Large herds of buffaloes also come to the water. The big baobab trees inside the park are very impressive to see.

In addition to many species of gazelles that live in this park, you often see the eland antelope. The eland is the largest antelope in Africa and is very shy and in other parks it isn’t often spotted. You can also see lions, leopards and cheetahs here.

Lake Manyara NP

In this park is a large soda lake, Lake Manyara. Here you can see large groups of flamingos depending on the season. Besides these elegant birds you will of course see many other species, such as herons, ibises, crowned eagle and beautiful big horn-bills. You will also see many hippos, waterbucks, gazelles, giraffes and wildebeest on the banks of this lake. But the park is most famous for its tree climbing lions.

Upon entering the park you drive through a rainforest which is completely different from other parks. There are always many birds and monkeys here, such as the olive baboon, vervet monkey and blue monkey.

Lake Natron

Lake Natron is at the border of Tanzania and Kenya. It is a large soda lake that is visited a few months a year by millions of flamingos. This is the breeding ground of the largest group of the lesser flamingos in the world. Flamingos lay their eggs in the area where they were born, so every year this is a big spectacle. But even if there are hardly any flamingos, nature is overwhelming here. You also will have a stunning view of the holy mountain of the Maasai, Ol Donyo Lengai. It is believed that their god Lengai lives on this mountain and the Maasai often hold sacred rituals.

Geologically, this mountain is also very special. It is an active volcano and the only one in the world that emits a high content of potassium carbonate. The whole environment around the lake is beautiful in terms of nature. The Maasai live here and you will also pass many small manyatas, small settlements. It can be very dry and hot and dusty but it has a certain beauty that you will not have experienced elsewhere, and there is an area of archeological interest with ancient early human footprints made in volcanic ash.

​Serengeti NP

Serengeti National Park is means ‘endless plain’ in the language of the Maasai and is a national park of approximately 14000 km². The park is famous for its many species of animals that you see here. You can also see the migration from about October to May. It consists of approximately 1,500 million wildebeests, 500,000 zebras and hundreds of thousands of antelopes who look for food. The animals migrate from one place to another, so it is never possible to say with certainty where it is going. But we do have a rough idea of ​​this so if you want more information about this, please let us know.

In addition to the great savannah plains, the ‘Kopjes’ (large rocks that protrude from the landscape) are a beautiful natural phenomenon. Here felines are often spotted, like lions, leopards and cheetahs. You will also hear or see hyenas in this park and most probably jackals.

Of course there are elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, topis, hartebeests, baboons, vervet monkeys, hyraxes, mongoose and many species of antelopes. Too much to mention.

Even though you are not a bird watcher, you will enjoy the many birds you see here. There are about 500 species in the park. Often different types of vultures are spotted here on top of the acacia trees or on the savannas. The secretary bird walking very elegantly through the grasses looking for snakes is very photogenic. Just like the large groups of ostriches. You can see crocodiles and hippos at the rivers and water holes. A visit to this impressive park is always a must for your Tanzania safari tours.

​Ngorongoro CA and Crater

Everyone is always talking about the Ngorongoro crater, but this area is much larger than this crater alone. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is approximately 8200 km² big and is not on the World Heritage list for nothing. It has so many different aspects to offer.

This area is also called the ‘cradle of our existence’. The paleoanthropologist and archeologists Leakeys found the remains of various ‘ancestors’, such as the Homo habilis and the Paranthropus bosie at the Oldupai Gorge. You will also see in this area small manyatas, settlements of the Maasai who lives here. The Maasai boys walk with their large herds of cattle over the large grassy plains, sometimes between the zebras and antelopes. A beautiful colorful combination of people and surroundings and a must for your Tanzania safari trips.

Nature is also beautiful. This area has 7 volcanoes and some you will see on the way. The most famous is the Ngorongoro crater which is seen as ‘1 of the 8 wonders of the world’. It is the largest whole caldera in the world. In addition, it is very special that millions of animals are in this crater. Everywhere you see wildebeests, zebras, buffalos and gazelles. At the large soda lake Lake Magadi you will find the lesser flamingos and you will see large groups of hippos at the freshwater lake. And in the wetlands you can see large male elephants.

On the large grassy plains you can see many hyenas running while the lions just keep quiet here. You can also see the black rhino here.

The birdlife is amazing. Look up in the sky to spot many birds of prey, also the large ground dwelling kori bustard and many heron species. And wherever you are, you will see the impressive crater edge in the background. The combination of all these factors makes this place so special.

​Mikumi NP

Mikumi National Park is the fourth largest park in Tanzania, about 5 hours drive from Dar es Saalam. This park is located in southern Tanzania and is therefore much less visited than the parks in the north of the country. Mikumi NP is approximately 3200 km² and is separated by a highway. Most of the game drives will be hold in the northern part. You see here the famous baobab trees, the typical African tree that stands for wisdom. Because the park is very dry in the dry season, animals gather at the water holes and rivers.

In the park you can see many elephants walking across the savannah in search of water. There are also large groups of impalas here. In addition, not the olive baboon, but the yellow baboon that is slightly smaller than the most common species you find here. Sometimes in the dry period you even have the chance of wild dogs but this is unique. Furthermore there are giraffes, lions and leopards. The hippo pool is a wonderful place to enjoy a sundowner while at the same time watching the hippos.

​Ruaha NP

The Great Ruaha River, which the park is named after, is the great lifeblood of this park. This is because this river has water all year round. Ruaha National park in Southern Tanzania is green only during the rainy season (from January to April), it is very dry the rest of the year. The animals then migrate to this river to drink water and this environment is therefore always popular to make game drives along the riverside in mornings and evenings. Hippos and crocodiles are always present at the river.

Just like outside the park you can see baobab trees in the park. Many spotted animals here are lions, elephants, giraffes, spotted hyenas, leopards, buffaloes and cheetahs. With more than 570 species of birds this is truly a bird paradise.

You can also see the African wild dog, lesser kudu, roan antelope   and the sable antelope here. Animals that you do not often see in other parks. Because of the different landscapes that the park has, you can drive around for days without getting bored. The park is in fact the largest park in East Africa with 20,200 km². Few tourists visit the park because of its location, so there is a feeling of being in a remote and undiscovered part of Africa.

​Selous NR

Selous National Park is Africa’s largest and oldest game reserve and has so much to offer. In this park the chance to see the wild dogs is big. Different families live here and sometimes you can see them very closely when they are resting. Also the lakes are beautiful, a real bird paradise. Of course many predators are living here. And you have the chance to see the Big Five here on 1 day.

​But game driving is not the only way of exploring this beautiful park. The boat rides are famous for the number of birds you will see, together with a lot of hippos. And you can do a walking safari together with a ranger who will show you also some interesting small details, likes tracks and droppings.

We created many different Tanzania safari holidays so please contact us.