Category: Destinations

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Located 125 km west of Arusha town, nestling by the wall of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara National Park is one of the oldest and most popular sanctuaries in East Africa. The park has a large variety of habitats, making it possible to support a wealth of wildlife in its small area. The main habitats include the shallow soda lake itself which occupies 77% of the National Park total area of 330 sq. km, the groundwater forest, open grassland, acacia woodland and the rift wall.

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 the park include buffalo, elephants, leopards, baboons, impala, giraffes, zebra, wildebeest, ostrich and hippos. Popularly referred to as an ornithologist’s paradise, Lake Manyara National Park contains over 400 bird species found in most savanna and river habitats in East Africa. Common water birds to be seen here are pelicans, spoonbills, Egyptian geese, hammerkops and the migratory flamingos, which arrive in hundreds of thousands creating one of Africa’s great natural sights over the soda lake.

Info

Size: 330 square kilometres.

Location: Northern Tanzania. Roughly ninety minutes drive from Arusha. Best     Time: July   to         October       for  game      or   November  to              June        for bird-watching.

To Do: Game drives, canoeing, cultural tours, mountain biking, abseiling, and forest walks.

Known For: Elephants and flamingos[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Perched at around 2600 meters above sea level between the rugged peaks of the Kipengere, Poroto and Livingstone mountains, the well-watered volcanic soils of Kitulo support the largest and most important montane grassland community in Tanzania. Referred by locals as The Garden of God, Kitulo National Park is “one of the great floral spectacles of the world”, a rare botanical marvel and home to 350 species of vascular plants, including 45 varieties of terrestrial orchid, which erupt into a riotous wildflower display of breathtaking scale and diversity during the main rainy season of late November to April.

One of the most important watersheds for the Great Ruaha River, Kitulo is also the first national park in tropical Africa to be gazetted largely for its floral significance-not only a multitude of orchids, but also the stunning yellow-orange red-hot poker and a variety of aloes, proteas, geraniums, giant lobelias, lilies and aster daisies, of which more than 30 species are endemic to southern Tanzania. But Kitulo is also attractive for bird watching, home to rare bird species. Big game is sparsely represented, though a few hardy mountain reedbuck and eland still roam the open grassland. Located about 100 kilometres from Mbeya town in Southern Tanzania, Kitulo National Park (413 sq km) is a botanist and hiker’s paradise. Wild flowers display peaks during the rainy season between December and April, excellent time for botanists, while the sunnier months of September to November are more comfortable for hiking but less rewarding to botanists. Conditions are cold and foggy from June to August. Accommodation is available in Mbeya town.

Info

Size: 413 square kilometres. Location: Southern Tanzania. Best Time: December to April.

To Do: Hiking, bird-watching, wild flowers, and swimming.

Known For: Stunning wild flowers[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Amboseli is a place of wide dry plains with the horizons stretching to farthest to become with the sky and is dotted with green swamps and semi-arid acacia trees and grasses where great herds of elephants can be seen.

In fact Amboseli is renowned for its elephant population which include their tusked bulls. The stunning background of Mount kilimanjaro has made it become a darling for photographers and filmmakers.

Amboseli plains. A timeless African image.

An early morning light reveals the mountain turned into dark hue of purple and its snow into an ethereal pink and the sight of the mountain high above herds of elephants crossing the Amboseli plains, is a timeless African image.

wildlife such as spotted and striped hyena, Maasai Giraffe, leopard, cheetah, Hyrax, did-dik, crocodile, Lesser Kudu and nocturnal porcupine. Large swamps hosting the many elephants, buffaloes, hippos and water fowls.

A paradise for bird watching safaris. Over 600 bird species have been recorded too in the park, with 40 species being prey birds, it is a paradise for bird lovers and watchers. The Observation Hill towers accessible in the day, the hill top offers countless photographic views and amazing sunset to behold.

Lake Amboseli is a non-permanent lake which floods only in heavy rainfall and fed with underground streams from Mt Kilimanjaro. Along the streams are large papyrus swamps that form the only permanent source of water for the animals in the park. The swamps therefore have large concentration of animals and centre of activities for large mammals such as the elephants, rhinos and buffalo. The swamps are surrounded by the very tall Acacia trees.

Amboseli is home to Maasai communities.

Being an open country, it’s a good walking territory and many camps and lodges organize game walks or trips to visit and spend time in the local Maasai Villages.

Amboseli national park is towered by Mt Kilimanjaro which stands 5896 m high and is one of earliest Kenya’s game sanctuaries. It is possible to climb Mt Kilimanjaro or access Tsavo National Parks if staying in the Amboseli.

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 popular for day trips. The Ngurdoto Crater, Momella Lakes, the highland montane forest, and the rugged Mount Meru (4575 m above sea level) are the four distinctive features of the park. Mt.

Kilimanjaro, towering at 5895 m to the east, can be visible on clear days from many locations in the park. One of the unique attractions of the park is the opportunity to combine game drives and a nature walk in the many places where visitors can leave their safari vehicles 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 4575 m can be scaled in three to four days, with overnight accommodation in alpine huts on your way up and down.

Info

Size: 137 square kilometres.

Location: North-east of Arusha.

Best Time: Year round. For climbing Mt. Meru, the best time is June-February. For views of Kilimanjaro, the best time is December-February.

To Do: Game drive, canoeing, walking safari, Mt. Meru climb, and picnic sites.

Known For: Perfect for a day trip from Arusha, and a great place to mix a traditional game drive with a walking or canoeing component.

Gombe Stream National Park is situated in the western border of Tanzania, and is easily accessible by boat from Kigoma town which is 16 km to the south. With an area of only 52 sq km, Gombe Stream is one of the smallest National Parks in Tanzania, comprising a narrow strip of mountainous country bounded in the east by the crest of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, and in the west by Lake Tanganyika, the world’s longest and second deepest at 1400 meters deep.

Gombe Stream, like its sister game park of Mahale Mountains to the south, is a park without roads, where you can experience nature on foot accompanied by the park guide. The park’s vegetation varies from the evergreen forests of tall trees to open woodlands and grasslands. The park’s most special feature is its chimpanzees, made famous by Jane Goodall’s study. Chimpanzees are classed as one of the world’s endangered species, and are the primary visitors attraction in Gombe.

Other common mammals found are forest species, mostly primates including baboons, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys and red colobus monkeys. There are more than 200 species of birds in Gombe Stream National Park.

Info

Size: 52 square kilometres.

Location: 16km north of Kigoma on the shores of Lake Tanganyika.

Best Time: July-October or December.

To Do: Chimpanzee trekking, hiking, swimming, Dr. Livingstone’s camp site, and dhow building.

Known For: Chimpanzees