Tanzania’s national parks provide visitors with numerous natural wonders and is a wildlife paradise. The main attractions of a Tanzania safari are national parks, game reserves, uncountable delightful wildlife, and 1,100 bird species with diverse landscape. Tanzania has 16 national parks and 15 other conservation areas and game reserves. Altogether, approximately 25% of Tanzania is protected. Here are a few of NATIVE SON EXPEDITIONS available selections.
Serengeti is the oldest and most popular Tanzania National Park. Thousands of people visit this world heritage site, which recently has been proclaimed the 7th Wonder of the World—covering an area of 14.763km2. The Serengeti National Park is famous for The Great Migration and offers the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa all year round. You will also find the Big 5 here, occasionally spotting varieties of critically endangered animals as well.
Best Time To Visit: Late June to September
The Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtakingly beautiful setting and the best place in East Africa to see the Big Five. It is a great way to start your African safari adventure. However, as one of the world’s most astonishing and renowned natural wonders, the Ngorongoro Crater does get busy, and at times very busy. Due to the crowds, we recommend a two-night stay; then moving on to the Serengeti for a quieter, more private safari experience.
Best Time To Visit: Late June to September
The Lake Manyara National Park stretches for 50km along the base of the 600m high Rift Valley escarpment and was described by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa.” With a huge expanse of lush groundwater, and a forest of ancient mahogany trees, the park presents a contrast of grassy floodplains, views across the alkaline lake and the volcanic peaks of the Masai Steppes.
Best Time To Visit: July to October
The Mkomazi National Park is a bridge between the northern safari circuit and other coastal attractions and starts at a height of 3245km2. The park hosts some unique and two of the highly endangered species – the black rhino and African wild dog.
Ranking as the 6th largest National Park in Tanzania and covering an area of 2,600 square kilometers, The Tarangire National Park is most popular for its large elephant herds and mini-wildlife migration that takes place during the dry season which sees about 250,000 animals enter the park.
The Tarangire River during the dry season shrinks and draws multitudes of thirsty wildlife embarking the greatest concentration of mammals outside Serengeti National Park. You will also encounter flocks of the colourful yellow-collared love bird, ashy starling and Rufous-tailed weaver that are endemic to the dry savannah of central Tanzania.
The Saadani National Park lies in the historic triangle of Bagamoyo, Pangam and Zanzibar covering an area of 1100km2. Offering a unique combination of both marine and mainland flora and fauna the park accesses the open ocean with coral reefs changing inland waters to mangrove forest ecosystems.
The Mikumi National Park lies at the border of Africa’s biggest game reserve-the Selous dissecting the tarred road between Dar es Salaam and Iringa. The floodplain of the national park is the central part and hosts numerous wildlife reserves. Hippos at the pools near the entrance of the park are the main attractions. While Mikumi is the fourth largest park in Tanzania, it stands at a height of 3230km2 and is part of a much larger ecosystem.
Arusha National Park is a gem of varied ecosystems and spectacular views of Mt. Meru, the crater that gives the region its name. It is a popular destination for day trip visitors who are about to embark from the town of Arusha on longer northern circuit safaris. The small national park includes the slopes, summit, and ash cone of Mt. Meru, the Momela Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and the lush highland forests that blanket its lower slopes. Game viewing around the Momela Lakes is at a laid-back and quiet pace, and while passing through the forest many visitors stop to search for troupes of rare colubus monkeys playing in the canopy
The Udzungwa Mountains National Park forests consist of verdant glades of 30 metre high trees. Rising to a high altitude of 1992km2, Udzungwa is the largest and most bio-diverse chains of the ecosystem in Africa. Collectively referred as the Eastern Arc Mountains, the area has closed -canopy spans rising to a height of 250m to 2000m.
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