Located on the way to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park is worth a stop over. Lake Manyara is famous for their tree-climbing Lions and home to the largest concentration of Baboons anywhere in the world- a fact that accounts for compelling game viewing of large families, of the primates.
Lake Manyara is also home to an incredible array of birdlife including flocks of pelicans, pink flamingos, herons, egrets, stilts, stalks, spoonbills, silvery-cheeked hornbills, crowned eagles and crested guinea fowl.
Tarangire National Park is the sixth-largest national park in Tanzania with 2,600 sq. The name of the park originates from the Tarangire river that crosses through the park, being the only source of water for wild animals during dry seasons. The park is famous for its massive number of elephants, baobab trees, leopard and lions. Along the banks of Tarangire river, you will find herds of wildebeest and zebra, followed by grant’s gazelle, Thomson’s gazelle and many others.
A UNESCO protected World Heritage Site covering an area of 8292 sq km consists of the Ngorongoro Crater itself, Empakai Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and Ndutu including the short grass plains of the south eastern Serengeti ecosystem.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a pioneering experiment where people (the Maasai), their livestock and wildlife co-exist and share the same protected habitat. The stunning spectacle of the Ngorongoro Crater, its steep walls falling some 610 meters to the floor, is undoubtedly one of the highlights of a safari tour in Tanzania.
The crater floor is home to thousands of everyday animals, including the rare black rhino, zebra, wildebeest, gazelles, hippos, eland, elephants, and a large predator population of lions, hyena, and jackal.
A World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly one of the best-known wildlife sanctuaries in the world, famed for its annual wildebeest migration. Aptly referred to as “endless plains” by the Maasai, Serengeti provides a haven to the highest concentration of plains animals in the world.
Within its area of 14,763 sq km are more than 4 million large mammals living in total wilderness freedom. About 35 species of plains animals are to see including elephants, buffaloes, topi, wildebeest, gazelles, zebras, lions, leopards, cheetahs and over 400 species of birds found in the Serengeti National Park. The main game drive areas in the Serengeti are the Seronera Valley, the Western Corridor, Lobo or northern Serengeti, and the south eastern Serengeti plains extending to Ndutu in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
Serengeti is the site of one of the most breathtaking events in the animal kingdom – the migration of thousands of wildebeest heading southwest, north or west in search of water and greener pastures in and around the National Park.
At 5896m Mt Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain and one of the continent’s magnificent sights, the Kilimanjaro has three main volcanic peaks, Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It’s the highest mountain in Africa and the highest walkable summit in the world.
Kilimanjaro is dormant but not extinct volcano and its peaks Kibo and Mawenzi have permanent caps of snow and ice. The highest point on Kibo, and indeed the whole of Kilimanjaro, is Uhuru Peak, with its spectacular hanging glaciers and breathtaking views of the African plains some 20,000 feet below. Also on Kibo is the slightly lower peak of Gillman’s Point. These are the goals for most trekkers. The height of Mawenzi is for mountaineers only.
With the help of porters and a guide, it’s possible to walk to the summit without specialised mountaineering equipment or experience. There are several different routes including Marangu, the easiest to climb and therefore most popular. Machame, Shira, Umbwe and Rongai. The total climb takes typically five to six days and involves four or five overnight stays in comfortable mountain huts.
