The Serengeti Park in Tanzania covers an area of 14 763 sq km, but the greater Serengeti – roughly 30 000 sq km in extend, incorporates several other reserves, notably the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and Kenya’s Masai Mara National Park. The park is a picturesque grassland of awesome beauty and size. Derived from the Masai phrase “Siringet” meaning “endless plain”, the Serengeti Plains ecosystem is defined by an ancient migration route, followed annually by around two million animals.

The national park can be divided into 3 major wildlife animals vegetation areas: In the south-eastern area are the open grasslands, to the north the open woodlands and in the west a mosaic of grass- and woodlands. The lion is one of this African park’s main attractions, as there are about 2500 of these animals in the Serengeti Plains ecosystem. This is the biggest concentration in the world of Africa’s largest predators.

The Ngorongoro Craterbeautiful-ngorongoro-crater – the name has an almost mystical ring to it, conjuring images of a giant wildlife-filled volcanic caldera, where the big five and many other animals roam. But there’s even more – the Ngorongoro Conservation Area also encompasses mountains, lakes, forests and wide-open African plains! With the world-famous crater at its hart, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers an area of 8300 sq km. This African wildlife area was previously part of the Serengeti National Park, but due to the grazing needs of the animals of the local Masai, the area was reclassified as an African wildlife conservation area in Tanzania.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area as a whole has much to offer but the jewel in its crown is, without a doubt, the eponymous crater – an area of 265 sq km, which is 610 meters deep and 19 km across. The rim of the crater is an astounding 2286 meters above sea level. The floor contains a small soda lake, called Lake Magadi and it is estimated that 30 000 animals are living in the crater, making it the most intensive safari game viewing area on earth! It was therefore very fittingly declared a World Heritage Site in 1978. A visit to Tanzania is simply incomplete without a safari visit to the park.

Lake Manyara National Park is one of Tanzania’s most dramatically located African wildlife animals areas, consisting of a shallow soda lake (covering two-thirds of the park) at the foot of the Great Rift Valley’s western escarpment. Lake Manyara National Park’s varied shoreline contains a wide variety of habitats, which include lush groundwater forests, a swampy fan delta, acacia woodlands and a small grassy plain. This varied habitat attracts a wide variety of wildlife animals, including one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants, and the algae growing in the lake, attract large flocks of flamingos. This African National Wildlife Park therefore supports a great variety of animals. Lake Manyara’s main safari attraction is its rich bird life, its tree-climbing lions and its hippos and other animals, which can be observed here, at very close range. In his book “The Green Hills of Africa” Hemingway describes his African animals trophy hunting expeditions into the African Lake Manyara National Park area, which used to be prime wildlife animals hunting country many years ago. The national park is very picturesque but the dense groundwater forest areas can make spotting animals more difficult – but undoubtedly an exciting safari adventure. It is therefore a good idea to visit the game park at the start of your safari, before you become to jaded with wildlife. A day trip is sufficient to see most of the parks sights and animals.

The Tarangire National Park is a diverse and picturesque African wildlife sanctuary and is located just southeast of Lake elephants-tarangire-national-parkManyara on the Tarangire River, from which it derived its name. During the annual dry season (from August to October), the 2600 sq km Tarangire National Park attracts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife animals in Tanzania. During this time, the River provides the only permanent water in the area and forms a “dry season retreat” for the animals of the southern Masailand in Tanzania. There are normally fewer safari tourists visiting the Tarangire National Park compared to the Ngorongoro National Park, which makes this African national park even more attractive. Safari activities are normally centered on game drives featuring excellent landscapes views of beautiful riverine forests, acacia woodlands, ancient African baobab trees and endless rolling hills. This alone makes the Tarangire National Park really worthwhile visiting. The park is reputed to contain some of the largest elephant herds in Tanzania or even in Africa. This African national park is also home to three rare species of animals – the Greater Kudu, the Fringed-eared Oryx, as well as a few Ashy Starlings.

The Arusha National Park, a small (137 sq km) but beautiful African park, is the closest Tanzanian National Wildlife Park to both the famous “safari town” of Arusha (29 km), as well as the Kilimanjaro International Airport, thus making it ideal for day safaris, even from Moshi (65 km). Not only is the wildlife in the Arusha National Park abundant, but it is also one of the most beautiful and topographically varied game reserves in Tanzania. The African Arusha National Park’s three most significant features include the rugged Mount. Meru (Tanzania’s second highest peak at 4566m), the notably different coloured Momela Lakes, and the 3km wide Ngurdoto Crater, which was formed about fifteen million years ago! The varied and beguiling animals and flora found in this game reserve are mainly determined by the different altitude and geography of these 3 “zones”.