In this stable & peaceful African nation, the custodians of Tanzania’s National Parks (TANAPA) ensure that the wilderness & the wildlife, flora & fauna it supports, is protected & preserved for the future generations & that the local communities benefit from the on-going harmonious development of sustainable eco-tourism. Discover a world that maybe you thought had ceased to exist – one where dreams really do come true, in secluded places amongst the most pristine crown jewels on our planet, yet which remain uncrowded & unspoilt.

Arusha National Park offers a rich tapestry of habitats, teeming with animals & birdlife. It has three distinctly different zones contributing to the variety & beauty : lush swamplands of Ngurdoto Crater; the tranquil beauty of the Momela Lakes, each a different hue; the chilly alpine heights of Mt Meru which rises to 4566m ( 14990 feet ) above sea level. Zebra graze on red grasslands, wide-eyed dik dik skittishly dart into the scrubby underbrush like overgrown rabbits on spindly legs & leopards disguise themselves in the shadowy forests where trees are draped in lichens & mosses. Here too there are in excess of 400 species of birds. Of the primates, fluffy-tailed colobus monkeys run riot in the damp forest mists, screeching wildly at anything which startles them while almost silently, giraffes glide & melt into the grassy hills.

In the far distance, Mt Kilimanjaro oversees the scene while here, Mt Meru dominates it offering fabulous vistas of her more famous neighbour. The rewarding climb up Meru pegs one through forests aflame with ‘red hot pokers’ that flower continuously, dripping Spanish moss, carpeted with clover rising to open heath & spiked with giant lobelias. Astride the craggy summit, there is the inspiring sight of ‘Kili’ often with her cap of fickle cloud, blushing before you, beckoning as if to say ‘I’m next on the list to scale ‘.

Size 137 sq km
Location Northern Tanzania & NE of Arusha township
Access 40 minute drive from Arusha – 60km from Mt Kilimanjaro airport
Activities Bush walks, picnic sites , 3 –4 day Mt Meru guided climb (best time June – Feb)
Accommodation A lodge, 2 rest houses, numerous camp sites, 2 mountain huts, hotels & hostels in Arusha township

The smallest of all Tanzania’s National Parks, Gombe is a fragile domain of chimpanzee habitat, a remanent thin strip of ancient forest & steep valleys clinging to the shores of Lake Tanganyika. The chimpanzees drink from the many streams while closely scrutinized as a part of the longest ongoing chimpanzee study which commenced in 1960, pioneered by the British naturalist researcher, Jane Goodall.

Gombe is a place of personalities. Chimpanzees have proven to be a s uniquely individual as are humans & no scientific background or qualification is required to distinguish the many different characters in the cast. A repertoire of pants, hoots, grunts, screams & sighs defines the leaders, powerbrokers, pacifists & supporting cast. It is more than likely you will observe a flicker of understanding when you look into a chimpanzees eyes as they do share 95% of human genes, so it is a look that signals recognition of our closest animal relative.

The majority of Gombe Stream’s animals are primates – most all of the forest dwelling species. In addition to the chimpanzees, are red tailed & blue tailed monkeys. With a lack of predators, Gombe Stream is a haven for nature walking safaris.

Size 59 sq km
Location 16 km north of Kigoma on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika
Access Driving; scheduled or charter flights from Arusha & Dar es Salaam; Slow train from Mwanza or Dar es Salaam; lake ferry from Burundi or Zambia to Kigoma then a 2-3 hour charter boat to Gombe.
Activities Nature walking safaris; individual hiking; visit the site where Stanley finally met Dr David Livingstone & uttered ‘Dr Livingstone I presume’
Best time Best picture opportunities ( July – Oct & late Dec ) wet season when Chimpanzees do not range far ( Feb – June & Nov – mid-December)
Accommodation One hostel, 1 guest house & 2 self catering camping sites
Note Strict rules govern seeing the Chimpanzees so allow 2 days to view them

This National Park is remote, rugged & wild. It sits on a flood plain in south-western Tanzania. There’s little chance you’ll find yourself sharing Tanzania’s third largest National Park with anything other than wildlife as this is truly an untouched landscape. The main features are the watery grass plains in the northern parts & the palm fringed Lake Chala & Katuma river in the south-east. Kavati rightfully boasts the highest concentrations of hippo & crocodile in the country. Hippo spend their nights on land grazing, devouring up to 60kg of fodder before returning to the sanctity of their watery range during the daytime.

Kavati immortalises the legendry hunter, Katabi, whose spirit is said to possess a tamarind tree ringed with offerings from locals begging to attract his blessing. Here the Kavati lions & leopard which are plentiful have no shortage of prey; impala, beefy well fed eland, black-legged topi, zebra in abundance & herds of up to 1600 cape buffalo wander the short grass plains. A kaleidoscope of bird species ( over 420 species are resident or migratory through Kavati ) make this an ornithologists mecca, highlighted by flotillas of brilliant white pelicans who cruise the lake, while elephants graze oblivious to most all other goings on, up to the bellies in the marshy waters, seeking the choicest of new grasses.

Size 4471 sq km (approx 278 sq miles)
Location Southwest Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika
Access Charter flights into the local airstrip. A tough but spectacular days drive from Mbeya ( 550km ) & possible from Kigoma ( 390km ) in the dry season only
Activities Safari game drives, bird watching
Best time Dry season ( May – October & mid- December – February
Accommodation One seasonal luxury tented camp, one resthouse & campsites within the Park.
Hotel & Lodge at Mpanda some 40 km distant.

Kilimanjaro – the very name conjures up minds-eye visions of this mighty snow capped peak, astride the equator & so often shrouded in mystic cloud formations. It might as easily be defined as ‘Mountain of many Lights’ or ‘Mountain of Greatness’ or ‘Mountain of human Caravans’. The local peoples – the Wachagga – don’t even have a name for the whole massif, only Kipoo
( nowadays known a Kibo) for this curator of the plains, summit of all Africa.

Kilimanjaro by any name is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. It is not until you gaze upon this huge extinct volcanic cone that you will truly understand why that is – but, it just is that way ! Rising from the flat grass savannahs in absolute isolation, Kilimanjaro rises 5895m (19336 feet) into the clear blue heavens, making it Africa’s highest & most accessible mountain peak - a beacon for aspiring climbers & trekking enthusiasts who come annually to conquer its summit, from around the most far flung reaches of the planet. Most making it with little more than the proper clothing, a stout walking stick & a backpack full of grim determination. For those who reach Uhuru Point, the highest crest on the actual summit, or Gillman’s Point on the lip of the crater, they have earned their achievement certificate & lifetime memories.

But there is so much more to ‘Kili’ than just the summit. A journey up these revered slopes it to experience a climatic world tour from the tropic to the Arctic. Commencing on grass clad lower slopes, these turn into lush rainforest inhabited by elusive elephant, leopard, buffalo & antelope. Higher still, as the air starts to thin you’ll happen into heath & moorlands, then pushing onward, vast expanses of what is alpine desert, scree slope & finally ice, snow & the magnificence of the top of the Continent.

Size 755 sq km ( approx 470 sq miles)
Location Northern Tanzania
Access 128 km from Arusha & one hour from Kilimanjaro airport
Activities Guided & freelance trekking. There are 6 different routes to the summit, each taking between 5 & 7 days to accomplish up & back.
Mountaineering for experts; overnight trails on Shira Plateau; Trout fishing & nature trails on lower slopes.
Best time Clearest & warmest conditions ( December – February) dry & colder ( July –September)
Accommodation Huts & campsites on the mountain. Hotels & campsites outside Park boundaries.

Important Note See section on ‘Climbing Mt Kilimanjaro’ & ‘Kilimanjaro
Equipment Check List’ for important & what could be lifesaving
information

A chain of dramatic peaks draped in lush forest above a lake far below, with thin curls of white sand lacing the crescent shaped coves & azure water-kissed beaches. Mahale like Gombe Springs is home to some of the last remaining wild chimpanzees in Africa. Approximately 1000 of these fascinating primates wander in family troops in the isolated rainforests & surrounding hills & valleys.

A chimpanzee encounter is a fascinating & highly educational experience. Your expert guide will find last nights ‘nests’- shadowy clumps high in the upper reaches of the canopy of trees crowding the sky. Scraps of nibbled or half eaten fruits & seed pods, fresh dung & a pungent smell will lead you into the deeper regions of the forest. Butterflies flirt in dappled, filtered sunlight, till suddenly unannounced you are in the middle of a chimpanzee day. They preen each & others glossy coats in concentrated group huddles, they shriek & squabble noisily as if the loudest will win the argument or they bound seemingly effortlessly into the trees swinging nonchalantly using vines for propulsion mechanisms.

The area is also known as Nkungwe – named after the Parks guardian mountains, rising to 2460m ( 8069 feet ) & running along Mahale promontory, alongside Lake Tanganyika. Here too visitors can also trace the Tongwe people’s ancient pilgrimage to the mountain spirits, hiking through enclaves of rainforest to grassy ridges chequered with alpine bamboo. A plunge in the clear waters of the lake which supports at least 250 species of exotic fish, before returning as you came, by boat.

Size 1613 sq km ( approximately 1000 sq miles )
Location Western Tanzania, bordering Lake Tanganyika
Access Charter flight from Arusha or Kigoma, charter boat from Kigoma or weekly steamer vessel from Kigoma which takes 7 hours which then requires a pick up by Park HQ boat 1-2 additional hours.
Activities Guided chimpanzee tracking ( allow minimum 2 days ); camping
Best time Dry season (May—October) best for forest walking although also ok during light rainy season of October – November.
Accommodation One seasonal luxury tented camp, 2 small resthouses, campsites

Note Same Park rules apply to Chimpanzee viewing as in Gombe

Cradled in the glory of its magnificent surroundings below the sheer majesty of the Rift Valley wall, Lake Manyara National Park lies serene under a spreading heat haze, backed by a thin green line of forest & sheer 600m high red & brown buttress cliffs of the escarpment.

A wedge of surprisingly varied vegetation sustains a wealth of wildlife, nourished by chattering streams, waterfalls & brooks which bubble out of the escarpment base year round. Acacia woodland shelters the Park’s famous but often all too elusive tree climbing lions along with squadrons of mongoose & the most dense concentrations of pachyderms & cape buffalo per sq km in Tanzania. Deep in the south of the Park, hot-springs bubble to the surface. Hippo wallow in the shallows of the lake & well in excess of 400 species of both resident & migratory birds make this a birdwatchers paradise unrivalled. Thousands of red-billed quelea flit over the lakes surface seeking out insects; cormorants, flotillas of pelicans, & pink streaks of the flamingo flocks taking flight on their perpetual migration make for awesome photo opportunities.

Enter Manyara from the village of Mto wa Mbu, an eclectic market town where several tribes converge to form a linguistic mix that is the richest in Africa.

Size 330 sq km ( approximately 205 sq miles) 200 sq km is lake
Location 126 km west of the township of Arusha in Northern Tanzania
Access By road; charter or scheduled flight from Arusha en route to Serengeti or Ngorongoro Crater
Activities Canoeing, cultural tours, safari game drives, bird watching, Biking & abseiling outside of the Park on the Escarpment
Best time Dry season (July – October) for large mammals ; wet season (November – June) for bird watching & canoeing
Accommodation One luxury tented safari camp; public bandas & campsite inside the Park, 1 luxury tented safari camp & 2 Lodges perched on the Rift Valley Wall; guesthouses & campsites in nearby town

Swirls of opaque mist hide from the advancing African dawn. The first shafts of sunlight peek above the horizon & colour the fluffy grass seed heads, rippling across the plains as the golden orb launches itself into another day in a russet halo of light. Confident that their camouflage of stripes will keep them safe from becoming a meal in what is the ‘predator hour’, zebras raise their squat heads for a brief instant as if ballerinas on a glowing stage.

Forming the northern border of Tanzania’s largest Game Reserve – Selous - Mikumi is one of the most popular of Tanzania’s National Parks because of its relative ease of access, part of 75000 sq km of wilderness that stretches almost to the shores of the azure Indian Ocean. The main geological feature of Mikumi is the flood plain, along with mountain ranges that skirt it on two sides. Open savannah grassland dominate the flood plain merging with’ miombo’ woodlands covering the lower foothills. Here, large family prides of lion survey their kingdom, sometimes to be observed high in the branches of trees to keep their feet from becoming encrusted in the thick black ooze when the flood plain turns to mud in the wet season. Many other of the animal species such as giraffe, hartebeest & wildebeest head into the miombo woodlands when the rains come, where they can find observation points above the tree line keeping a watchful eye for their ever present pursuing hunters, out on the plains. Mikumi’s elephant population are more compact than elsewhere in Tanzania, but still an awful lot larger than the average Landrover , so beware, they have right of way by virtue of size.

The rains serve to draw an ever increasing number of bird species to the Park – more than 300 species are regularly sighted – as Eurasian migrants seek refuge, joining the resident stars such as the lilac crested roller & the brilliant red & black carmine bee-eater.

The Park’s network of roads provides visitors with a varied & easy access for game drives. Swimming isn’t something recommended, in fact it is warned against as hippo & crocodile inhabit the many pools.

Size 3230 sq km ( approximately 2000 sq miles)
Location 283 km ( 175 miles ) west of Dar es Salaam, north of the Selous Game Reserve & en-route to Ruaha & Udzungwa Mountain National Park
Access By road from Dar es Salaam, Udzungwa, Ruaha, or (dry season only) Selous; charter flight from Arusha, Selous or Dar es Salaam
Activities Combine game drives with a visit to nearby Udzungwa, Selous Game Reserve or continue onto Ruaha
Best time Accessible year round
Accommodation One luxury tented safari camp with plans for second; 2 Lodges &
3 campsites. Giest houses in Mikumi township on the Park border

Game viewing started the moment we touched down & the aircraft was rolling out – two giraffes with legs pumping & necks going up & down in harmony, raced alongside the airstrip. A line of zebra paraded across the end of the marked runway with total indifference to the aircraft, while female elephants turned & stood protectively in front of their youngsters, fixing our arrival with beady eyed looks from the shade of a seeding Baobab tree.

Wildlife is heavily concentrated along the cascading Great Ruaha River which supplies the Park lifeblood. Home to pods of resident hippo & crocodile who snack on the schools of fish, it becomes a flooded torrent after new rains, dwindling to a scant few pools in the hot dry season. You will likely witness Grant’s gazelle risking their lives to sip from the river – a permanent hunting ground for lion. Leopard & African wild dog packs – rare elsewhere but consistent here. Ruaha’s 8000 elephant remain the largest population of any of the National Parks in East Africa, making a strong recovery from the 1980’s where they suffered from intense ivory poaching.

Scouring the vast wilderness of rocky outcrops & wooded hills, you may glimpse the shy Kudu, first the spiralled corkscrew of its horns, then the white blaze across its face, more often than now peeking between the camouflage provided by thorny thickets. Unique combinations of animals co-exist here in Ruaha ; both the greater & lesser Kudu, sable & roan antelope share a common grazing ground as this is the only protected area where the flora & fauna of southern & eastern Africa, overlap.

Size 10300 sq km (approximately 6400 sq miles) & Tanzania’s second largest National Park
Location Central Tanzania, 128 km west of Iringa
Access Charter flights from Arusha, Iringa & Mbeya. Year round road access
From Dar es Salaam (approximately 10 hours driving) Mikumi. Iringa or Arusha via Dodoma
Activities Game drives or nature bush walks through pristine habitat. Visit Stone Age ruins at Isimilia (120 km away) as these are one of Africa’s prime historical sites
Best time For viewing predators & large animals, the dry season (mid-May to December) ; bird watching & flowers, wet season (January-April)

As we approach, a huge brown & resplendent white headed Fish Eagle who has been silently standing sentinel guarding a gentle bay shrieks his alarm call, head tossed back, tongue vibrating. A well fed monster crocodile who is lazing on a bank beyond the waters edge reacts with a stampede through the grasses, feet pumping & a flick of his mighty tail as he rushes headlong for the safety of the water, emerging with scant sentry eyes to sceptically focus on our movements.

Rubondo Island is tucked away on a corner of Lake Victoria – this planets second largest fresh water body – which is akin to an inland sea separating three countries. With 9 smaller islands, Rubondo National Park protects precious fish breeding grounds. Tasty tilapia, & the ferocious Nile perch, some weighing 100kgs or more, tempt recreational fishermen with challenging & world record catches. This is a catch & release conservation area.

Rubondo is however, much more than a water wonderland. Deserted islands with sandy beaches nestle against the cloak of virgin forest. Papyrus swamps host the secretive sitatunga – a shaggy coated antelope – as well as the fleet of foot dappled bushbuck who are completely at home here amongst a maze of tamarind, wild palm & sycamore figs. The malachite kingfisher, sporting the brilliant hues of azure blue, purple & flashes of gold & red competes with the paradise flycatcher’s flowing tail for the title of most glamorous winged specimen. But it is the majestic fish eagle who reigns supreme. The lilting, almost plaintive mournful cry is a sound that is unforgettable as they make contact with a mate, or simply let others in the area know who’s the boss. Wild jasmine, 40 different orchid species & a smorgasbord of sweet fragrant smells of the forest greet visitors to Rubondo National Parks labyrinth of islands & shoreline.

Ninety percent of the park is humid forestland; the remainder ranges between coastal grasses & lakeside papyrus reeds. A number of indigenous mammal species – hippo, bushbuck, primates, genet & mongoose – share the protected habitat with introduced species such as chimpanzee, elephant & giraffe all of whom benefit from Rubondo’s inaccessibility.

Size 240 sq km ( approximately 150 sq miles)
Location Northwest Tanzania, 150km west of Mwanza
Access Regular flights from Arusha, Lake Manyara, Serengeti & Mwanza by road from Mwanza followed by a boat transfer. Contact Sundance Spirit for transport / transfer reservations
Activities Nature walking safaris , brilliant bird-watching, boating, sport fishing paradise, chimpanzee trekking, canoe excursions
Best time Dry season (June – August); for wildflowers, butterflies etc
The wet season is best (November - March)
Accommodation One luxury tented camp, park bandas & a campsite

Let’s start with the million plus wildebeest – each driven by the same radar honed rhythm & determination to fulfil their instinctive migratory role in the inescapable cycle of life ; a frenzied bout of territorial conquests & mating; survival of the fittest as the 40 km long trail of columns of these grey beasts plunge into crocodile infested waters on their annual Great Migration to the north; replenishing the species in a brief explosion of population producing more than 8000 new born calves a day, before the 1000 kilometre pilgrimage begins all over again. More than 6 million hooves pound the legendary plains of the Serengeti. Triggered by the annual coming of the rains , the million wildebeest, 200000 plus zebra & 300000 plus Thomson’s gazelle gather together to undertake the long trek to the lush grazing grounds of the Mara.

The most famous of Tanzania’s National Parks – Serengeti – provides a draw card for the array of predators that follow these vast herds. Large families of lion (up to 30 in a pride) & leopard make the Serengeti their domain while too, it protects the existence of the vulnerable cheetah, as the rolling savannah is their ideal hunting ground offering scant cover for the smaller antelope they prey on. Here one can lay witness to predator versus prey & the fundamental independence of the Serengeti’s abundant species - from more than 100 different mammals, 500 differing birds & 100 types of dung beetle - all of whom play a vital part in life on the plains.

The Serengeti provides a sense of one’s seeing to the end of the earth as you gaze off into the shimmering sunburnt savannah to an indeterminable horizon. Yet, when the rains come, this horizon is transformed into an endless carpet of new green flecked with wildflowers & broken only by the bodies of the four legged inhabitants that are so plentiful that the victims of old age often rot before they are preyed on by scavenging predators or the vultures who soar on the thermals above. But there are wooded kopjes, towering termite mounds, rivers bordered by ebony & fig trees & the symbol of the landscape – the distinctive flat-topped thorned acacia tree – stained orange by dust.

So vast is the Serengeti, you are likely to be the solitary vehicle to witness a successful siege by a pride of lion, masterminding their impending attack & focusing unswervingly on their next meal.

Size 14763 sq km (approximately 9000 sq miles)
Location 335 km from Arusha (approximately 208 miles) stretching north to the border with Kenya & to the west, Lake Victoria.
Access Charter flight from Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire or Ngorongoro Crater
Activities Guided game drives; hot-air balloon safaris; Maasai Rock Art Best time To follow the Great Migration, December – July; to observe the predators, June – October
Accommodation 4 Lodges, 4 luxury tented camps & various campsites scattered throughout the Park. 1 luxury tented camp & 1 lodge just outside

Note : The route & defined timing of the Wildebeest migration is unpredictable & is governed by many factors. Allow at minimum
3 days to locate & follow the columns of animals & additional days to focus on predators as well.

Day after cloudless day of azure skies & intense sun sucks all moisture from the atmosphere & the landscape, baking the parched earth a dusty red ochre colour, bleaching skeletons that remain exposed & withering grasses. By mid-summer, the Tarangire River has withered to a trickle of its wet season flood-swept self. The thirsty nomads – herds of up to 300 elephant wander hundreds of kilometres with an enate sixth sense, honed in decades past & handed down from mother to daughter as a lifeline in times of drought – here & there pools of water are to be found. Herds of wildebeest, hartebeest, eland, the stately oryx, cape buffalo & zebra crowd & contest shrinking lagoons.

This is like the most expansive smorgasbord devised for predators – the greatest concentration of animals & wildlife outside of the Serengeti. But with the coming of the rains, the visitors & indigenous alike scatter over 20000 sq kilometres range, until they exhaust the green plains & the river again beckons. But year round, the herds of elephants are easily encountered & the green tinged swamplands are home to a resident & migratory population of over 500 species of bird varieties. On the drier ground the Kori Bustard who rates as the world’s heaviest flying bird, goes about the business of scavenging bugs, insects & reptiles. Here too often sighted small groups of stocking-thighed ostrich & the brutish ground hornbill wander the grasslands. Tarangire’s lions climb trees – it is said that they do so to seek cooler air but loftier heights also provide for better lookout vantage points. So do leopards but that’s more for protecting their kills, ensuring that a meal doesn’t fall prey to scavengers - hyena & jackal being the most prolific thieves in this regard.

Size 2600 sq km (approximately 1600 sq miles)
Location 118 km southwest of Arusha (approximately 75 miles)
Access Easy drive from Arusah or Lake Manyara
Activities Guided game drives; guided nature walking & daytrip to Barabaig tribe’s ancient Rock art paintings
Best time Year round , but dry season June – September for sheer numbers of animals & predators
Accommodation 1 Lodge, 1 luxury tented camps & various campsites scattered throughout the Park. 1 luxury tented camp & 2 lodges just outside

The Udzungwa Mountains are primeval, burgeoning with rampant lush greens & dense undergrowth they constitute a forest of enchanted, leafy glades, lichen dripping crevices & moss covered rocky crags. This is a hothouse of species of plants found nowhere else on this planet – a secret bank vault of precious genetic stock such as is the tiny purple African violet, discovered in the overhang of a tree some 30 metres above the ground. Of the six primates who make this their home, two are endemic – the Iringa red colobus monkey & the Sanje crested mangabey, not previously detected until 1979. Four previously undiscovered & unknown species of bird including the rufous-winged sunbird & new species of partridge-like francolin make this Tanzania’s richest forest bird habitat among the three designated conservation areas on the African continent. This undisturbed forest habitat is undoubtedly yet to give up all of its secrets & is awaiting further scientific exploration to reveal a wider thesaurus of wealth.

A link in the chain of Africa’s eastern arc mountains, Udzungwa is ideally suited to hiking & rock climbing, with trails thorough the rainforest & steep pitches on the escarpment. The plateau is a perennial penthouse with stunningly beautiful vistas of sugar plantations against a patchwork of grassland & mountain forest extending over 100 kilometres. Its centrepiece is however, the Sanje River where it reinvents itself as a spectacular waterfall plunging 170 metres over a precipitous cliff-face, to land in a spray of mist that fuel the mosses in the valley below.

Size 1990 sq km (approximately 1240 sq miles).
Location 5 hours drive from Dar es Salaam (348km); 65 km southwest of Mikumi.
Access Drive from Mikumi or Dar es Salaam – 2 hour hike to waterfall.
Best time Year round although slippery in the wet season. The dry season is June – October before a period of short rains, but prepare for precipitation at any time due to the rainforest eco-system.
Accommodation Camping is permitted inside the Park – self catering supplies required. Additional accommodation just outside Park entrance.