Serengeti National Park involves an enormous expanse of untouched wilderness that is home to not only the Big Five – lions, Cape buffalos, leopards, rhinos and elephants – but also crocodiles, hyenas, hippos, cheetahs, wildebeests, warthogs, zebras, gazelles and much more. In fact as the leading safari destination in Africa the Serengeti is home to over 3500 lions, 280 Cheetahs, 1.5 to 2 million Wildebeests and over 800 thousand Zebras with more than 2 million other antelope all this make it be the only wild area with such high no of wildlife.
SEASONS.
The Serengeti is governed by two distinct seasons: wet and dry. The dry season, which occurs June through to October, is generally viewed as the most ideal for wildlife spotting. This has nothing to do with the volume of animals, but instead the simplicity of seeing them. Short grass cause animals more easily visible, whilst drying streams and shrinking waterholes cause many animals to flock to an increasingly smaller area.
However, this by no means insinuates that other months offer worthless safaris. Not at all. The Serengeti offers absolutely phenomenal wildlife spotting all-year round. And, in fact, visiting out of season has its advantages too.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area extends from Serengeti National Park in the north, to the Great Rift Valley father in the eastern side. It cover an area of 8,992 km² (3,200 sq. miles). Which include the Ngorongoro Crater, Empakai and Olmoti Crater the Oldupai George known as Cradle of human kind discovery point the Ndutu in the North West and Oldonyo Lengai Mountain in the north east. The lush green forest in the east, savannah open grassland with scatted trees, craters, lakes, swamps and valley is home to variety of wild life species.
NATURAL WONDER.
The famous Ngorongoro Crater is the main feature of the area. The large volcano exploded and collapsed on itself 2.5 to 3 million years ago. As a result the crater was formed which then created a unique ecosystem with a wide variety of vegetation which letter attracted thousands of wild animals that are now seen in and out the Crater.
Today the crater is home to the highest concentration of wildlife and predator dense in Africa. It is home to more than 300,000 large mammals including Hippo, Rhino, Elephant, Buffalo and predators like Lions, Hyenas, Leopard, Jackals and birds such as flamingo, Kori Bustard and storks just to mention some. The main attraction of the Crater are for sure the Big Five – buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino. All of them can be observe in this 20 to 19 km of diameter, 610 meters deep with 304 km2 of the Crater floor surface. The views from the crater rim over the floor and the morning sunrise with spectacular clouds and colors of the landscape is unbelievable. As per its beaut the Crater is Chosen as the Africa’s Seven Natural Wonder.
MAASAI TRIBE
The Masai live in the area since the end of 18th Century together with the Serengeti area then letter as the Serengeti was declared as a National Park all the Masai from Serengeti and their livestock where allocated to Ngorongoro with agreement and the Government of Tanzania, which now make the Ngororongoro Conservation Area Man and Biosphere Reserve. It increases the value and attractiveness of the area where human and wildlife share the same habitat in peace. During your safari in Tanzania there is also possibility to visit the Maasai tribe. As the native that keeps on leaving with their tradition way of life, it makes one who visit them as a Tourist to get a unique and life experience whilst learning their culture and life style.
ACTIVITIES IN NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
TRAVEL DURATION TO NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA FROM ARUSHA
Tarangire National Park is known for its magnificent Baobab trees. Size and growing shape make them enormous and unique. The Park is also famous as it has the largest concentration of elephants unlike other area in northern Tanzania! You can see tenth of hundreds of elephants herds around the Tarangire River. The River is the primary source of fresh water for animals throughout the year. In the dry season they come here to drink or just to enjoy a welter to cool off from the hot sun. During the end of dry season elephants dig into the riverbed to reveal underground water as the sand suck water which make it flow underground, or looking for Baobab trees to satisfy their thirst from their succulent trunk.
THE TARANGIRE WILD CHOIRE.
Apart from elephants, Tarangire is a paradise for bird lovers too. It offers a wonderful bird watching chance to a variety of bird species from resident Francolin to migratory Storks that comprises more that 450 to 500 species. Without forgetting the colorful once such as Love birds, Rollers, Sun birds and Bee eater including Eagles and Vultures. The swamps in Tarangire National Park have one of the largest number of breeding bird species in East Africa. In the area around these swamps you can also see lions, leopards, cheetahs and even tree-climbing pythons and Monitor Lizards especially in the dry season.
THE BLUE SKY OF TARANGIRE.
Tarangire is one less known parks in Tanzania, but it still has an authentic safari atmosphere. The hilly landscape scattered with huge Baobab and Acacia trees against the blue sky is breathtaking.
In here there are plenty of activities that one as a guest can do such as
TRAVEL TIME TO TARANGIRE
The Park lies between Tarangire and Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It is well known for its tree climbing lions, the soda ash lake that attracts thousands of lesser flamingos, pink backed Pelicans and many other bird species can be observed here. A breathtaking scenery from the Gregory Rift Valley that lies over 1300 meters high brought different landscape that offer habitat to variety of wildlife species. It is also known for its high number of Baboon Troops from 50 to 300 hundred members that can be seen in one troop. This makes the Park be a most baboon populate area in Africa.
The lake manyara forest offers shelter to variety of wildlife species including Giraffes Elephants Buffalos Impala Hippos and much more from mice to lizards.
LAKE MANYARA MEDITATION.
As the park lies under the Rift Valley Escarpment it contains a lot of fresh flowing water streams that flows underground from either Ngorongoro highland or lake Victoria and spit out on the surface in the park, which cause the underground water forest. The forest is romantic place with its sky or blue monkeys swinging on the tree branches.
The Arusha National Park is the only closest park to Arusha Town- the northern Tanzania’s Safari City. It is the multiple travel paradise with game drive and trekking, which is often overlooked by a lot of travelers. It offers opportunity to explore a fascinating diversity of habitats within few hours.
The small park includes the summit, and ash cones of Mt. Meru, the Momella Lakes, Ngurdoto Crater, and the lush highland forests that covers its lower slopes. Game viewing around small Serengeti and the Momella Lakes is at a relaxed and quiet magnificent, and while passing through the forest there is a high possibility of observing troupes of colobus monkeys playing or siting quiet in the canopy. It’s also a quit impressive for birders with variety of birds species including its rare seen bird called Hat labs Turaco. Last but not list while in the park there is a possibility of Views of Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro from the Eastern Side.
THE MOMELLA LAKES:
These shallow alkaline lakes lie around 1500 meters above the sea level and are fed by underground streams from Mt. Meru on the west, has thousands of lesser and greater flamingos as well as migratory birds seen between (April and October). Each of the lakes has different quantity of alkaline.
MOUNT MERU.
Mount Meru is located within Arusha National Park. This dormant volcano is Tanzania’s second highest mountain at a height of 4,566 meters (14,990 feet) after Mount Kilimanjaro, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east. Arusha National Park lies on a 300-kilometre axis of Africa’s most famous national parks, running from Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater in the west to Kilimanjaro National Park in the east and both Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru can be seen from the park.
WALKING & CANOEING SAFARI ON THE MOMELA LAKE
Walking and canoeing safari are popular safari activities in Arusha national park. Walking safari is normally with an armed ranger while canoeing with well trained and professional guide. The Momella lakes in the northeast offer a big variety of animals. They are in an open landscape and are home to hippos and different bird’s species. Water bucks, Giraffes and buffalo can be seen near the lakes. A great change to enjoy wildlife up close, from a different outlook than sitting in a safari vehicle. It’s absolutely an outstanding safari experience!
Arusha town is about 30km and 1 hour away from Arusha National Park.
Mkomazi National Park is a magnificent national park in northern Tanzania. Which was before an old Game reserve declared in 1951. This magnificent wilderness area was not known because of being a beat separate from the most visited parks in the northern part of Tanzania and didn’t get financial support of its infrastructure like other parks. But it hides the fantastic wilderness beaut of its kind.
Then in 2006 for the first time the Mkomazi was upgraded as national park with a total area of over 3234 sq. km, easily accessible and is a truly genuine wilderness area! Mt. Kilimanjaro can be viewed from the northwest. Pare and Usambara mountains from the south create a dramatic background. Kenya’s Tsavo National Park to the north borders the Mkomazi National Park. Both parks form the largest and most important secured ecosystems. It is the shelter to Rhinos, Elephants, Oryx, Zebras and Gerenuk a tall antelope Gazelle like with a long neck that brous always on the upper leaves around the bushes and trees. Mkomazi is located on the southern tip of the Sahel. It has a classic arid area with gray-green savanna bush, old baobab trees, and isolated rocky hills. In other places the scrub seas give way to savannah forests with umbrella acacias and bush – flat grassland valleys.
WILDLIFE
Mkomazi national park wildlife varies from Large to small mammals. The Black Rhinos and Wild dogs within the park are introduced for reproducing to increase their number while in the natural habitat as both became vanishing where Black Rhinos are kept in a large fenced area not letting them go far for their safety while Wild dogs are freely roaming around the park. It is characteristic of being dry scenery: giraffes, lesser kudu, impala, Grant’s gazelle and Gerenuk are commonly seen. They share the park with elephants, buffalo, Eland, Wildebeest, dikidiki, also predators, including lion, leopard and cheetah.
In-fact the park has different bird species which are estimated to be over 400 species. Among them are northern dry-country specials such as Shelley’s starling and three-streaked tchagra, purple Eurasian hoopoe, martial eagles and is the only place in Tanzania to spot the striking vulturine guinea fowl. Not only that but also migratory species such as European roller are present from November until April. Just to mention some.
MKOMAZI RHINO SANCTUARY
In 1989, the Tanzanian government invited the George Adamson Wildlife Preservation Trust to together after the government resolved to cease all grazing permission within Mkomazi and evicted all herders of cattle from the Maasai, Parakuyo, Pare and Sambaa in 1980s. George Adamson Wildlife Preservation set up fenced sanctuaries for African wild dog and black rhinoceros, and restoring the reserve’s infrastructure and supporting local communities with its outreach program build and as a result the endangered black rhino was introduced: the Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary.
During the rhino poaching disaster, “protecting the strongholds” plays an important role. However, winning the hearts and minds of local communities was also important to ensure that Mkomazi never gets a mass rhino population extinction again. So in 2012, Prince William visited Mkomazi National Park to learn more about conservation efforts at the front lines of a Tanzanian national park.
The Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary is working to build a sustainable breeding population of black rhinos, whose offspring will be used to strengthen the existing populations in Tanzania. The rhinos in the Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary carries up nearly 30% of the total black rhinoceros population in Tanzania. This makes the Mkomazi rhinos extremely important, not only for the country, but also for the future of this endangered species. While in Mkomazi, Prince William also visited Mkomazi’s educational initiative at Rafiki Wa Faru, where children from 14 local villages learn all about rhinos and other wildlife in the hope that Mkomazi’s rhino population will never ever be wiped out by poachers. Remember that children can play a significant role in successful conservation if they appreciate wildlife and understand its importance from an early age.
ACTIVITIES AT MKOMAZI NATIONAL PARK.
THE BEST TIME TO BE AT MKOMAZI NATIONAL PARK
It is between June to October which is the dry season and the beauty of its scenery and views of the mountains are the best in the wet season November to May but the park is not a prime wildlife observing destination.
TRAVEL TIME TO MKOMAZI NATIONAL PARK
Traveling distance and time vary from Place to place and the riding speed spent on your way but in-fact the nearest point that are common toward the park are as follow.
From Tanga: 4.5 hrs drive
From Pangani: 6 hrs drive
From Usambara Mountains: 5.5 hrs drive
From Kilimanjaro: 5.5 hrs drive
The Serengeti is the primary location for one of earth’s most spectacular natural events: the Great Wildebeest Migration. This is a colossal movement of over two million animals which involve wildebeests and Zebras as far-reaching members – across the landscape in an endless pursuit of green pastures and water. To see such a massing of animals is a fascinating sight.
The wonderful thing is that the Great Migration is not a singular, annual event. In fact, it’s never-ending, and follows a loose, circular path around the park. So regardless of when you visit Tanzania, you have the possibility of catching it unless the time when it gets in Mara game reserve in Kenya around October.
RIVER CROSSINGS
Definitely one of the most unique and popular times to be in the Serengeti is during the famous Wildebeests and Zebra River crossings. This is where single files of wildebeest fearless the crocodile-infested waters to press on northwards towards the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya while hoping for green pastures and water. This extraordinary action will leave you astonished and give you unforgettable memory in your life.
EARLY BOOKING TO SEE RIVER CROSSINGS
These river crossings typically occur around June to September each year. But camps in good proximity to the river crossings tend to book up quickly. The river crossings also coincide with the peak dry season, so we highly recommend booking at least several months in advance to give your operator the best chance of securing first choice accommodation. This is especially true for large groups.
THE CALVING/DROPPING SEASON
Another notable event in the calendar occurs around late January, February and March in the southern portion of Serengeti National Park. This is the calving season, which sees the miracle of new life collide with an ominous massing of opportunistic predators. Thousands of new wildebeests and other animals are calved every day, the hyenas turn to middy wife pulling out baby wildebeest whenever possible, lions and other predators lurk around waiting for an easy kill. It’s quite the drama!
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