Serengeti National Park
Located 335 kilometers away from the town of Arusha, this park is part of the larger Serengeti ecosystem covering about 14,763 km². It borders Lake Victoria to the West and the vast savannah plain is known to host a huge number of wildlife including the wildebeest, gazelles and zebras.
The annual wildebeest migration and the permanent water holes for the herbivores is what make Serengeti a unique safari destination.
In February and March experience birthing season of the wildebeest in Ndutu area.
Activities: Wildebeest migration viewing, photography, picnics, bush lunch/dinner, nature walks, game viewing, and balloon safaris.
Arusha National Park
Sitting on the North-East of Tanzania region, Arusha National Park is a small park yet carries beautiful sceneries in it. The park host Mount Meru with a height of 4,566m. Mount Kilimanjaro is just 60 kilometers away forming an amazing backdrop and view from the park.
The Meru crater which funnels the Jekukumia River, the Ngurdoto Crater and the shallow alkaline Momella Lakes are outstanding features to look out for. The Momella lakes are famous for wading birds and its different algal colors. Animals found here are buffalos and giraffes.
This park is just a 40-minute drive from Arusha and approximately 1½ hours from Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Activities: Mountain climbing, picnics, nature walks, and game viewing
Tarangire National Park
Located 118 kilometers away from Arusha with an area of 2,850 km² Tarangire National Park is located in the Manyara region of Tanzania. The name Tarangire originated from the Tarangire River that cuts through the park which is also the major water source for wild animals harbored here especially during the dry season.
This park is diverse when it comes to its landscapes and vegetation characterised by hilly landscapes scattered with a large number of baobab trees, long grasses, and thick bushes.
What makes Tarangire famous and unique is being home to tree climbing lions, huge number of elephants and the baobab trees. This park also has other wildlife including waterbuck, giraffe, and olive baboon and carries over 500 recorded bird species making it a bird watchers paradise.
Activities: Game viewing and nature walks
Ngorongoro Crater
Famously referred to as a World Heritage Site, Ngorongoro Crater is a well-kept volcanic caldera with 2,000 feet high walls. The crater’s rim is 10 miles wide with an altitude of between 7,000 ft to 8,000 ft.
This ecosystem is populated with large animals including the elephant, black rhino, buffalo, eland, hartebeest, zebra, wildebeest, warthog, Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelle. Baboons and vervet monkeys are the primates available.
Activities: Game viewing, picnics, and nature walks
Lake Manyara National Park
Located approximately 126 kilometers (78 miles) southwest of Arusha, Lake Manyara National Park is situated between the alkaline Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley in the Arusha and Manyara Regions of Tanzania. The park covers a relatively compact area of about 330 km² (127 sq mi), with the shallow Lake Manyara covering up to two-thirds of its surface area depending on the season.
The park features remarkable ecological diversity despite its size, featuring a narrow strip of land that includes a dramatic gradient from the towering Great Rift Valley escarpment to the eastern-lying soda lake. The landscape includes lush groundwater forests fed by underground springs, open grasslands, acacia woodlands, and the expansive lake and its fringing marshes.
What makes Lake Manyara famous and unique is being home to the rare tree-climbing lions, a behavior not commonly observed elsewhere. It also hosts one of Africa’s largest concentrations of elephants and is a true birdwatcher’s paradise with over 400 recorded bird species.
During the wet season, the lake is painted pink by vast flocks of lesser and greater flamingos.
Other wildlife includes large troops of baboons, hippos, giraffes, buffalo, and various antelopes.
Activities: Game Drives (Day and Night), Guided Walking Safaris, Canoeing (seasonal), Treetop Walkway, and Cultural Tours to the nearby Mto wa Mbu village.
Lake Manyara Safaris
