Journey Through the Sights and Sounds of Tanzania National Parks

Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and probably the most popular and most photographed wildlife sanctuary in Tanzania. It is easily an absolute favorite among all who come to visit for a safari due to its unrivaled adventure and mystery as well as the mind-blowing Great Migration event, where two million strong wildebeests along with hundreds and thousands of zebras and gazelles stampede across the savannah in search for better grazing and water.

But, to only recognize Serengeti National Park because of the Great Migration would be unjust. In fact, it is believed that even if you take the migration out of the park, it would still be the finest safari park in Africa.

Serengeti National Park demonstrates an amazing mixture of ecosystems ranging from open grasslands, swamps, rocky terrains and gorgeous woodlands. It is also home to the highest concentration of large mammals in the world, including the famous Big Five; and the highest concentrations of predators in Africa, guaranteeing spectacular, adrenalin-filled predator vs prey actions. Plus, its birdlife is so impressive, you wouldn’t want to put down your binoculars!

Often referred to as “The Wildlife Eden”, Ngorongoro Conservation Area is another UNESCO World Heritage Site that lies in the northern circuit of Tanzania, continuous to the world-famous Serengeti. It is best known for its resident Big Five and endangered black rhinos and also the world’s largest inactive volcanic caldera, Ngorongoro Crater.

The Park is a paradise of woodlands and crater lakes that provide habitats for abundant wildlife. It rises high above the plains of the Serengeti with Lake Natron in its northeast, which is a breeding ground for East Africa’s flamingoes, Lake Eyasi in its south and Lake Manyara in its east.

It’s hard to miss Kilimanjaro National Park in postcards and cover photos of Africa since it is where you can find one of Africa’s most iconic features, Mount Kilimanjaro. At 5,895 meters, Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak and the world’s tallest free-standing mountain. It has a year-round snow-capped peak that looms over the savannah, almost calling out for visitors to explore its splendor. Surrounding the mountain is a lush forest that hosts a wealth of mammals including endangered species like Abbots duiker.

For adventurous and physically fit travelers, a trek to the “Roof of Africa” will be an amazing opportunity to tick that off the bucket list. Luckily, there are several routes winding around the mountain (some routes are even beginner-friendly!), allowing travelers to discover the beauty of Africa from 5,895 meters high.

A popular stop on the way to Serengeti and Ngorongoro  Conservation Area, Lake Manyara is an absolute scenic gem with a setting  extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.  It stretches for 50 kilometers along the base of the rusty-gold vast  high Rift Valley escarpment and offers a virtual microcosm of the  Tanzanian safari experience.

The park boasts of diverse wildlife including buffalos,  giraffes, hippos, antelopes and one of the thickest baboon and elephant  population in Africa but what Lake Manyara is very famous for are the  thousands of flamingoes by its soda lake, huge elephant herds, and the  tree-climbing lions.

 Known as Africa’s largest natural reserve covering a vast wilderness  area of over 50,000 km² plus the Rufiji River, Selous Game Reserve  offers magnificent wildlife and a highly untouched, less crowded  scenery. It is located in southern Tanzania and it is popular for its  unique wildebeests and numerous endangered wild dogs. Selous Game  Reserve is also home to the largest population of buffalos in the whole  of Africa, hosting about 150,000 of them which is more than twice the  entire buffalo population in all of Southern Africa. 

A neighboring park to Lake Manyara, but often skipped by  tourists because it is quite off-route to the string of northern circuit  safari parks, Tarangire National Park is the sixth largest park in  Tanzania. It boasts of a stunning forested landscape with baobab and  acacia trees peppered around it and it is famous for its migrating herds  of elephants that come around June to October, which is the perfect  season to see a lot of elephant mud baths. Speaking of the dry season,  Tarangire National Park also has a lake that attracts about 250,000  mammals during this time.

The Big 5, sans the rhino, can also be easily spotted around  the park as well as impalas, wildebeest, and zebras. When it comes to  birding, Tarangire will not disappoint. It holds one of the highest  numbers of birds in Tanzania, making it a paradise for twitchers,  photograph lovers and first-timers alike.

Located in the southern circuit, Ruaha is known as the second largest  national park in Tanzania. It is one of the most remote parks and is one  hundred percent untouched. The park is famous for its immense  concentration of lions, elephants and wild dogs.
Although not very  accessible, many visitors to Ruaha say they would go visit the park  again in a heartbeat. So if you fancy having the wild “all to yourself”  and experience a more raw kind of adventure, Ruaha National Park should  definitely be in your itinerary! 

Arusha National Park is one of the mysterious national parks located in the Northern Tanzania, Northeast of Arusha city. It  is famous for being a home to the Tanzania's second highest mountain,  Mount Meru and the world's largest population of giraffes. It covers 552 square kilometers. 

Mikumi  National Park covers an area of 3,230 sq km, and is rich in wildlife  including buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, lion, elephant, impala, hippos,  baboon, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck and eland which can be viewed  throughout the year. Reptiles including crocodile, monitor lizard and  python are also resident in the park. 

The park was  of officially a National Park in 2005 from the former Saadani game  reserve. Being the only National Park that harbors both marine and  terrestrial habitats, Saadani has plenty of marine life and large  numbers of wild animals. It is not surprising to encounter wild animals  on the beach in this coastal Park. 

Mkomazi National Park is a 3,245 square kilometer park in northern Tanzania. It's known for its diverse landscapes, including savannas, dry forests, and riverbanks. The park is home to many rare and endangered species, including black rhinos and African wild dogs. 

The park  fall into Mkomazi-Tsavo Ecosystem, which is the second largest  trans-boundary ecosystem in East Africa After the famous one, Serengeti-  Mara Ecosytem.