Lake Manyara National Park

Stretching for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.

Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day.

Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.

Getting There
By road, charter or scheduled flight from Arusha, en route to Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.

Wildlife
Game drives, night game drives, canoeing when the water levels is sufficiently high.

Cultural tours, picnicking, bush lunch/dinner, mountain bike tours, abseiling and forest walks on the escarpment outside the park.

When to Go
Dry season (July-October) for large mammals; Wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and canoeing.

Flora & Fauna
Animals: Lake Manyara’s game includes good numbers of elephant, buffalo and wildebeest along with plenty of giraffe. Also prolific in number are zebra, waterbuck, warthog and impala.

You may need to search a little harder for the small and relatively shy Kirk’s dik-dik, and klipspringer on the slopes of the escarpment.

The broken forests and escarpment make it good country for leopard, whilst Manyara’s healthy lion population are famous for their tree-climbing antics. (Whilst unusual, this isn’t as unique to the park as is often claimed.)

Immediately obvious to most visitors are the huge troops of baboons – which often number several hundred and are widely regarded as Africa’s largest.

Birds: As with the habitats, the birdlife here is exceptionally varied. In the middle of the lake you’ll often see flocks of pelicans and the pink-shading of distant flamingos, whilst the margins and floodplains feed innumerable herons, egrets, stilts, stalks, spoonbills and other waders.

Vegetation: Set beneath the spectacular backdrop of the Great Rift Valley’s steep western escarpment, this long, narrow park protects an area between the escarpment and Lake Manyara.

The parks namesake is a shallow, alkaline lake which expands and contracts with the seasons within a long, silvery bowl of salt deposits.

Adjacent to it are wide, grassy floodplains and, further away, bands of mixed acacia woodlands.

Further still, next to the escarpment, are patches of enchanting evergreen forests, which are sustained by perennial groundwater springs issuing from the base of the escarpment.

Popular Tours

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak on the African continent and the tallest free standing mountain in the world.

It rises in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland with an elevation ranging from around 900metres to an imperious 5,895 metres(19,336ft).

Mount Kilimanjaro was born from catastrophic movements in the earth’s crust that created the Great Rift Valley.

Kilimanjaro is one of the worlds most accessible high summits. Most visitors will reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination.

And those who reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gilman’s point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates.

Climate
Equatorial to arctic conditions are experienced on Kilimanjaro.

The range begins with the warm, dry plains with the average temperatures of 30 degrees celsius, ascends through a wide belt of wet tropical forest, through zones with generally decreasing temperatures and rainfall, to the summit where there is permanent ice and below freezing temperatures.

Weather on Kilimanjaro is a direct result of season of the year and the side and altitude of the mountain.

Getting There
128 km (80 miles) from Arusha.

About one hour’s drive from Kilimanjaro airport.

When to Go
Clearest and warmest conditions from December to February, but also dry (and colder) from July-September.

What to Do
:: Six usual trekking routes to the summit and other more-demanding mountaineering routes.
:: Day or overnight hikes on the Shira plateau. Nature trails on the lower reaches.
:: Trout fishing.
:: Visit the beautiful Chala crater lake on the mountain’s southeastern slopes.

The Mountain
Kilimanjaro represents a powerful life force for the local Chagga people and all those who have made their lives around this mountain, providing rich volcanic soils for agriculture and an endless source of pure spring waters.

Mandara Hut
Mandara hut, is a village of A-framed huts in a forest clearing on the Marangu Route.

Each hut features 6-8 sleeping bunks with solar generated lighting, with a camp capacity of up to 60 climbers. Water is piped into the camp from springs above and there are flush toilets behind the main hut.

Mandara Hut is situated on the Marangu Route at an elevation of 2,700m.

Horombo Hut
Horombo hut is a village of huts perched on a small plateau, with buildings similar to Mandara, but with a total capacity of 120 climbers! Horombo is normally bustling with hikers, guides and porters, with an atmosphere of adventure and excitement. You will meet both ascending and descending hikers here.

This extra day and night at Horombo is for additional acclimatisation. A hike towards the Mawenzi hut, passing the Zebra Rocks on the way (about 3 hours up and 1,5 hours down), is strongly recommended. This hike will further assist with the process of acclimatisation.

Remember to drink enough water and move slowly! All meals for the day are provided at the hut. Retire to bed early and get a last good night’s rest.

Kibo Hut
Kibo Hut is a 5 hour hike across the saddle between mawenzi and Kibo and is situated at the bottom of the Kibo crater wall at an elevation of (4,750m).

From here you will attempt the summit to the Uhuru Peak.

Popular Tours

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire’s relative obscurity, due to its noisy neighbours Ngorongoro and Serengeti, has hidden the park’s principle attraction – from July to early November Tarangire is host to one of the largest elephant concentrations in Africa.

Elephant herds in their hundreds migrate from the Masai steppe south of the park – with some recorded travelling from as far North as Amboseli in Kenya.

The peak months are August, September and October when up to 3,000 elephant create the highest density of the species in the country. If you are travelling in these golden months then a couple of nights in Tarangire is a must.

However, Tarangire is much more than just an elephant stronghold; this park is beautiful, quiet and surprisingly good for its diversity of game.

It is also one of the only places in Northern Tanzania to offer first class walking safaris and fly camping trips inside National Park boundaries. In our view, Tarangire is an incredibly underrated and beautifully quiet park. Long may it stay that way!

Size
Size: 2850 sq km (1,096 sq miles).
Location: 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha

Access
Easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara following a surfaced road to within 7km (four miles) of the main entrance gate; can continue on to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.

Charter flights from Arusha and the Serengeti.

Wildlife
June to October is the best time to see large number of wildebeest, elephants, zebras, and hartebeest.

Not all animals are migratory though, other animals such as giraffes, Impala, Eland, lesser kudu, waterbuck, gazelle and sometimes rhinos or leopards can be seen throughout the year.

More people are attracted by the giant pythons and large herds of elephants. the park is also famous for migrant birds.

Game viewing in Tarangire National Park is largely affected by the presence of water, and during the dry season many animals congregate here in search of it.

As the land dries and the smaller rivers stop flowing, the herds head south towards the permanent water in the Tarangire River and its surrounding swamps.

What to Do
Guided walking safaris.

Day trips to Maasai and Barabaig villages, as well as to the hundreds of ancient rock paintings in the vicinity of Kolo on the Dodoma Road.

Popular Tours

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers an area across 8,300 sq km, in northern Tanzania. The crater bowl itself is 250 square km with sides up to 600 metres deep.

The park is located between the Serengeti and Lake Manyara (see map). It is home to the famous volcanic Ngorongoro crater which is the largest unbroken caldera in the world.

The crater (610 metres deep and 260 km squared) is a microcosm of East African scenery and game and is usually visited on the way back from the Serengeti to Arusha.

Scenic grandeur and stunning views are the hallmark of this wonder of the world. All the lodges are built high on the crater rim and afford amazing views over and into the crater – the perfect setting for a well deserved sundowner.

Geology
– Rifts and volcanoes shape the landscape of Ngorongoro. A rift is a disturbance in the earth crust, which causes rise or falls of its borders.

– Rifts also causes lava or melted rock to penetrate to the surface where it hardens. If lava emerges from the same penetration for a long period, it builds up into a volcano.

– In the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the main rifts are north of Lake Eyasi and east of Lakes Manyara and Lake Natron, where the nine volcanoes of Ngorongoro highlands were formed during the past four million years. Of these, only volcano Oldonyo Lengai is still active.

Wildlife
Today, Ngorongoro’s caldera shelters the most beautiful wildlife haven on earth. The rich pasture and permanent water of the Crater floor supports a resident population of some 20,000 to 25,000 large mammals.

They are not confined by the Crater walls, and can leave freely; they stay because conditions are favourable. Since most of the Crater floor is grassland, grazing animals predominate: gnu, zebra, gazelles, buffalo, eland and kongoni (Coke’s hartebeest) and warthogs.

The swamp and forest provide additional resources for hippos, some of Tanzania’s last remaining black rhinos, giant-tusked elephants, waterbucks, reedbucks and bushbucks, baboons and vervets. The steep inner slopes provide a habitat for dikdiks and the rare mountain reedbuck.

Climate
Ngorongoro safari lodges are situated on the rim of the crater, which is 2,235 metres (7,264 feet) above sea level.

It can get quite fresh up here, and gets very cold at night in the winter months of June to August, but is opposingly hot down in the crater during the day.

Popular Tours

Serengeti National Park

The Serengeti (14,673 sq.km) is one of the last great wildlife areas in Africa and the most famous. Huge open spaces, seemingly endless plains that blend with the horizon, fascinating rocky outcrops known as kopjes.

Famous for its wildebeeste migration where up to 1.5million animals take part in following the rain patterns throughout the year in search for young blades of grass.

Rotating in a circuitous route the migration moves from southern Serengeti northwards to Kenya’s Masai Mara. The soaring eagles that rise on thermals as prey and predators take their place in one of the greatest and last wildlife spectacles on earth. Best time to visit: Wildlife is plentiful all year.

The migration can be viewed in the southern Serengeti from January to May and from June to October in the north. Access can be limited during long rains in April/May. There is also an extensive selection of birdlife.

Serengeti National Park is one of the best places in Africa to see lion and cheetah close up. The vast, open grasslands of the Serengeti are without doubt one of Africa’s finest wildlife areas. Being there at the height of the migration is a never to be forgotten experience.

When to Visit
The Serengeti’s climate is warm and dry. The tropical rainy season is from March to May, with short rains from October to November. The Serengeti is lush and green after the rains, but a steady drying up follows which inhibits plant growth and encourages the animals to migrate in search of waters.

With altitudes ranging from 920 to 1,830 metres average temperatures vary from 15 degrees to 26 degrees Celsius. The coldest temperatures are experienced from June to October.

Serengeti Highlights
:: The Wildebeest Migration
:: Local Maasai Communities
:: Excellent Predators
:: Private & Exclusive Concessions
:: Hot Air Balloon Safaris
:: Safari & Beach Combination Holidays
:: Combines Easily with Ngorongoro Crater

Popular Tours