The Serengeti National Park could well be the most famous game reserve in the world, covering a vast 14763 km2 (5700 sq miles), an area roughly equal to Northern Ireland. The full ecosystem is still larger, as it also covers the Maasai Mara in Kenya and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Animals are allowed to wander freely throughout the system and none of the parks are fenced.
A third of the park is made up of flat grassy plains which has given the park its name. (Siringit is Maasai for "the place where the land runs on forever".) There will be animals in the park at any time of year, but from October to May the area will be teeming with life. Lions are almost the exact colour of the grass in the dry season, but are more easily visible at some of the granite kopjes (hills) found across the landscape.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area stretches from the Karatu highlands to the Serengeti and down to the northern tip of Lake Eyasi, covering some 8300 km2. The road from Karatu will take you to Lodoare Gate, 29 km (18 miles) west of the town.
From the entrance, the road climbs steeply up through thick montaine forest, to Heroes point where you can get your first breath-taking view of the crater itself. Trips can be arranged down into the crater where a wealth of wildlife will greet you in this well-balanced ecosystem.
The flat crater floor is open grassland and well protected to ensure the well-being of some of its more famous inhabitants, like black rhino. It is easy to spot and track a hunt across the flat, open plain, so keep your eyes open to spot the activity!
The crater floor also contains a shallow soda lake, Lake Magadi, and the Mandusi Swamp. Hippos, flamingos and other water birds inhabit these water areas. The Lerai Forest of fever trees is the best place to spot elephants.
Lake Manyara National Park is a small park, but one of the most scenic safari parks you will encounter during your time in Tanzania. The park is excellent for bird watching and a good area to find elephants. The park also offers the additional potential excitement of spotting one of the legendary Lake Manyara tree-climbing lions.
Situated at the base of the escarpment to the Great Rift Valley, Lake Manyara is a magical and enchanting park that winds its way around a mainly forested driving route between the banks of the soda water Lake Manyara, and the impressive rise of the Great Rift escarpment.
Tarangire National Park is an area covered with grassland and floodplains, tall acacia trees and huge baobab trees. Migrant animals are attracted here in the dry season and the park is excellent for viewing eland and oryx. At the end of the rainy season, huge groups of elephants gather in the park. Colourful birds can be spotted throughout the year - look out for the Paradise Whyder and endearing Yellow-collared lovebirds.
The park is just two hours away from Arusha town and an excellent stop-over en route to the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, or to visit on its own if time does not allow our clients a visit to the Serengeti.
Arusha National Park is the closest national park to Arusha town - northern Tanzania's safari capital. The park is small but varied with spectacular landscapes in three distinct areas. In the west, the Meru Crater funnels the Jekukumia River, the peak of Mount Meru lies on its rim. Ngurdoto Crater is surrounded by forest while the crater floor is a swampy area that can only be viewed from the rim. The shallow alkaline Momela Lakes in the northeast are enclosed by rolling grassy hills. Each of these lakes has a different hue of blue or green and their shallows are sometimes tinted pink by thousands of flamingos. The lakes support a rich selection of resident and migrant waterfowl and wildlife in the park is varied.
An exciting option in this park is to join an armed ranger from the national park for a walking safari. These walking safaris will normally take place in the morning and visitors can get very close to the animals and birds in the park.