Tanzanian National Parks

Tanzania Wildlife Safaris .Co.Za has produced a comprehensive and detailed Tanzania National Park information guide on most of Tanzania's National Parks and game reserves. Tanzania's National Parks are truly a wildlife safari destination without peer.

The facts speak for themselves: an unparalleled 25% of Tanzania's surface area has been earmarked for park conservation purposes, with the world-famous Serengeti National Park and incomprehensibly vast Selous Game Reserve heading a unique mosaic of protected game park areas, which collectively harbour in excess of 20% of Africa's large mammal population.

What each Tanzania National Park has to offer

The Serengeti Plains National Park, the oldest and most popular Tanzania National Park is famed for its annual wildebeest migration, a trek for fresh grazing, and arguably the world's greatest wildlife spectacle. The Serengeti National Park is without a doubt a defining image of East Africa and more specifically of Tanzania.

The Ngorongoro Crater is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and most densely crowded wildlife areas of Tanzania. A visit to the Ngorongoro Crater is one of the main drawcards for tourists visiting Tanzania and a definite world-class attraction. The crater is the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera and its steep sides form a natural enclosure for a very wide variety of wildlife.

The Lake Manyara National Park, the most dramatically located Tanzania National Park, stretches for 50km along the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Lake Manyara's most visible predators and also its prime tourist attraction are lions, famous for their habit of climbing trees. The Lake also provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania's birdlife.

Tarangire National Park features one of the highest population densities of elephants in Tanzania, and contains large stretches of acacia woodland, and grassy savannah, accompanied by large baobab trees, making it a beautiful and special location. In the dry season, many species of animals come to drink and cool in the waters of the Tarangire River before moving on to better grazing areas when the rains arrive.

The Arusha National Park the smallest Tanzania National Park, but without a doubt a very beautiful park. The closest Tanzania National Park to Arusha, northern Tanzania's safari capital, making it ideal for day excursions. The wildlife in the Arusha National Park is abundant and it is without a doubt one of the most beautiful and topographically varied parks in Tanzania.

The best time to visit each Tanzania National Park

Ngorongoro Crater: Because of its topography forming an enclosed eco-system the crater can be visited all year round, but December to March and June to October are excellent periods.

Lake Manyara National Park: The dry season from June to September for large mammals and the wet season from November to May for bird watching, the waterfalls and canoeing. During the rainy months, some roads in the Lake Manyara Park are impassable and the mosquitoes are plentiful.

Serengeti National Park: To follow the wildebeest migration, December to July of which February is the best, but a heavy rainy season March to April.
Large migratory herds are on the short grass of the southern Serengeti plains at this time. It is also the birthing season for the wildebeest and it is always a thrill to watch a baby wildebeest stumble to its feet minutes after being born.
To see predators from June to October.

Tarangire National Park: Year round but dry season July - December for sheer numbers of animals, when the Tarangire River provides the only permanent water in the region.

Arusha National Park: June to February are the best months, although rain can be encountered during November. Best views of Kilimanjaro are December to February.