Safari to Tanzania: which park to choose?
Safari is the main tourist attraction of Tanzania. People come here to see the African savannah in all its glory: with thousands of birds and animals, space landscapes and lush vegetation.
Tanzania has 5 main national safari parks that differ from each other. You can visit several of them at once, and to make it easier to determine the directions, the experts of the tour operator “Aves Travel” will tell you about the main features of each park.
Tanzania national parks
The Serengeti is Tanzania’s most famous safari destination, with large carnivores and 35 other animal species. In total, the park is home to more than 3 million individuals.
Manyara – elephants, hippos, pink flamingos and lions sleeping in a tree.
Ngorongoro is one of the best safari parks in Tanzania, the cradle of wildlife with 30 thousand animals, the 6th largest caldera on the planet.
Tarangire, home to the largest elephant colony in Tanzania, as well as baobabs and sausage trees.
Selous is the largest safari-friendly park in Tanzania from Zanzibar.
Ngorongoro
A park with an area of more than 8 thousand km², located in a huge crater of an extinct volcano. The park area is framed by a tropical forest, and it has everything that you can imagine: plains, swamps, lakes, salt plateaus.
What you can see here:
fantastically beautiful landscapes;
the whole Big Five: lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, buffalo, and also zebra, cheetah, antelope, hyena, hippopotamus;
from December to February – the Great Migration, when millions of herbivores (gazelles, zebras, antelopes) move across the savanna in search of food.
This is an ideal safari destination simply because it has the highest concentration of animals not only in Tanzania, but throughout the African continent. They do not need to be looked for and looked out for – they are everywhere.
Things to do besides safari
Lunch by the lake with hippos.
Excursion to Olduvai gorge.
Visit to the village of the Maasai tribe.
Manyara
A small park, one of the smallest in the country. Its area is 230 km², of which 70% is occupied by Lake Manyara of the same name. But on the other hand, there is a field airfield for safari in Tanzania by air transport.
Who can you meet here:
500 species of birds;
from June to September – colonies of pink flamingos;
a forest of breadfruit trees, where monkeys and elephants wade through the branches and go straight to your path;
the famous manyar lions that sleep in the trees.
Things to do
Day and night, walking and car safari.
Bird watching.
Canoeing.
Tasting of wild meat in the village of Mto va Mbu.
Tarangire
Another large park in Tanzania with an area of 2.85 thousand km² with a flat area and a good view of animals. It is possible here for a safari in Tanzania in a hot air balloon, on foot with a guide or in a safari jeep.
What can you see
Tarangir is home to Tanzania’s largest elephant population and more than 500 different bird species. Here you will see the alleys of the most ancient baobabs, and by the river during the dry season you will meet a very large concentration of animals, which undoubtedly attracts leopards and lions. Isn’t it a plot for National Geographic?
Serengeti
The famous national park, the location of most of the Animals planet and National Geographic stories. It is also the oldest park in Tanzania and one of the best safari destinations on the planet.
Its area is 14.76 thousand km², there is also an airport where you can fly on a safari from Zanzibar or Arusha.
What can you see
Millions of large animals and incredible wildlife with walking elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, cheetahs, lions, antelopes, zebras and other inhabitants.
Selous
The largest park in Tanzania with an area of 54.6 thousand km². Here safari by air, jeep and boat are possible. There is a direct flight from Zanzibar here, so a busy safari can be comfortably combined with a luxurious beach holiday.
Who can you meet
Selous National Park is home to half of the elephants throughout Tanzania, as well as a huge population of crocodiles and lions. Often there are giraffe, hippo, buffalo, zebra, antelope.
More things to do besides safari
There is a large hunting reserve, separated from the safari zone. There are also good opportunities for rafting and fishing.
When to arrive
Each national park has its own characteristics, but in general, the whole year can be divided into 3 periods:
June – October. The most comfortable time is when the weather is dry and clear. It can be cold at night and at dawn: in Ngorongoro, temperatures can drop to 0 ° C. At this time, there is a huge concentration of animals, and the grass is dry, low and does not block the inhabitants of the savannah from the views of tourists.
