Tanzania Parks
Most importantly, when it comes to the best safaris in Tanzania, this country can be termed as the land of safaris, as it offers its guests an impressive 16 national parks to explore.
Northern Circuit
The northern circuit is the most popular circuit in Tanzania. In most cases, you will fly to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) or Arusha Airport (ARK) near Arusha, the gateway of the northern circuit.
Arusha
Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa’s most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, the city has a temperate climate due to its position on the slopes of Mount Meru.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a conservation area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 180 km west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. It’s 610 m (2,000 ft) deep and its floor covers 260 km2 (100 sq mi).
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park is the most photographed and filmed game reserves in Africa. With an incredibly dense population of wildlife and never-ending rolling plains, the Serengeti offers an authentic and idyllic wilderness safari.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara NP is a small park at the base of the Rift Valley escarpment. Its groundwater forest offers a nice change of scenery from the more savannah-dominated parks. Although the park is known for tree-climbing lions, the big cats are present, but not seen that easily.
Tarangire National Park
It lies a little distance to the south east of Lake Manyara and covers an area of approximately 2,850 square kilometers. The landscape and vegetation is incredibly diverse with a mix that is not found anywhere else in the northern safari circuit.
Southern Circuit
The ‘off-the-beaten-track’ character of the southern circuit makes for a holistic wilderness experience. It’s an excellent choice for a second safari on which marking off the Big Five is less of a concern. In most cases, you will fly into Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam
Selous Game Reserve
Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest wildlife reserves in the World, located in the south of Tanzania. The reserve covers a total area of 54,600 km2 and has additional buffer zones. Selous game reserve is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site due to its importance on wildlife conservation.
Mikumi National Park
The Mikumi National Park was established in 1964, currently covers an area of 3230 km² and is the fourth largest in the country. The fauna includes many species characteristic of the African savannah. According to local guides at Mikumi, chances of seeing a lion who climbs a tree trunk is larger than in Manyara
Ruaha National Park
Ruaha is now Tanzania’s largest national park. The main feature of the park is the Great Ruaha River, which attracts loads of animals in the dry season and offers excellent wildlife viewing. All big cats are regularly seen, and wild dogs are the star attraction. Elephants and a big variety of antelope species are another big draw to the park.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro is a dormant volcanic mountain in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa, and rises approximately 4,877 metres (16,001 ft) from its base to 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level. The mountain is part of the Kilimanjaro National Park and is a major climbing destination.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a highlight of any tour to Tanzania and a welcoming resting spot after those wild safari excursions. A speck in the Indian Ocean, Zanzibar is well known all over the world for two reasons. Firstly, the spices it produces have given it a nick-name as the ‘Spice Islands’, In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper
