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TANZANIA
NATIONAL PARKS AND RESERVES
Tanzania is
the country that conjures up an aura of mystery,
romance and contrast. The plight of many tourists
is desperate but filled with hope of seeing the
wonders of the world. This dream is realized and
fulfilled once a visit is made to either the
Ngorongoro Crater, climb the snow capped Mt.
Kilimanjaro, visit the Olduvai Gorge - described
as the Craddle of Mankind or even photograph
hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and Zebras
with unshakable resolve to reach the sweet grass
across as they plunge into the swollen river and
face the flotilla of crocodiles.
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
The Serengeti (14,500
sq.kms/5,600 sq.m) is undoubtedly the most famous
wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for
its natural beauty and the greatest concentration
of plain game anywhere. It lies between the shores
of Lake Victoria in the East and Kenya's
"Serengeti" - the Maasai Mara, to the northwest.
Hills rising out of the seemingly endless plain,
riversand small lakes, magnificent rocky outcrops
and the occasional swamp all add to the park's
fascination.
In addition to the vast herds of wildebeest,
Zebra, Thomson's Gazelle and other plain game, the
Serengeti is reknown for its lion and other plain
predators, including the wild dog, spotted hyena
and jackal. Leopard may often be seen along the
Seronera River. The wealth of bird and water fowl.
During May and June, or sometimes earlier, Lake
Ndutu at the foot of the Ngorongoro highlands is
the starting point for one of the great natural
wonders nature, the serengeti migration. Nearly
two million wildebeest and a quarter of a million
Zebra move in winding columns several miles in
length towards the Maasai Mara to the north and
west.
View
Larger Map
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
This National Park is 32km
away from Arusha town, which as an area of 137sq
kms and was described by Sir Julian Huxley as " a
game amongst parks". Arusha National Park, often
overlooked, is in fat a treasure, a rich tapestry
of habitats, teeming with animals and birds. It
consists of three spectacular features - the
Ngurdoto Crater, the tranquil beauty of the Momela
Lakes, and the rocky alpine height of Mount Meru,
where the terrain of the peak is as varied as it
is interesting.
The best time to visit Arusha National Park is
during the dry season from July-November, or after
the short rains from December-March. The best time
to climb Mount Meru is from June-February, and the
best views of Mount Kilimanjaro seen from
December-February. Mount Meru, is 4566 meters high
scaling can be made through a variety of
landscapes, plains, forest moorland, and a lava
desert, it is compulsory to be accompanied by am
armed game warden because if wild animals. The
best month to climb Mount Meru is from
July-February.
MOUNT MERU
Apart from organizing
treks on Mount Kilimanjaro and Kenya, we also plan
for mount Meru trek in Arusha. Like Mount
Kilimanjaro and Kenya; Mount Meru is a volcanic
mountain with the height of 4566m, (14,000 ft)
altitude above sea level. It can be conquered with
a little bit hardship in three days. A four day
ascent is however achieved with less hardship and
this is highly recommended for a hiker who wants
to attempt this mountain to the summit. If you
plan to conquer the highest point of Africa-Uhuru
Peak / Hans Mayer Peak, you may consider Mount
Meru in order to shape your body in attaining your
goal. The hiking is very exciting as you
experience many things on your way up including
games such as Giraffes, buffalos, warthogs,
Zebras, Monkeys and birds.
Mt. Meru (4,566 m.) is the
second highest mountain in Tanzania and a much
underrated mountain to climb because of its close
proximity to Kilimanjaro. It is a horseshoe-shaped
volcanic crater with a spectacularly narrow ridge
and superb all round views. The cliffs of the
inner wall below the summit are over 1500 m. high,
and inside the caldera is a subsidiary peak called
the Ash Cone (3,670 m.) that last erupted only 100
years ago. There is an immense variety of tree and
plant life, adding considerably to the interest of
the trek.
Mt. Meru is part of Arusha
National Park, and the lower slopes of the
mountain shelter a variety of wildlife. The routes
below Miriakamba Hut are more like walking safaris
than mountain climbs and our guide is an informed
and armed park ranger (in case we get too close to
some of the animals!). You are almost certain to
see buffaloes, warthogs, monkeys, and a variety of
birdlife. Giraffe and elephant are also quite
common. Accommodation is the two well maintained
wooden huts that have spectacular views of
Kilimanjaro rising above the clouds. The climb of
Mt. Meru is very much justified on its own merits
but is also a great way to get acclimatized for
Kilimanjaro. The view of Kilimanjaro from Meru ,
and that of Meru crater itself, gives plenty of
inspiration for another mountain
climb!
Though often ignored in
favour of its big sister, Kilimanjaro, Mount Meru
is a worthy trekker's paradise. This massive
volcano towers over 3,000 meters above Arusha
town, which lies at its foot on its south side.
The mountain endured a violent explosion about 200
million years ago. In its wake the explosion left
towering cliffs in a gaping U shaped ridge on the
eastern side. Today the crater stands in a
protected amphitheatre of a sort, thousands of
feet below the summit rocks.
The craggy top lies at the western most point of
the summit ridge and juts boldly into the sky at
4566 mt. (14,979 feet). From the top, one can look
out at Kilimanjaro from the highest perch
possible.. Perhaps there is no better vantage
point to gaze at Africa's highest mountain,
approximately 80 kilometres to the northeast. The
trail to the summit follows the northern rim of
the natural amphitheatre which forms Meru Crater.
The trail skirts the ridgeline, and above the
Saddle (between the summit and Little Meru Peak
(12,533 ft / 3,820 metres). The route is quite
steep, with sections of rock scrambling on one
side. At the summit, the cliffs drop almost 1200
meters to the crater floor.
NGORONGORO CRATER
Indisputably one of
Africa's true wonders of nature and an
extraordinary place of haunting beauty, with its
grand majestic mountain ring and lake, pinkly
shimmering in the blue grey haze. Ngorongoro
covers an area of (264km/102m) and is the largest
intact caldera in the world, its enduring charm
stems from its overwhelming physical beauty and
the abundance of wildlife permanently resident on
the crater floor. The beautiful Rosy-breasted
Longclaw, waders and flamingo can be seen around
the lake, whilst on the crater rim the Abyssinian
Nightjar is often seen at dusk.
OLDUVAI GORGE
Between Ngorongoro Crater
and the Serengeti National Park lies Olduvai
Gorge. This remote spot has become famous as the
archeological site where Dr Mary Leakey, in 1959,
discovered Ausralopithecus Boisei, the fossil
skull of early man dated 1.75 million years ago.
Remains of prehistoric elephant, enormous ostrich
and giant-horned sheep have been painstakingly
unearthed in the high gorge wall, and there is an
excellent small museum, which explains the
significance of the geology, fossils and
artifacts.
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
In earlier years, Lake
Manyara (318Km/ 123m) was a famous hunting ground,
now it is one of Tanzania's most attractive
sanctuaries. Nestling into the steep Rift Valley
wall, its shallow alkaline lake is surrounded by
ancient baobabs, ground water forest of fig and
mahogany and open grassland. Buffalo feed in the
forest, zebra and wildebeest wander in small
group, whilst elephants and the famous tree
climbing lions sprawling indolently overhead,
enchant all visitors to this park. Birdlife is
prolific, with breeding colonies of pink- bellied
pelican, ibis, herons and egrets occurring when
conditions are favorable.
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
Originally a hunting
area, Tarangire lies just 60 km from Arusha, south
of Lake Manyara. It takes its name from the river
which runs through the Park and which attracts
elephant, buffalo, lion and the greater kudu.
Tarangire is the only home of the fringe eared
oryx in Tanzania. This is a smaller park,
particularly attractive because of the lack of
tourist vehicles. There is a privately run safari
lodge and a new Sopa Lodge.
SELOUS GAME RESERVE
Selous Game Reserve covers
over 50,000 square kilometers, it is the largest
game reserve in Africa, There are over 51,200
elephant, 109,000 buffalo and big herds of other
large and small animals found in Africa, most
importantly, some wild dog the Selous is another
park with all this hyperbole which is desperately
unsold. Selous is one of those places that calls
you back, one of Africa's great parks for sure we
also think is one of the most subtle. Selous Game
Reserve is the place where people enjoy dosing off
to the sound of a fish eagle as much as they do
chasing around the bush in search of big game, the
winding Rufiji River, sunset over the Beho Beho
mountains is what makes Selous a special place,
especially when you compare it with the typical
race around the Northern Parks of Tanzania.
Unlike most of the other
major safari parks of Tanzania, Selous is at low
altitude. Being near to the coast, this means that
the climate of the area is similar to that
prevailing in coastal circuit, which is to say
that it is a typical tropical climate, hot and
humid all year round. In Selous there are over
789,000 major mammals, 40% of the total in
Tanzania and perhaps 9% of the total world
Elephant population.
Most of these elephant
spend their time in the inaccessible swamps which
occupy the majority of the park, but there are
usually plenty in the game-viewing areas to the
North as well as 2500 - 3500 lion, there are also
wildcat, servalcat, caracal and leopard, there are
also so many giraffe in some areas, additionally
the rivers play host to large populations of hippo
and crocodile, as well as an elusive population of
dugong down in the Rufiji delta
Selous Game Reserve was
first set aside as a wildlife reserve as early as
1905, the park takes its name from renowned hunter
and soldier Frederick Courtney Selous. In 1982 the
Selous Game Reserve was designated a World
Heritage Site. One of the most attractive aspects
of the Selous is the incredible diversity of the
environments within its ecosystem, miombo woodland
(deciduous hardwoodland), open grassland, rocky
acacia clad hills, palm woodland, seasonally
flooded sand rivers and swamps, lakes and riverine
forest. The miombo woodland, second in
biodiversity only to the rainforest, contains a
plethora of wonderful hardwood tree families such
as brachystegia, julbernadia, isoberlina,
pterocarpus (bloodwood), dalbergia (blackwood),
combretum (leadwood) in fact most of the 2,149
species of trees and plants that are found in the
reserve .
It is at its absolute
best in the 'green season' (December to June); all
the trees have new leaves and flowers; all the
grasses and shrubs are luscious and in bloom, and
consequently almost every flower, animal and bird
that it is possible to see in the Selous is there
in abundance as such the reserve is ecologically
one of the most important habitats in Africa,
The fact that Selous
remains a game reserve rather than a national park
is one of the main reasons that walking safari is
still permitted. This is fantastic news, because
to approach animals on foot is a completely
different experience than doing it in a vehicle. A
lot more scary for one, but very rarely dangerous
so long as you do what your guide says at all
times. Don't necessarily expect to see a great
variety of large game whilst out on a walk, you
usually don't cover enough ground for that, but
enjoy the detail of the flora and fauna, whilst
bearing in mind there might be a huge bull
elephant around the next corner. The park is
pretty seasonal, although as we always say, "there
is no bad time to be in the bush.
RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
Ruaha National Park covers
an area of 10,300 square kilometers, is the third
largest game conservation area after Selous and
Serengeti. Located in south central Tanzania, it
is a remote a wild place which is way off the
routes taken by most visitors to the country
receiving a paltry number of visitors each year.
In consequence Ruaha is
considered to be one of the great "undiscovered"
wilderness areas of East Africa, it is actually at
the heart of a much larger ecosystem, which
extends across the Rungwa and Kizigo game
conservation areas (hunting blocks), which totals
an area five times the size, the main feature of
the park is the Ruaha river, which rises in the
swamps to the south and sweeps north and eastward
through the park, turning back south and passing
through the Iringa Highlands in deep-cut gorges to
reach the Great Rufiji in the region of the Beho
Beho mountains in the western Selous, it is the
presence of this river which brings life to the
broad valleys that make up the main portion of the
park, sustaining the wildlife through the dry
season, along the northern border of the park runs
the Northern Escarpment.
Ruaha is a wonderful place to
visit, which if done correctly can offer some
superb game-viewing. One interesting little
feature down here is the little rope bridge
spanning one of the tributaries of the Ruaha,
which when in flood cuts off Ruaha River Lodge
from the airstrip and was thus installed to make
sure that guests could arrive and depart on
schedule. It is a pretty precarious affair.
Across the centre of the
park lies a seemingly endless swathe of
featureless dry scrub, made up of combretum and
comifora bushes ... which you may not have heard
of now, but you will get to know pretty well out
here. They are remarkable for their red flowers
and orange seed pods, which are the largest flying
seed pods that we've ever seen.
The
area immediately around the Jongomeru sand river
is a particulary nice section of mature riverine
woodland, which presumably plays host to a wide
variety of game. Unfortunately everything is so
shy down here that it legs it at the first sight
of you.One particular highlight in the
area is a good hippo pool, with a few dozen
chubby chaps and quite a few good sized crocs
too.
UDZUNGWA MOUNTAINS
Centered on 30o - 41oE
and 7o - 48oS, the park
falls in the Iringa and Morogoro Regions of
south-central Tanzania. the park is bordered by
the Great Ruaha River to the north and the
Mikumi-Ifakara Road to the east. Park Headquarters
are located at Mang'ula, 60km from Mikumi.
The area of the park is
1900km2 or 199,000 hectares.
The park is easily
included as part of a visit to Tanzania's southern
parks such as Mikumi and Ruaha. The park
gate is located at headquarters, 60km south of
Mikumi village on the Mikumi - Ifakara Road (see
map)
Designated areas of the
escarpment and rainforest are currently open to
visitors for hiking and climbing.
Self-contained
accommodation is available near the park gate at
the Twiga Resort. For those with camping
equipment, three campsites have been established
inside the park. Very basic supplies and a market
are available in Mang'ula village. You should
bring other supplies with you.
MIKUMI
NATIONAL PARK
Mikumi National Park is
located on the northern border of Africa's biggest
game reserve - the Selous - and is transected by
the surfaced road between Dar es Salaam and
Iringa. It is thus the most accessible part of a
75,000 square tract of wilderness that stretches
east almost as far as the Indian Ocean.
The open horizons and abundant wildlife of the
Mkata Floodplain, the popular centerpiece of
Mikumi, draw frequent comparisons to the more
famous Serengeti Plains.
Lions survey their grassy kingdom - and the zebra,
wildebeest, impala and buffalo herds that migrate
across it - from the flattened tops of termite
mounds, or sometimes, during the rains, from
perches high in the trees. Giraffes forage in the
isolated acacia stands that fringe the Mkata
River, islets of shade favoured also by Mikumi's
elephants.
Criss-crossed by a good circuit of game-viewing
roads, the Mkata Floodplain is perhaps the most
reliable place in Tanzania for sightings of the
powerful eland, the world's largest antelope. The
equally impressive greater kudu and sable antelope
haunt the miombo-covered foothills of the
mountains that rise from the park's borders.
More than 400 bird species
have been recorded, with such colourful common
residents as the lilac-breasted roller,
yellow-throated longclaw and bateleur eagle joined
by a host of European migrants during the rainy
season. Hippos are the star attraction of the pair
of pools situated 5km north of the main entrance
gate, supported by an ever-changing cast of
waterbirds.
About Mikumi National Park
Size: 3,230 sq km (1,250 sq miles), the
fourth-largest park in Tanzania, and part of a
much larger ecosystem centred on the uniquely vast
Selous Game Reserve.
Location: 283 km (175 miles) west of Dar es
Salaam, north of Selous, and en route to Ruaha,
Udzungwa and (for the intrepid) Katavi.
How to get there
A good surfaced road connects Mikumi to Dar es
Salaam via Morogoro, a roughly 4 hour drive.
Also road connections to Udzungwa, Ruaha and (dry
season only) Selous.
Charter flight from Dar es Salaam, Arusha or
Selous. Local buses run from Dar to park HQ where
game drives can be arranged.
What to do
Game drives and guided walks. Visit nearby
Udzungwa or travel on to Selous or Ruaha.
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