OUR DESTINATIONS

Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar… The names roll off the tongue like a roster call of Africa’s most alluring destinations, all packed into one country. Resonating with hints of the wild and exotic, these four alone are reason enough to justify packing your bag and heading off to Tanzania. Yet, despite its attractions, Tanzania has managed for the most part to remain unassuming and low-key. It has also remained enviably untouched by the tribal rivalries and political upheavals that plague many of its neighbors, and this – combined with a booming tourism industry – makes it an ideal choice for both first-time visitors and Africa old hands. Tanzania offers travelers an array of options, set against the backdrop of a cultural mosaic in which over 100 ethnic groups amicably rub shoulders. With their characteristic warmth and politeness, it is they who will inevitably wind up being the highlight of any visit. Chances are that you’ll want to come back for more, to which most Tanzanians will say ‘karibu tena’ (welcome again).

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

 The Serengeti ecosystem is one of the oldest on earth. The essential features of climate, vegetation and fauna have barely changed in the past million years. Early man himself made an appearance in Olduvai Gorge about two million years ago. Some patterns of life, death, adaptation and migration are as old as the hills themselves.

It is the migration for which Serengeti is perhaps most famous. Over a million wildebeest and about 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains for the short rains every October and November, and then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May and June. So strong is the ancient instinct to move that no drought, gorge or crocodile infested river can hold them back.

The Wildebeest travel through a variety of parks, reserves and protected areas and through a variety of habitat. Join us to explore the different forms of vegetation and landscapes of the Serengeti ecosystem and meet some of their most fascinating inhabitants.

THE SERENGETI GREAT WILDEBEEST MIGRATION

The annual migration of giant herds of grazers across northern Tanzania and Southern Kenya is a truly spectacular event. Over two million wildebeest, zebras and gazelles move through the Serengeti and Masai Mara ecosystems in a regular pattern. This is one of the greatest spectacles in the natural world.

As with anything in nature, the actual day-to-day pattern is unpredictable. But as a general guide:

December to April Huge numbers of wildebeest, zebra and gazelles spread over the Southern Plains. Wildebeest calving takes place throughout February. The advent of rain brings with it an influx of game, flowers and migratory birds.

May to June the migration moves north with front-runners stretching out to the Western Corridor and the centre of the park. At the end of May there are wildebeest herds spread from the Western corridor through the heart of the park to the north of Serengeti, arriving in the Kogatende area in July.

At this time, herds can be anywhere from the Western corridor through to the Eastern side of the park. Splinter herds will break from the main herds, covering huge areas in their search for fresh grasses.

August to October the herds are in the Northern Serengeti at Kogatende as well as in Kenya’s Masai Mara. Expect constant crossing and re-crossing of the Mara River, according to rain patterns.

October to December In late October the herds start heading south towards the fertile lands of the Ndutu plains where the rains will have rejuvenated the grasses. At this time of the year the location of the groups is dictated by the rain.

As the migration depends on the rain patterns, timing can vary considerably so dual camp locations can be a major benefit.

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

It is the vast number of baobabs that first capture the eye as you enter Tarangire National Park. The gently rolling countryside is dotted with these majestic trees, which seem to dwarf the animals that feed beneath them. The park is spectacular in the dry season when many of the migratory wildlife species come back to the permanent waters of Tarangire River. Huge herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, eland and oryx gather to stay in Tarangire until the onset of the rains when they migrate again to good grazing areas.

Tarangire National Park covers approximately 2,600 square kilometers and, in the dry season, is second only to Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area in concentrations of wildlife. Tarangire lies to the south of the large, open grass plains of southern Maasailand, and derives its name from the Tarangire River, which provides permanent water for wildlife in the area.

Most animals leave the area near the Tarangire River at the beginning of the short rainy season in October/November. The first to move are the numerous wildebeest and zebras, soon followed by Grant's and Thomson's gazelles, buffaloes, eland, elephants, oryx and hartebeest. Only the resident species, which include waterbuck, impalas, warthogs, dikdiks, giraffes, rhinos and lesser kudus stay behind.

The second rainy season begins in March and at its peak the Tarangire animals are spread over an area of more than 20,500 sq/km of Maasai country. At the beginning of June the long rains end, the Maasai steppe dries up rapidly and the migratory species return to the Tarangire River.

Over 300 species of birds have been recorded in the Park, some of them Eurasian migrants that are present from October to April. More ardent bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the dazzlingly colorful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat drabber rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah of north-central Tanzania.

Disused termite mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose, and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves by their loud, clockwork-like duetting. Tarangire's pythons climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.

LAKE MANYARA

Stretching for 50km along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment, Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”. The compact game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the Tanzanian safari experience.

From the entrance gate, the road winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge nonchalantly along the roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows, and outsized forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high canopy. And well hidden in the trees are the famous tree climbing lions of  the park watching your every move.

Contrasting with the intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes. Large buffalo, wildebeest and zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes – some so dark in coloration that they appear to be black from a distance.

Inland of the floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favored haunt of Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked elephants. Squadrons of banded mongoose dart between the acacias, while the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik forages in their shade. Pairs of klipspringer are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a field of searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the lakeshore in the far south of the park.

Manyara provides the perfect introduction to Tanzania’s bird life. More than 400 species have been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Highlights include thousands of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other large waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.

NGORONGORO CRATER

The Ngorongoro Crater is often called ‘Africa’s Eden’ and the ’8th Natural Wonder of the World’.  Within the crater rim, large herds of zebra and wildebeest graze nearby while sleeping lions laze in the sun. At dawn, the endangered black rhino returns to the thick cover of the crater forests after grazing on dew-laden grass in the morning mist. Just outside the crater’s ridge, tall Masaai herd their cattle and goats over green pastures through the highland slopes, living alongside the wildlife as they have for centuries.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes its eponymous famous crater, Olduvai Gorge, and huge expanses of highland plains, scrub bush, and forests that cover approximately 8300 square kilometers. A protected area, only indigenous tribes such as the Masaai are allowed to live within its borders. Lake Ndutu and Masek, both alkaline soda lakes are home to rich game populations, as well as a series of peaks and volcanoes and make the Conservation Area a unique and beautiful landscape. Of course, the crater itself, actually a type of collapsed volcano called a caldera, is the main attraction. Accommodation is located on its ridges and after a beautiful descent down the crater rim, passing lush rain forest and thick vegetation, the flora opens to grassy plains throughout the crater floor. The game viewing is truly incredible, and the topography and views of the surrounding Crater Highlands out of this world.

The Ngorongoro Crater and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are without a doubt some of the most beautiful parts of Tanzania, steeped in history and teeming with wildlife. Besides vehicle safaris to Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge, and surrounding attractions, hiking treks through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are becoming increasingly popular options. Either way you choose to visit, the Crater Highlands are an unforgettable part of the Tanzanian experience.

MOUNT KILIMANJARO

Kilimanjaro, by any name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. Once you see it with your own eyes, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the African continent, it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world, rising in breath-taking isolation from the surrounding coastal scrubland to an imperious 5,895 meters (19,336 feet).

Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible summits, a beacon for visitors from around the world. Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. And those who reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates.

But there is so much more to Kilimanjaro than its summit. The ascent of the slopes is a virtual climatic world tour, from the tropics to the Arctic. Even before you cross the national park boundary at the 2,700 meter contour, the cultivated footslopes give way to lush montane forest, inhabited by elusive elephant, leopard, buffalo, the endangered Abbot’s duiker, and other small antelope and primates. Higher still lies the moorland zone, where a cover of giant heather is studded with otherworldly giant lobelias.

Above 4,000 meter, a surreal alpine desert supports little life other than a few hardy mosses and lichen. Then, finally, the last vestigial vegetation gives way to a winter wonderland of ice and snow--and the magnificent beauty of the roof of the continent.

LAKE NATRON & OLDONYIO LENGAI

Located in the Ngorongoro Highlands both of these areas are hauntingly beautiful places to visit. Maasai villages surround both the mountain and the lake and when visiting these communities, one feels like stepping back in time as here life has changed little.

Lake Natron is a salt lake located in northern Tanzania, close to the Kenyan border, in the eastern branch of the East African Rift. The lake is fed by the Southern Ewaso Ng'iro River and also by mineral-rich hot springs. It is quite shallow, less than three meters (9.8 ft) deep, and varies in width depending on its water level, which changes due to high levels of evaporation, leaving behind a mixture of salts and minerals called natron. The surrounding country is dry and receives irregular seasonal rainfall. The lake falls within the Lake Natron Basin Wetlands of International Importance Ramsar Site. Temperatures in the lake can reach 60 °C (140 °F), and depending on rainfall, the alkalinity can reach a pH of 9 to 10.5 (almost as alkaline as ammonia).

Oldoinyo Lengai means “The Mountain of God” in the Maasai language. The summit of this strato-volcano is 2962m above sea level, and affords direct views into the caldera of Tanzania’s only officially-certified active volcano, and the world’s only carbonatite volcano; records of eruptions have been maintained since 1883, the largest of which deposited ash 100 kilometers away in Loliondo on the Kenyan border to the north west.

Recent volcanic activity began on 12th July 2007 with daily tremors in Kenya and Tanzania, the strongest of which measured 6.0 on the Richter scale. The mountain finally erupted on September 4, 2007, sending a plume of ash and steam at least 18km downwind and covering the north and west flanks in fresh lava flows. The eruption continued intermittently into 2008, with a major outburst taking place on March 5 2008, and smaller eruptions on 8 and 17 April 2008; activity continued until late August 2008. Eruptions occurred again in October 2010.

A visit to the summit of Oldoinyo Lengai in February 2012 revealed extensive crack development across the summit, accompanied by significant gaseous release.  Intermittent noises were detected from the ash pit, and large extents of the rock-studded pavement resounded hollow on percussion, suggesting gaseous build-up beneath the pavement.

ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK

Arusha National Park covers Mount Meru, a prominent volcano with an elevation of 4566 m, in the Arusha Region of north eastern Tanzania. 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 in the south-east is grassland. The shallow alkaline Momella Lakes in the north-east have varying algal colours and are known for their wading birds.
Mount Meru is the second highest peak in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, which is just 60 km away and forms a backdrop to views from the park to the east.  Arusha National Park has a rich variety of wildlife,  and despite the small size of the park, common animals include giraffe, Cape buffalo, zebra, warthog, the black-and-white colobus monkey, the blue monkey, flamingo, elephant, lion and many other African animals. Leopard populations are present, but rarely seen. Birdlife in the forest is prolific, with many forest species more easily seen here than elsewhere on the tourist route - Narina trogon and bar-tailed trogon are both possible highlights for visiting birders, whilst the range of starling species provide somewhat less gaudy interest.

ZANZIBAR

Take a deep breath of fresh Indian Ocean air. Relax and unwind on one of Zanzibar's white sand beaches. Discover this island steeped in legend and mystery, an evocation of the exotic. You may choose to simply relax at a resort, enjoying the warmth of the African sun and the soothing sound of the waves, or you can explore Stone Town, a city rich in history and culture.

Zanzibar, the majestic spice island of the Indian Ocean. Over centuries different cultures have influenced Zanzibar to become what it is today. Sumerians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, Indians, Chinese, Persians, Portuguese, Omani Arabs, Dutch and British have settled here at one time or another and influenced the local culture into the present fusion. It is famous for its clove production and its channels offer some of the best diving experiences in East Africa.