Tanzania is home to beautiful national parks filled with endless wildlife and painted with picturesque sceneries! It’s one of the top safari destinations in Africa where you can sit back, relax and observe the beauty of nature around you!
Here are the top 7 national parks in Tanzania that are worth visiting:
Serengeti is one of the top safari destinations in Africa. It is home to The Great Migration of Serengeti, a wonderful natural phenomenon in which millions of herbivores (like wildebeests and zebras) migrate from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara and vice versa. Watching the Great Migration is an exceptional experience. You get to witness the majesty of nature itself!
Highlights:
However, the park gets crowded during the peak tourist season!
Best time to visit: January to February (best time to view predators) and June to October (best time to view The Great Migration)
Wildlife: The Big 5, hippos, zebras, wildebeests, cheetahs, hyenas, African wild dogs, and over 500 bird species.
Home to about 11 ecosystems, Lake Manyara National Park is one of the most rewarding safari destinations in Tanzania. Lake Manyara National Park is known for its tree-climbing lions! That’s right, you’ll get to see lions climbing trees! They are cats, after all. The hundreds of thousands of flamingoes that line the lake itself are also worth mentioning. This National Park is also the best place to go if you want to watch elephants up close!
Highlights:
Since this park is also part of the northern safari circuit, it gets crowded during peak season.
Best time to visit: July to October (for viewing wildlife) and November to April (for flamingoes and birdwatching)
Wildlife: Elephants, tree-climbing lions, flamingoes, lions, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, African wild dogs, cheetahs, and over 300 species of birds.
Part of the southern Safari circuit, Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. Ruaha is known for its large population of the critically endangered African wild dogs. In fact, it’s home to the third-largest population of African wild dogs in the world! You can also spot antelopes and striped hyenas that are rarely seen in other parts of Tanzania. Ruaha offers excellent wildlife viewing.
Highlights:
Best time to visit: July to October
Wildlife: elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, zebras, wildebeests, lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, African wild dogs, greater kudus, lesser kudus, sable antelopes, impalas, and black-backed jackals.
Set about 2 hours away from Arusha, Tarangire National Park is known for its picturesque scenery and diverse wildlife. Tarangire is home to over 500 wildlife species. Its ancient baobab trees give it a characteristically beautiful landscape.
Highlights:
Tarangire National Park also gets crowded during the peak season.
Best time to visit: June to October (for wildlife) and November to May (for birds)
Wildlife: Elephants, giraffes, hippos, buffaloes, lions, zebras, wildebeests, hyenas, and occasionally, cheetahs, leopards and African wild dogs.
Katavi is an untouched gem of Tanzania where you get exclusivity and privacy, at the expense of having to travel a long distance to reach this park. However, it’s totally worth it once you arrive! You get to spend exclusive time with nature, away from the crowds.
Highlights:
Best time to visit: June to October
Wildlife: Elephants, giraffes, hippos, zebras, buffaloes, lions, leopards, hyenas and rarely, African wild dogs.
Mikumi National Park has a vast diversity of wildlife species. It’s less-frequented so it doesn’t get crowded either. Moreover, Mikumi National Park has excellent accommodation choices, giving you a luxurious holiday experience.
Highlights:
Best time to visit: June to October
Wildlife: giraffes, hippos, zebras, lions, spotted hyenas, elephants, wildebeests, and impalas.
Gombe Stream National Park offers wonderful trekking and chimpanzee tracking experiences! It’s not crowded and it’s a great place to observe our closest animal relatives. Lake Tanganyika is one of the highlights of this National Park. You can even swim in the lake!
Highlights:
Best time to visit: July to October
Wildlife: Chimpanzees, olive baboons, blue monkeys, red colobus monkeys, leopards, bushbucks, and white-tailed monkeys.
So, what are you waiting for? Visit these wonderful National Parks in Tanzania and have a great time! Explore Tanzania with Flightlink to get the best out of your trip!
KENYA, Mombasa: A photograph taken by the Ministry of East African Affairs, Commerce and Tourism (MEAACT), shows a general view of the Mombasa skyline opposite EnglishPoint Marina in Mombasa, 02 June 2015. The 4-acre ocean view EnglishPoint Marina represents an iconic landmark that overlooks the Mombasa skyline in a natural marina basin with a modern design and contemporary feel. The multi-million dollar marina resort features a 26-room hotel, conferencing facility, a roof-top restaurant, a casino, swimming pool, 96 serviced apartments including 8 penthouses seafront restaurant, gym and spa, as well as a boardwalk with retail outlets, water-sports centre and fully-serviced, 88-berth marina. MANDATORY CREDIT: MEAACT PHOTO / STUART PRICE.