Northern Circuit - Destinations
Arusha National Park
It is the closest national park to Arusha town – northernTanzania safari capital – and offers the opportunity to explore different habitats within a few hours.
The shadowy montane forest is inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys and colourful turacos and trogons. In the midst of the forest stands the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater, whose steep cliffs enclose a wide marshy floor dotted with herds of buffalo and warthog.
The tranquil beauty of the Momela Lakes sometimes host thousands of flamingos, the lakes support a rich selection of resident and migrant waterfowl, and shaggy waterbucks display their large lyre-shaped horns on the watery fringes.
The landscape is dominated by the peak of Mt. Meru, Tanzania second highest mountain, while on clear days the snow-capped cone of Mt. Kilimanjaro is visible about 50 km away.
Tarangire National Park
With its two thousand six hundred square kilometers, Tarangire is a different habitat to the other northern parks It is 30 km across (18 miles), from east to west, and 100 km across (62 miles), from north to south.
Considered a Park of giants, Tarangire is home to huge baobab trees and large herds of elephants, as well as lions, leopards, antelopes, gazelles, wildebeests, zebras, buffalo, and about five hundred species of birds, both resident and migrant, the highest concentration in Tanzania
The center of life is the Tarangire River itself, which during the dry season along with the Silale Marsh, becomes the only source of water, thus attracting large numbers of animals.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara, below the Rift Valley escarpment, is home to various habitats despite its small area (330 sq km/205 sq miles), of which two hundred are occupied by the lake. They range from dense forests fed by springs that emerge at the foot of the Rift Valley to savannahs and wetlands. Some of the wildlife include bushbuck, baboon, buffalo, badger, elephant, giraffe, warthog, and zebra. Some of the predator species include African wild cat, African golden cat, bat-eared fox, Cheetah, civet, hyena, jackal, lion, and leopard.
One of the unique features of the park’s wildlife, Lake Manyara is home to tree-climbing lions. The buffalo are plentiful with herds reaching over 300 being recorded.
Lake Manyara National Park is renowned for the abundance of flamingos. There is an estimated 1.9 million flamingo that leverages the shallow alkaline lake for feeding on algae. There is another large population of varied water birds making the collective population of around 2.5 million water birds. There are over 30 different predator species of birds found in the park. Road from Arusha to Ngorongoro and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara National Park is definitely worth a visit.
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area covers 8,000 square kilometers (5,000 square miles), The Conservation Area is home to different ecosystems which include rainforests, mountain grasslands, and vast plains bordering the Serengeti National Park as well as the famous Ngorongoro Crater.
The Ngorongoro Crater is a breathtaking natural wonder that is about 20 kilometers across, 600 meters deep, and 300 square kilometers in size. The Ngorongoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous sites, with the highest density of wildlife in the continent. The Crater, sometimes referred to as the “eighth wonder of the world,”. The Ngorongoro Crater is the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world. It is home to approximately 30,000 animals at any given time, forming a spectacular bowl of about 265 square kilometers with sides up to 600 meters deep. The rim of the Crater is over 2,200 meters high and has its own climate
The Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best places in Tanzania to see the critically endangered Black Rhino, as a small population thrives in this idyllic and protected environment. It is currently one of the few remaining areas where they can breed in the wild. You can also expect to see leopards and magnificent black-maned lions here. Many flamingos are also drawn to Lake Magadi’s soda waters.
Serengeti National Park
The Serengeti National Park is without a doubt the most well-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unparalleled in terms of natural beauty and scientific value, and it has the highest concentration of plains game in Africa. Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park was established in 1952. The park is larger than Connecticut, covering 5,700 square miles (14,763 square kilometers), It is the site of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacle, the great migration of wildebeest and zebra. The resident lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, and bird populations are also impressive
The Park is divided into three sections. The popular southern/central part (Seronera Valley) is known as the Maasai “serengit,” or “land of endless plains.” It’s typical savannah, dotted with acacias and teeming with wildlife. The Grumeti River runs through the western corridor, which has more forests and dense bush. The least visited section is in the north, where Lobo meets Kenya’s Masai Mara Reserve.
The Serengeti is perhaps best known for its migration. During the short rains in October and November, over a million wildebeest and 200,000 zebras flow south from the northern hills to the southern plains, then swirl west and north after the long rains in April, May, and June. The ancient instinct to move is so strong that no drought, gorge, or crocodile-infested river can stop them.The wildebeest migrate through a variety of parks, reserves, and protected areas, as well as habitat
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro National Park is located in Tanzania along the northern border shared with Kenya. It covers an area of 652 square miles (1,688 sq km) which includes the montane forest that surrounds Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the 7 Natural Wonders of Africa and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Kilimanjaro National Park is home to Mount Kilimanjaro which is the tallest mountain in Africa and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.
Mount Kilimanjaro and the surrounding national park area is unique compared to most national parks because almost all ecosystems are accounted for from the area between the base and summit.
Wildlife is not abundant in this area; however, elephants, leopards, and buffalo may be seen in the montane forest. These sightings are not something to anticipate with a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. One of the fun wildlife sightings is the western black and white colobus monkeys as they jump from tree to tree.
