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This park has three distinct zones: Ngurdoto Crater (often called the 'mini-Ngorongoro');
the shallow alkaline Momella Lakes fed by underground streams (upon which rest
thousands of lesser and greater flamingoes, and many migrant birds can be seen
between May and October); and the densely forested slopes of Mount Meru (one of
the rewarding mountains to climb in Africa and where, among other animal
species, live blue monkeys and beautiful black and white colobus monkeys). Other
attractions in the park include the elephant, giraffe, buffalo, zebra, hippo,
various antelopes, leopard and hyena. The park is 21 km from Arusha on the main
Arusha to Moshi road. A network of gravel roads and tracks navigable by two
wheel-drive vehicle link the park's main features and viewing points.
Nevertheless, a few roads require 4WD vehicles. [IPS]
Accommodations:
in Arusha town:
- Dik Dik Hotel
- Impala Hotel
- Mountain Village Lodge
- Novotel Mount Meru Hotel
Located a few kilometers north of Kigoma , on the western part of Tanzania,
is the smallest but one of the best known of Tanzania's National Park’s made
famous for its primates and the research center of world renowned Dr. Jane
Goodall. Gombe Stream consists of a narrow mountainous strip of country
stretching along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika and running inland about 5
km to the peaks of the mountain range forming the rift escarpment. The thick
gallery forests of the valley and lower slopes, and the open deciduous woodland
on the upper slopes.are the few places where chimpanzees can still be found in
their natural habitat. Since 1960, Dr. Jane Goodall and colleagues have studied
the primates here. Other primates which may be seen in the park include: Baboon,
Red Colobus Monkey, and Blue Monkey. and the birdlife include the African and
the trumpeter hornbills, Ross's turaco, pied and giant kingfishers, and the
crowned eagle. Access to the park is only by water vessel from either Kigoma or
Ujiji. [IPS]
Accommodations:
- Guest House and "hostel" which consists of several huts (bring
all provisions)
This remote and difficult park to reach (strictly recommended for those of an
adventurous spirit) lies on a high flood plain surrounding Lake Kitavi, to the
south of the Mahale Mountains. The main vegetation found here is the Miombo
woodland. It has a wide variety of wildlife (crocodile, hippo, leopard, lion,
roan and sable antelopes, southern reedbuck, topi, eland, elephant, and one of
the largest herds of buffalo, with as many as 1,600 animals) and offers
excellent game viewing with a real wilderness atmosphere. The diverse woodland,
acacia bush, lakes and swamps have attracted over 400 species of birds,
including large flocks of pelicans. Other attractions are Lakes Katavi and Chada,
which are joined by the River Katuma. The best months to visit are July to
October. [IPS]
Accommodations:
- Designated camp sites within the park
Hotels and lodges are at Mpanda, 40 km north
This relatively small park is divided into five distinct vegetation zones:
ground-water forest, marshland and reed beds, open grasslands and acacia
woodland. In a single day, a visitor may see elephant, buffalo, zebra, hippo and
the curious lions which have a habit of resting in trees. Sheltering under the
massive escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, and covering an area of 325 sq. km,
this park is a flash of green amid an otherwise parched landscape. A line of
springs support the lush vegetation of a groundwater forest, where blue monkeys,
baboons and the curious-looking silvery-cheeked hornbill live, among the more
than 350 bird species, the most profuse being the flamingo. [IPS]
Also known as Lake Malawi, Lake Nyasa is the most southerly of the Rift
Valley lakes and is also, biologically, the most diverse. For example, the lake
contains 30 per cent of the world's cichild species - colorful fish easily
observed in the clear water. [IPS]
The lake is the longest fresh water lake in the world (677km), and the second
deepest (1433m), with over 250 species of fish. Its great age, isolation and
stability have made it a marvelous evolutionary storehouse. Nearly all of the
lake's cichlids are unique as are some species of crabs, mollusks and
crustaceans. All these make it a truly remarkable biological habitat. [IPS]
Africa's largest and the world's second largest freshwater lake, this lake
supports fishing communities along its shores as well as commercial operations.
[IPS]
Located at Ujiji on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, where Stanley is reputed
to have met Livingstone and given the famous greeting "Dr. Livingstone, I
presume". The Mahale Mountains, like Gombe, are one of the last natural
home to chimpanzees and are rich in birdlife. The park is a unique ecological
zone with lowland forest, Miombo and open woodlands, moist and dry Savannah
grasslands. Wildlife in the park includes primates, kudu, eland, roan and sable
antelopes, giraffe, buffalo, elephant, lion and leopard. Access is by boat or
plane, both of which are available for charter. There are no roads and all game
viewing is done on foot. It is virtually the only Tanzanian park where you can
walk around. [IPS]
Located astride the main Dar to Mbeya highway, to the north of Selous Game
Reserve and only 283 km from Dar-es-Salaam, the park is an important educational
center for students of ecology and conservation, having been established to
protect the environment and resident animals. The Mikumi flood plain is the main
feature of the park along with the bordering mountain ranges. It has a landing
strip and is home to, among others, the buffalo, zebra, giraffe, lion, wild
dogs, python, monitor lizard, hartebeest, wildebeest, elephant hippo, impala,
warthog, eland and antelope. Birds include the hammerkop, saddle-bill stork, and
the malachite kingfisher. The vegetation is made up of woodland, grassland and
swamp. There are two water holes, Mkata and Chamgore. [IPS]
The snow-covered splendor of the highest mountain in Africa is visible on a
clear day from more than 250 kms away. Kilimanjaro rises from the vast open
plains. First mentioned by Ptolemeus (a 2nd Century Greek philosopher and
geographer), the largest mountain in Africa and highest free standing mountain
in the world, has proved a magnet to climbers, naturalists, travelers and
explorers over the centuries. Only three degrees from the equator, the
Victorians believed Kilimanjaro's snow to be a flight of fancy for many years.
Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa and stands at 5,895 meters,
three degrees south of the equator. The mountain, a dormant volcano, has two
peaks - Kibo and Mawezi, which are surrounded by dense forests full of dazzling
variety of flora and fauna. [IPS]
Ngorongoro Crater / Ngorongoro Conservation Area
This vast protected area stretches from Lake Natron (the breeding ground for
East Africa's flamingos) in the northeast, to Lake Enyasi in the south, and Lake
Manyara to the east. Eight million years ago, the Ngorongoro Crater was an
active volcano but its cone collapsed, forming the crater that is 610 meters
deep, 20 kilometers in diameter, and covers an area of 311 sq. km. Spectacular
as it is, the crater accounts for just a tenth of the Ngorongoro Conservation
Area. The crater is home to many species of wild game and birds. With the
exception of impala and topi (due to fierce competition with the wildebeest) and
the giraffe (because there is not much to eat at tree level), almost every
species of African plains mammal lives in the crater, including the endangered
black rhino, and the densest population of predators in Africa. A strange thing
is that the crater elephants are mainly bulls. The birdlife, which includes the
flamingo, is mainly seasonal, and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh
water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor. Views from the rim of the crater are
sensational. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers,
woodland and mountains. You can descend to the floor of the crater in a
four-wheel drive vehicle. Only 4WD vehicles are allowed into the crater and game
rangers are compulsory for all. [IPS]
Olduvai, more accurately called Oldupai after the wild sisal in the area, is
situated near the Ngorongoro Crater and is the site of some of the most
important finds of early hominid fossils of all time (made famous by the work of
the Leakey family) - The "Nutcra |
