_____AFRICAN SAFARIS_____
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The Serengeti national park covers an area of 5,700 sq miles (14,763 sq km) and takes its name from the Maasai “siringet” which means “endless plains”. The vast park has several different types of vegetation areas. To the north is an area of wooded grassland that follows the watercourses of the Mara and Grumeti rivers and their tributaries. The western corridor consists mainly of wooded highlands which stretch towards Lake Victori a. The south, around the Ngorongoro highlands, is much dryer and is made up predominately of short and long grass plains while in the center lays a swath of acacia savannah.
The Serengeti is justly famous for the great wildebeest migration where driven by the grass growth from the rains, over one and a quarter million wildebeest together with two hundred thousand zebra trek to new pastures. The Serengeti has a vast number of mammal species including elephant, lion, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, hippo, crocodile, rhino, zebra, giraffe, wildebeest, impala, Thomson’s gazelle, Grants gazelle, hartebeest, topi hyena, roan, Oryx, kudu, eland and many, many more. The birdlife of the Serengeti is profuse with over 500 species.
The Ngorongoro Crater with an area of 100 square miles (260 sq km) is in fact only a small part of this vast reserve which measures 3,154 square miles (8,280 sq km) – add the Serengeti, Maswa, Grumeti and Masai Mara and you have an area totaling more than 9,500 square miles (24,600 sq km) where wildlife migrates continuously. In addition to the incredible beauty of the crater itself – the first vision from the rim is unforgettable – it is remarkable to see so many animals together in a place of relatively modest size. The Rim of the Crater is 7,216 ft (2,200 m) above sea level and the bottom of the caldera is 1,968 ft (600 m) Most of the wildlife and birdlife found in the Crater is also found in the Serengeti.
Empakai Crater lies close to Ngorongoro Crater and is approximately 3.75 miles (6 km) in diameter with half of its surface occupied by a lake. No matter which direction you look, the view is magnificent. On a clear day you can see the Ol Donyo Lengai volcano, a part of Lake Natron and snow capped top of Kilimanjaro.
Tarangire national park covers an area of 988 square miles (2,558 sq km) and is located in the Masai Steppe near Lake Manyara, in the west Rift Valley. The climate is hot and humid with an astounding variety of vegetation – in particular the profusion of huge baobabs. Tarangire is a great place to visit in the dry season as huge processions of animals move to the Tarangire River, a permanent river in this dry area, to quench their thirst. It is also has a prolific amount of birdlife.
Lake Manyara national park is a charming little park located at the foot of the Rift Valley depression and is a total of 202 square miles (523 sq km). The lake, which is two thirds of the entire park, is home to many birds with more than 380 species recorded including flamingos, storks, pelicans, marabou, Egyptian geese, spoonbills, ibis and osprey. The park is also home to elephant, buffalo, hippo, lion and leopard. The forest, which covers most of the rest of the park contains acacia, euphorbia candelabra, crotons, sausage trees, baobab and giant fig trees.
Lake Eyasi, set in the western arm of the Great Rift Valley and lies at the foot of the escarpment, not far from Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro conservancy. It has a large lake with attractive scenery and is a refuge for many bird colonies. The views in this area, where the Masai plains sweep up to the wall of the Rift Valley escarpment, are particularly scenic as are the nearby extinct volcanoes.
Ruaha national park is located in central Tanzania in the western highlands of Iringa. It covers an area of 4,920 square miles (12,745 sq km) and takes its name from the Ruaha River, which winds through the eastern zone at the bottom of the Rift Valley. The valley of the Ruaha River is an extension of the Great Rift Valley and stretches for 100 miles (161 km) along the east, through rugged gorges and vast plains. The vegetational zones are diverse and include vast plains, marshes and dense forests and beyond the north valley huge baobab trees. In Ruaha, all the usual wildlife can be found in great numbers but it is also possible to see rarer wildlife such as the African wild dogs. The Ruaha national park is one of the best preserved parks of Tanzania.
Selous national reserve is located in the south of Tanzania, about 155 miles (250 km) from the capital, Dar-es-Salaam. Selous is the largest reserve in Africa at 20,900 square miles (54,130 sq km) which is roughly the size of Denmark! The Selous has the biggest river basin in East Africa, the Rufiji basin, and is crossed by many rivers and tributaries many of which feed this huge system. These rivers, the Great Ruaha, the Rufiji, the Kilombero and the Luwegu River and their surrounding areas with its abundance of water and variety of ecosystems and which contain savannah grasslands, forests, grasslands, marshes and rocky canyons are home to an abundance of wildlife. There are large concentrations of elephant with many impressively large herds. Boat trips on the Rufiji River are a pleasant way to view mammals and birds. Selous is accessed by scheduled flight to the northern part of the reserve.
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