SAFARIS IN SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
(LAND OF THE ENDLESS PLAINS)

Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is the safari destination that most people dream of. The grasslands of the park are a feature that has cemented the fame of this incredible part of the world. It is a classic savannah dotted with acacias and filled with wildlife.

This expansive savanna is the heart of the larger Serengeti ecosystem, which is defined by the area covered by the annual migration in north-central Tanzania. The park was established in 1951 and covers 5,700 square miles (14,763 square km) of some of the best grassland range in Africa, as well as extensive acacia woodland savanna. With elevations ranging from 3,020 to 6,070 feet (920 to 1,850 meters), Serengeti extends 100 miles (160 km) southeast from points near the shores of Lake Victoria and, in its eastern portion, 100 miles (160 km) south from the Kenya-Tanzania border. It is partly adjacent to the Kenya border and is northwest of the adjoining Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The entire ecosystem includes the Maswa Game Reserve in the south, Grumeti and Ikorongo Game Reserves in the east, Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya to the north, and Loliondo Game Controlled Area in the west. This entire ecosystem is intact and no barriers hamper the migration, making it the only place in Africa where vast land-animal migrations still take place.

Home to the Big Five (although rhinos are rarely seen), the park is particularly renowned for its predators – leopards, cheetahs, lions, and hyenas– which are regularly spotted. Serengeti also plays host to a dramatic spectacle of the most spectacular animal movement on the planet, “The Great Migration” The phenomenal Migration sees millions of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle traversing the open plains of the park in search of fresh grass from seasonal rains, moving northwards into the neighboring Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya, and then returning south to the Serengeti again. The dramatic scenes of huge herds on the move, crossing rivers and vast plains and pursued by predators looking for their next kill, are the stuff nature documentaries are made of.

The park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981, and home to one of the Seven Wonders of Africa. The sheer scope of the park means it can be explored in a single day or for weeks. Booking a safari to the continent’s best wildlife viewing experience is definitely a bucket list item.

SAFARIS IN NGORONGORO CRATER (AFRICAN EDEN)

A natural wonder of Africa.

Home to the densest concentration of wild animals in Africa, the Ngorongoro Crater is a natural wonder that needs to be seen to be believed. The safari experience begins as you wind your way down into the vast bowl of the collapsed caldera. You are immediately able to see vast herds of buffalo, wildebeest, gazelles, and zebra moving about apparently unphased by the stalking hyenas, the prowling lions, and the opportunistic jackals. Seeing these animals is easier at the Ngorongoro Crater than anywhere else in Tanzania, and you will want to begin your game drives as early in the morning as possible while the animals are still active.

The landscape of the Ngorongoro Crater makes it perfect for game drivers, and you are guaranteed to see large concentrations of game on any Ngorongoro safari. The mineral-rich floor of this spectacular bowl is largely flat, open, and covered in nutritious grasses – much to the liking of large herds of zebra and wildebeest, which graze here. These, in turn, attract predators. The wide-open expanse means that you can easily see the animals wandering across the valley of the crater. These extensive open plains are also home to herds of buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, and tsessebe (often called topi). In all, over 25,000 wild creatures call the Ngorongoro Crater home, and that is a whole lot of wild.

It is in the Ngorongoro Crater that you are most likely to see the entirety of the Big Five. Most commonly is the African buffalo as large herds are often seen marching across the crater floor in search of grazing or water. The least likely to be seen is the leopard, which is resident on the crater floor, but only in small numbers due to a lack of suitable habitat, and tends to be retiring and secretive. Breeding herds of elephant pass through the Ngorongoro Crater itself only rarely, though females and family herds do pass through from time to time. Ngorongoro Crater serves as something of a retirement ground for old elephant bulls. You will see a scattering of old bulls, including some of the biggest tuskers left alive in Africa today many of which sport outsized tusks. The Lerai Forest and the nearby Gorigor Swamp are the favored haunt of these mighty male tuskers, up to 70 of which are residents at any given time.

The high numbers of herbivores inside the crater support the densest populations of predators found anywhere in Africa. The reliable presence of these predators has helped make Ngorongoro Crater a popular safari attraction. Known to support a dense concentration of lions, the crater contains up to 100 permanent lion residents on the crater floor. One of the highest densities of lion prides on Earth. It would be unusual to spend a day in the crater and not see any lions. The lion population varies significantly over time, the one constant being their complete disregard of vehicles. They are generally very relaxed around vehicles, and they will hunt within yards of a vehicle, and when exhausted even seek shade beside them. Leopards are rarely inside the crater, but they are spotted higher up in the rainforests of the crater rim. There is also a small but growing number of cheetahs inside the crater, but they are mostly seen outside the crater in the Ndutu Area. Other predators are well represented too. Most populous being the Spotted hyenas often competing with the lions. Side-striped and the lovely golden jackal are often seen skulking around, whilst bat-eared foxes are a rarer sight.

As one of Africa’s premier safari destinations, Ngorongoro Crater is one of the best places in Tanzania to see the endangered black rhino. Here you will find East Africa’s best population of black rhinos and they are often seen in open grasslands. Seeing these majestic creatures for the first time feels like being taken back to the dinosaur age. With two large horns and a hooked upper lip, these creatures are a marvel to watch. Once brought to the brink of extinction, their populations have improved due to conservation efforts.

As part of the Serengeti ecosystem, it’s natural they share some of their magic. The legendary annual Great wildebeest migration also passes through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. More than 1 million ungulates move south into the area in December then head out north in June.  Inside the crater, wildebeests and zebras are commonly seen together and/or in the company of other grazers such as the diminutive Thomson’s gazelle, the larger and longer-horned Grant’s gazelle, and the rather doleful looking topi and Coke’s hartebeest). The only surprising absentees are impalas and giraffes. You won’t find any in the crater. It is thought that this is perhaps because of the lack of open woodlands and browsing species of trees that these two tend to thrive on. For the giraffes, it is also thought they can’t enter into the crater as the sides are too steep for them to walk down. However, you’ll still be able to find them around the crater.

Birds of Ngorongoro

It is not only mammals that reside in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. For friends of the winged ones, look no further. The birding is crazy good. The mixture of forest, canyons, grassland plains, lakes, and marshes provide habitats for a wide range of birdlife. Within the crater floor and the larger Ngorongoro Conservation Area, 550-plus bird species have been recorded.

Ostriches (the world’s largest bird), kori bustards (the world’s heaviest flying bird, known for its spectacular mating dance), secretary bird… You name it; the Ngorongoro Conservation Area will not disappoint. For casual visitors, the highlight is the large flocks of lesser and greater flamingo that aggregate in the primarily alkaline Lake Magadi, tinting its margins pink from a distance  The wet months from November to April witness the myriad migratory birds that take up residence at the pools. Moist grassland often supports flocks of the lovely grey crowned crane huge flocks of migrant white, black, and Adbim’s storks. Other common birds include ostriches, kori bustards, crowned cranes, white-backed vultures, black kites, cattle egrets, tawny eagles, augur buzzards, and many more.

SAFARI IN TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

“Diverse wildlife in scenic landscape”

Often overshadowed by the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire National Park has a healthy population of animals, both big and small. Except for the critically endangered black rhino, the park is home to all of Tanzania’s most iconic animals – from the diminutive dik-dik to the towering African elephants and giraffes that attract visitors from all around the world.

The park is a perfect introduction to an African safari experience, where you come incredibly close to so many four-legged giants. Particularly large numbers of elephant herds congregate here, with up to 3,000 in the park during the peak months, as do many wildebeest and zebra. There are also substantial populations of impala, giraffe, eland, and buffalo. Thompson’s gazelle, Coke’s hartebeest, and both greater and lesser kudu are found here. In addition to these popular animals, the park is also home to three endangered animals that can be found nowhere else in the country: the fringe-eared oryx with its graceful horns, the towering greater kudu, and the tiny Ashy Starling.

However, the ecosystem here is balanced by a localized migration pattern that is followed by the majority of the game that resides in and around the park. Between June and November of each year, the park plays host to a migration that, while not as impressive as the Serengeti’s legendary Wildebeest Migration, is nonetheless an impressive sight to see as thousands of wildebeests and zebras are joined by Thomson’s gazelles, elands, hartebeests, and impalas.

There is also no shortage of predators in Tarangire, especially the big cats. While lions are a common sight in Tarangire, leopards, and cheetahs are less commonly spotted. You will need a good guide to encounter them but these animals are present and the more time you have, the more opportunity you have for an encounter. Thick vegetation makes it a challenge to find these solitary cats, and cheetahs, in particular, find it difficult hunting in the densely wooded park where their speed is nullified. They seem to favor the more open areas of the south Tarangire. Spotted hyenas are always around, and whilst wild dog does sometimes pass through; sightings of them are rare.

Birding in Tarangire

While most people visit Tarangire National Park during the dry season for wildlife viewing, it is during the wet season from March to April that Tarangire comes alive for bird lovers. With more than 550 species of birds housed within the swamps that are spread all over the park – the highest number on all of Tanzania – Tarangire truly is a birdwatcher’s paradise.

As the rains lead to the dispersing of the different animals due to the thickening of the vegetation in the area, it also comes with many migratory birds and other bird species. The park’s woodlands are home to hoopoes, hornbills, brown parrots, as well as game birds such as the helmeted guinea fowl, yellow-necked spurfowl, and the crested francolin. 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. Other popular inhabitants of the park include lilac-breasted rollers, mousebirds, swifts, striped swallows, starlings, bee-eaters, hammerkops, plovers, Kori bustards, bateleur eagles, steppe eagles, and the gigantic lappet-faced vulture only to mention a few.