Locations

National Parks and Reserves

About a quarter of Tanzania's landmass is officially protected - a monumental tribute to its natural wealth. Much of this area is composed of national parks and reserves, and we have selected the best for your choice of safari destination below.

Arusha National Park
Gombe Stream National Park
Katavi National Park
Lake Manyara National Park
Mahale Mountains Park
Mikumi National Park
Ngorongoro Crater
Olduvai Gorge
Ruaha National Park
Selous Game Reserve
Serengeti National Park
Tarangire National Park

Community & village areas

We believe that the future of Tanzania's wonderful biodiversity depends on the communities that surround these all important National Parks and Reserves. We have therefore worked in conjunction with communities in these areas to ensure that you stay provides them with an income - derived from the presence of wildlife on their lands.
Ololosokwan
Piaya

Arusha National Park

Arusha National Park is montaine forest habitat with three distinct zones: Mount Meru, Ngurdoto Crater, the Momella Lakes, a group of shallow alkaline lakes fed by underground streams, and Mount Meru, one of the most rewarding mountains to climb in Africa. Animals here include buffalo, elephant, hippo, giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope, blue monkey and black and white colobus monkey, leopard and hyena.

Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks, and one of the best known due to Jane Goodall's research on the Chimpanzees. Travel to the park is by boat only from Ujiji or Kigoma. The forests are alive with the famous chimpanzees, red colobus, and red-tail and blue monkeys. You can also spot bushbuck, bushpig and grey duiker. The lake shore is home to the pied and giant kingfishers, the crowned eagle, the African broadbill, Ross's turaco and the trumpeter hornbill.

Katavi National Park

Mahale Mountains Park

Mahale Mountains, is the home to some of the last remaining wild chimpanzees in East Africa. All game viewing is done on foot. Mahale is a unique ecological zone with lowland forest, moist and dry savannah, miombo and open woodlands. Animals range from elephant, buffalo, leopard and primates to roan and sable antelopes, giraffe, kudu, eland, leopard and lion.

Lake Manyara National Park

Manyara's mahogany, sausage-tree and croton are alive with blue monkeys and vervets. Elephants feed off fallen fruit while bushbuck, waterbuck, baboons, aardvark, civet, the shy pangolin and leopard as well as the black rhino, all make their home in the forest. Manyara is a sanctuary to elusive buffalo and hippo, giraffe, impala, zebra and the famous residents - tree climbing lions. Lake Manyara itself is a magnet for birdlife and a kaleidoscope of different species can be found around its lake shores, including huge flocks of flamingoes.

Mikumi National Park

Mikumi, to the north of the Selous, is only 283 km away from Dar-Es-Salaam. The park's flood plain bordered with mountain ranges, is the main feature. Animals commonly found here include lion, eland, hartebeest, buffalo, wildebeest, giraffe, zebra, hippo and elephant. The Mikumi elephants are mainly grazers and do not cause extensive tree damage. Lions roam the plains and will occasionally climb into the branches of trees. The rare Wild dogs can be seen in packs here. The vegetation includes woodland, swamp and grassland with two water holes, Mkata and Chamgore. Apart from the saddle-bill stork, hammerkop and malachite kingfisher, you will also find monitor lizard and python inhabiting the pools.

Ngorongoro Crater

The views at the rim of Ngorongoro Crater are sensational. On the crater floor, grassland blends into swamps, lakes, rivers, woodland and mountains - all a haven for wildlife, including the most dense predator population in Africa. The crater is home to up to 25,000 large mammals, mainly grazers - gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and warthog. There are a small number of black rhinos here too. The birdlife is largely seasonal and is also affected by the ratio of soda to fresh water in Lake Magadi on the crater floor.

Olduvai Gorge

Olduvai, more accurately called Oldupai after the wild sisal in the area, is the site of some of the most important fossil hominid finds of all time by Louis Leakey ; the most important being the- "Nutcracker Man" (Australopithecus boisei) who lived 1.75 million years ago. There is a small informative museum located at the visitor centre. The gorge is a treasure trove of archaeological sites filled with fossils, settlement remains and stone artefacts.

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha is Tanzania's second largest national park and one of the wildest with Tanzania's most spectacular and diverse scenery, this park is truly a photographers paradise. Crocodiles, hippos and clawless otters soak and play in the water and on the banks of the great Ruaha River. Reedbuck, waterbuck and buffalo drink, ever watchful for lion, leopard, jackal, spotted hyena and hunting dog are among the diverse wildlife that reside here.

The Selous Game Reserve

Tanzania is home to one of the single largest remaining elephant populations in the world. Most of these elephants are found in the remote and wildly beautiful Selous Game Reserve, a World Heritage Site. The Reserve has a varied terrain of rolling savannah woodland, grassland plains and rocky outcrops. Buffalo, crocodile, hippo and wild dog can also be seen here.

Serengeti National Park

The size of the Serengeti and the endless opportunities merit the name "Serengeti" which comes from a Maasai word Siringit meaning 'endless plains'. The Serengeti extends over some 5,700 sq. miles supporting over four million mammals and birds and the greatest concentration of wildlife on the planet. Due to the size of the Serengeti, we will concentrate on different areas for the different times of the year. The short grass plains ( Dec-March), transform when the first rains start allowing the grass to grow from a dull brown to a bright green. The volcanic soil enables the nutrient rich grasses to attract the pregnant wildebeest to feed and give birth. The Central Serengeti (April-June) Moru Kopjes and, the Seronera valley are the most popular areas of the Serengeti, this time of year and is an ideal time to visit. The wildebeest migration will be passing through the area heading out of the short grass plains towards the western corridor. The Western Corridor provides a very exciting time, between June and August, as the wildebeest migration meets the Grumeti river where some of the largest Nile crocodiles can be found. Northern Serengeti (August-November). The best kept secret of the Serengeti, is relatively devoid of tourists who will venture this far. It is perhaps our favourite area operating in this region for over 10 years, and knowing it intimately. The Migration will be crossing the Mara river, traversing some of the most photogenic areas, a patchwork quilt of colour and diversity.

Tarangire National Park

Located in the Rift Valley, Tarangire covers approximately 2600 square kilometers and contains nine different vegetation zones, each supporting distinct types of wildlife. Panoramic and wooded savannas stretch far and wide in every direction punctuated with majestic Baobab trees. The park's main source of water, the Tarangire River, attracts nearly as high a concentration of animal life as Ngorongoro Crater. Large herds of elephant, zebra, wildebeest, eland and oryx congregate along the riverbank until the wet season allows them to migrate to lush new grazing land.

Community Areas

Piyaya Community Wildlife Protected Area (Dec-April)

On the edge of the short grass plains, when the rains fall, this area transforms into a green Garden of Eden, and the wildebeest migration come to give birth in these plains. To the west, the Gol Mountains tower over the plains, with a narrow pass where most of the wildebeest will cross.

Olosokwan Community Wildlife Protected Area (June-Nov)

Nestled in the northern Serengeti is a vast tract of land that the great wildebeest migration passes through every year. This great wilderness land has been preserved by the Maasai people; nomadic pastoralists who seasonally inhabit the area. Olosokwan has some of the most photogenic countryside in the Serengeti eco-system, and a substantial population of resident game.

Zanzibar

A fusion of cultures, dating back to 700 AD with the colonization of the Bantu tribes by the Arabs, pulses throughout Zanzibar and provides an explosion of colours and sights for any newcomer to the island. Also known as "The Spice Island", the air in Zanzibar is a mixture with the various fragrant scents of cloves, vanilla, nutmeg and cardamom. Stone Town, the capital of Zanzibar is a most amazing place with buildings ranging from Arabian forts, to the Cathedral Church of Christ to the explorer Livingstone's House and is nothing short of breathtaking for the tourist who will undoubtedly have never seen such beauty and diversity in one town. There are also twenty five white beaches where there are opportunities for water sports, fishing and relaxation. Zanzibar really is the stuff of an ancient traveler's tale, full of fantasy and wonder, of stories of the exotic and experiences untold.

Mafia Island

Mafia Island has been called a paradise, a relaxed bliss or a honeymooners dream. And yet, whatever name Mafia island assumes, there will always be the underlying beauty and romance that captivates and provides an enchanting place to stay. Immerse yourself in the serenity and enjoy the experience of your dreams. Declared a 'Marine Park', the Indian Ocean surrounding Mafia is a haven for a wealth of sea life and visitors can enjoy water excursions, snorkeling and water sports. The beaches are a huge expanse of white sand, providing a perfect opportunity to laze, absorb the sea air and forget about the hubbub of the world.

Dar Es Salaam

An ancient city set on the stunning east coast of Africa, Dar es Salaam is a place steeped with all the beauty and mythical intrigue of a trading port. The skyline is punctuated with a diversity of temples and churches; depicting the melting pot of many cultures. The name Dar Es Salaam, conjured by Sultan Seyyid Majid, means heaven of peace; an apt name meriting the beauty of not only the city itself, but also the beaches that surround the area. Dar is a place to experience a wealth of culture whilst enjoying the sea breeze, delicious food and a variety of water sports and fishing.

Kilimanjaro

Standing at 19,344 feet, Mount Kilimanjaro is the zenith of Africa and stands as a colossal monument to the beauty and enormity of the continent. The climb is an amalgamation of experiences as the trek passes through rainforests, moorland and summits on snow and ice. With these breathtaking landscapes, a diversity of wildlife can also be found including, monkeys, birds, antelope, Elephant, buffalo and even leopard. It is not so much a climb as a pilgrimage of the stunning sights of Africa.