Tanzania National Parks

The Serengeti is Tanzania’s flagship, an endless plain that stages the great migration and holds some of Africa’s finest big-cat viewing. Its grasslands, kopjes and rivers teem with wildlife year-round. It is the heart of the northern circuit.

Tarangire is famous for its elephants and its giant baobab trees, with dry-season concentrations of wildlife along the Tarangire River that rival the Serengeti. It is quieter than its famous neighbours. The baobab-dotted scenery is striking.

Lake Manyara, beneath the Rift Valley wall, is known for its tree-climbing lions, its flamingo-fringed lake and a treetop canopy walkway. Compact and varied, it makes a fine start to the northern circuit. The birdlife is superb.

Arusha National Park, in the shadow of Mount Meru, offers giraffe, buffalo and the Momella lakes within a short drive of Arusha, with walking safaris and the Meru climb. It is an easy day trip or warm-up. The mountain scenery is lovely.

Kilimanjaro National Park protects the highest mountain in Africa, the snow-capped dome that rises alone above the plains and is walked to its summit over several days. It is the great prize of African trekking. The climb passes through five climate zones.

Nyerere, the vast southern park once part of the Selous, is built around the Rufiji River, with boat safaris through channels and lakes alongside game drives. It is wild, quiet and full of wildlife. The river is its great feature.

Ruaha, in the remote centre-south, is one of Tanzania’s largest and wildest parks, known for big herds of elephant, strong predator populations and baobab country. It sees few visitors and feels truly wild. The sense of space is the appeal.

Mikumi, the most accessible park from Dar es Salaam, offers open plains rich in plains game, elephants and lions, often likened to a compact Serengeti. It suits a shorter southern trip. The wildlife is easy to see.

Katavi, deep in the remote west, is one of Africa’s most untouched parks, with vast floodplains, huge hippo and crocodile gatherings and very few visitors. It is for those seeking true wilderness. The dry-season concentrations are dramatic.

Mahale, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, holds one of the largest known chimp populations, tracked in forested mountains rising from a clear lake. Reached by light aircraft and boat, it is wild and exclusive. The setting is magnificent.

Gombe, Tanzania’s smallest park, is where Jane Goodall began her famous chimp study in 1960, a slim strip of forest on Lake Tanganyika. Chimp tracking here is intimate and historic. The forest tumbles down to the lake.

Rubondo Island, in Lake Victoria, is a forested island park with chimps, birds and a sense of remote calm, reached by boat or light aircraft. It blends forest, lake and wildlife. It is a true off-the-beaten-track gem.

Saadani is the one park where the bush meets the Indian Ocean, with elephants and lions roaming near a palm-fringed beach and boat trips on the Wami River. It is a rare wildlife-and-coast combination. The setting is unusual and lovely.

Mkomazi, in the north-east beneath the Pare and Usambara mountains, is a dry-country park with a rhino refuge and wild dog, set in striking scenery. It is quiet and rarely visited. The mountain backdrops are fine.

Udzungwa, part of the ancient Eastern Arc mountains, is a forested park of endemic species, primates and waterfalls, explored on foot rather than by vehicle. It is a hiker’s and naturalist’s park. The forest is rich and rare.

Kitulo, the Garden of God, is a high southern plateau famous for its wildflowers and orchids, which carpet the grasslands in the rains, a botanical and walking destination unlike any other park. It is one for plant and nature lovers. The bloom is a spectacle.

Saanane Island, a small park in Lake Victoria near Mwanza, offers an easy walking and boat visit among rocks, antelope and birds, a gentle escape close to the city. It suits a short, relaxed outing. The lake setting is peaceful.

Burigi-Chato, in the north-west, is a large, newer park of savanna, lakes and wetland, recovering its wildlife and offering a quiet alternative away from the crowds. It is an emerging destination. The country is open and uncrowded.

Ibanda-Kyerwa, in the far north-west near the Rwanda and Uganda borders, is a small savanna park of rolling country and the Kagera River, rarely visited and wild. It suits the truly adventurous. The remoteness is the draw.

Rumanyika-Karagwe, also in the north-west, is a remote savanna and wetland park of low hills and open country, one of Tanzania’s least-known protected areas. It is for those seeking solitude. The wildlife is recovering.

Ugalla River, in the west, is a wild park of miombo woodland, floodplains and the Ugalla River, rich in hippo, crocodile and birds, far from any crowds. It is deep-wilderness Tanzania. The river country is beautiful.