Travelers from all over the world visit Tanzania to explore the national parks. All these protected areas are the setting for unforgettable wildlife experiences and encounters in animals’ natural habitat. But which is the best choice?
During the rain season, Tanzania’s dry grassland turns into a green and impenetrable forest landscape, but in the drier winter months the grass is low and the trees bare. That’s the perfect moment to see wildebeest, impala, kudu and water buffalo from miles away, as they simply won’t have a way to hide. During the winter months it’s quite feasible to see the Big Five in Tanzania, as the surroundings are bare enough to see far ahead. But where to go? These are some of Tanzania’s best national parks.
When going on safari, it’s important to adhere to some rules concerning wildlife.
The Serengeti
Imagine: the sound of galloping hooves, brown dust swirling around an endless mass of antelopes and zebras, the exciting moment when the first wildebeest steps into the river Grumeti, without knowing what is in it. If you’ve ever watched a wildlife documentary about the great migration, in which more than a million wildebeest migrate from Tanzania to Kenya, you’ve no doubt been worried that a lion or crocodile would lay in waiting to find a snack amidst the trampling hoofs.
In Serengeti National Park, this somewhat gory picture is vivid and real. It is difficult to predict when the 800 kilometer trek will start. It can happen anytime from May to July depending on the animals and the seasons, but it needs to be dry in order for the great migration to start.
The park is Tanzania’s most popular place for wildlife: zebras, antilopes, lions, hyenas, black rhinoceroses, impalas and countless types of gazelle. The variety of wildlife, plus the expanses of grassy and forested landscape, butterflies, flowers and historical ruins, make a visit to the Serengeti an unforgettable experience. The history of the Maasai, Sukuma, Kurya and Ikoma, who once lived alongside this special fauna, is now told through art and abandoned buildings in the park.
Rubondo Island
Rubondo Island National Park is located in Lake Victoria, in the northwest of Tanzania. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa, and is shared by Tanzania, Kenia and Uganda. As in the other parks, you will find elephants, giraffes, bushbucks, hippos, otters and crocodiles here, but it is mainly the chimpanzees, sitatungas, birds and fish that make this place unique. Rubondo Island has the largest variety of bird species in all of Tanzania, so it is recommended for birdwatchers to stick around for a few days.
There is a calm here between the vast waters, despite the reptiles that hide below the surface. Most visitors take to the lake by canoe and there are also excellent fishing opportunities.
Tarangire
This huge park is famous for its high concentration of elephants, so it’s most likely you’ll encounter one of the colossal beasts here. Large groups of elephants – there are said to be around 2,500 and their numbers are still growing – move across the savannah, tearing bark from trees and knocking over anything that gets in their way. And if you think their memories are already good, just imagine what stories the extraordinary baobab trees could tell. These huge, thick-trunked trees can live to be 300 years old, and they provide shade for impala, giraffe, zebra and buffalo.
The park is named after the Tarangire River, which crosses the park. The river attracts hundreds of birds to its banks, including the colorful black-faced lovebird, red-tailed weaver and gray starling. During a day trip, visitors will encounter most herbivores, and at night they can follow wild cats to their next food source.
Opening image: Anastasiia Shavshyna/iStock