National Parks

Tanzania is a place where you can watch a live episode of the Lion King. This can best be done from Serengeti as it has the highest numbers of lions in the whole world. No safari to Tanzania can be complete without a visit to the Serengeti.

It shelters almost every wildlife you would want to see. On a lucky visit, you could see the Wildebeest Migration, an adventure film in the wild. Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a great spot for wildlife viewing. The best sights here are elephants, cheetahs and lions. Ngorongoro and Serengeti are just adjacent to each other; all sitting on the Northern region of Tanzania. Mount Kilimanjaro offers one of the best physical challenges to mountain climbers.

Serengeti National Park

Claiming that Tanzania has all the best places to spotting wildlife but it’s hard to argue against the fact that Africa’s wildlife can be summarized in one nation.

Starting with this oldest national park in Tanzania that has been attracting at least 350,000 visitors every year, wildlife viewing here is as amazing and actually, the park was voted Africa’s best safari park by industry experts and safari-goers.

But not this Serengeti and this is simply due to the reason that the World’s largest annual migration of a certain 1.5 million white-bearded wildebeest occurs in this park.

The migration of this kind where wildebeests usually get a friendly company from a whopping 250 zebra has never been witnessed somewhere else in this world.

Apart from hooved animals in Serengeti (buffalo, elephants, giraffe, wildebeests, zebra, eland, gazelles) just to name a few, Serengeti is also the host for big cats where lions, cheetah, and leopard can be easily spotted. 

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site, the incomparable Ngorongoro Crater is the world’s largest caldera. A caldera is the broad, crater-like basin of a volcano formed by the collapse of the central cone. Dominated by cliffs standing some 600 meters high and presenting a sheer drop down to a wide open space of some 264 square km, the crater is one of the most amazing sights seen anywhere. The Crater is home to 25,000 larger mammals, almost half of them zebra and wildebeest. There are also gazelle, buffalo, eland, hartebeest and wart hog. Such vast numbers attract predators a plenty, mainly lion and hyena but also cheetah and leopard. More than 100 species of birds not found in the Serengeti have been spotted here. Countless flamingos form a pink blanket over the soda lakes.

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha national park is two in one.

The park itself hosts Usangu game reserve which is the beautiful mountainous wildlife area with an astonishing view of grasslands, woodlands, and miombo that happily act as a home for elephants, lions, leopards, and buffalos just to name a few.

Speaking of the park itself, Ruaha national park;

  • It is the largest national park in Tanzania.
  • It is one of Africa’s remaining most lions and elephants’ populated areas with more than 2,000 lions.
  • It is home to the Great Ruaha River which is one of the main tributaries of Rufiji River, the largest in East Africa which provides life to thousands of elephants.

It isn’t the truth that Ruaha is the best for viewing big pride of lion predating hence to enable the park to attract up to 21,000 visitors, Not even the fact that it is among the best places to enjoy viewing big packs of wild dogs,

Its unique feature of exclusivity. This park is always not crowded hence making it the best area for experiencing that feeling of adventure when encountering wildlife in Tanzania.

Tarangire national park

If there is one memorable encounter that I have ever experienced then it was tree climbing pythons view. That experience in Tarangire was just unmatched and will forever remain with me. To see these tree-climbing pythons you need to be luckier though, they are not regularly spotted so not everyone sees them.

However, Tarangire is the best park for day tours, and when you visit this near to Arusha city national park be sure to enjoy spotting big herds of elephants. Sometimes up to 200+ elephants can be found in the park making it one of the best areas for Wildlife in Tanzania.

Tarangire is also the best place to view the stunning huge baobab trees spanning around the Tarangire River which provides life to a number of wildebeests, buffalo, gazelles, and zebra.

Tarangire isn’t short of predators either.

Lions, leopards, and cheetah can be spotted in their endless missions of chasing and killing wildebeests, gazelles, and dik-dik for their meal.

Lake Manyara National Park

Are you a day tours lover? Then this park might very well suit your Wildlife in Tanzania needs.  You can simply reach it in less than 2 hours, and enjoy your game drive right away. This beautiful park which is famous for tree-climbing lions attracts over 161,000 visitors.

However, it isn’t these tree-climbing lions that may strike you most, but the way you can spot the relaxed elephants at very close proximity.

Along with wildlife viewing, Lake Manyara national park is one of the best parks for birding. The park is just incomparable when it comes to flocks of flamingos.

Manyara has thousands of flamingos along with other superb birds and if you are a water lover, the canoe safari in this park will treat you extremely well.

Arusha National Park

Arusha national park is just another best in Tanzania for day tours. The park doesn’t offer a chance of encountering the big 5 but hey, its birding experience is just out of this world.

A partial climb to Mount Meru, the second-highest in the country will also give you a good view of the beautiful forest with the black and white colobus.

Now, this doesn’t mean you are going to see only the mentioned above, a wide range of antelope species, giraffes and buffalo can be easily spotted.

If you need to experience your wildlife in Tanzania but you’re pressed with time, then Arusha national park can just be one of your top priorities.

Selous Game reserve

Hosting the greatest possible concentration of big game on the planet, Selous game reserve is among the best parks to enjoy wildlife in Tanzania.

The true African wilderness of this land is just fascinating.

This vast wildlife land known for hunting is also acknowledged for its more than 400 known species of birds which makes the destination the perfect for bird watching.

Rufiji River, largest in Tanzania which is the source of life in the reserve is the habitat for the crocodiles and uncountable hippos in the reserve.

A visit to this Africa’s largest unexploited wildlife area which is one of the largest faunal reserves of the world will leave you with lifetime memories.

A wildlife viewing in Selous which is one of the largest parks in Africa and UNESCO World Heritage Site is simply rewarding.

Would you like to explore the most popular wildlife parks in Tanzania? Get started with planning a memorable experience in Tanzania.