Tanzania Safari Destinations

Serengeti National Park is Tanzania’s oldest and best-known park, and the home of The Great Migration. It covers 14,763 square kilometers, and the game viewing is good all year. You can watch millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles cross the plains in search of fresh grass. The park also has the Big Five, and a mix of open savannah and acacia woodland.

Mount Kilimanjaro National Park protects Africa’s highest peak, at 5,895 meters above sea level. The volcano stands alone above the plains around it, so the views are wide on a clear day. Climbers on the way to the summit pass through five different climate zones, from rainforest at the bottom to alpine desert near the top. It is a hard hike. The park is also home to endangered species, including elephants and leopards.

Lake Manyara National Park runs for 50 kilometers along the foot of the 600-meter-high Rift Valley escarpment. It covers 330 square kilometers and is known for its green groundwater forest. You will find old mahogany trees and plenty of wildlife, including elephants, giraffes and hippos. The wide lake is the main feature, and a fine setting for game drives and birdwatching.

Tarangire National Park is the 6th largest National Park in Tanzania and covers 2,600 square kilometers. It is best known for its large elephant herds. In the dry season there is also a smaller migration, when about 250,000 animals move into the park.

Tarangire National Park is known for its large elephant herds and its small dry-season migration. The Tarangire River is the park’s main water supply, and in the dry months many animals come to it to drink and feed.

Arusha National Park is close to Arusha town, where most northern circuit safaris in Tanzania start. It has several different habitats and good views of Mt. Meru. You can go on game drives or take a hike.

Kitulo National Park is known as “The Garden of God”. It has over 350 species of flowers, including 45 kinds of ground orchids, which is why it is also known as “The Serengeti of Flowers”. The park sits between the Poroto and Livingstone Mountains and covers 412.9 square kilometers. Come in the rainy season, when the park fills with wildflowers.

Ruaha National Park is a big, wild place, known for rare game viewing and fine scenery. The Great Ruaha River runs for 160 kilometers along the plains on the park’s eastern side, and most of the wildlife depends on it. The park was first gazetted in 1910 and enlarged in 2008. It now covers 20,226 square kilometers, which makes it the largest national park in East Africa. It also has the region’s largest number of elephants.

Mikumi National Park sits on the edge of Africa’s biggest game reserve, the Selous. The tarred road between Dar es Salaam and Iringa runs through it. The floodplain in the middle of the park is where most of the wildlife lives. The hippo pools near the park entrance are one of the main sights.

Udzungwa Mountains National Park is part of the Eastern Arc Mountains. It has thick forest and a lot of plant and animal life, including species found nowhere else. The hiking trails are good, so it suits walkers and nature lovers.

Katavi National Park is in the southwest of Tanzania, far from the usual routes, so it feels properly wild. At 4,471 square kilometers, it is Tanzania’s third-largest national park. It lies in the Rift Valley, where wide plains run down to the shallow waters of Lake Rukwa. Katavi is known for big numbers of hippos and elephants. Most game viewing happens along the Katuma River and its floodplains.

Rubondo Island National Park was gazetted in 1977. It is an important breeding ground for migratory birds and fish. Dense forest covers over 80% of the park, so there are many different habitats for wildlife. The park covers 457 square kilometers and has a mix of water and land plants and animals. The island sits in the south-west of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.

At 52 square kilometers, Gombe Stream National Park is the smallest national park in Tanzania. It lies on the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika, a thin strip of chimpanzee forest between steep slopes and river valleys. People come here for the wild chimpanzees, which you can watch in their natural home.

Mahale Mountains National Park has some of Africa’s last wild chimpanzees and covers 1,613 square kilometers. About 800 chimps live here. The park is remote, but that is part of the appeal: you can watch these endangered apes up close. The Mahale mountain ridge runs for 50 kilometers along the shore of Lake Tanganyika and climbs to 2,462 meters.

Mkomazi National Park lies between the northern safari circuit and the Tanzania coast. It covers 3,245 square kilometers. It is an important conservation area, as it protects two highly endangered species: the black rhino and the African wild dog.

Saadani National Park lies in the historic triangle of Bagamoyo, Pangani and Zanzibar, and covers 1100 km2. It is one of the few parks with both sea and land plants and animals. The park reaches the open ocean and its coral reefs, and inland the water gives way to mangrove forest.