The Northern Parks
The northern Tanzanian national parks include the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Tarangire, Arusha National Park and Lake Manyara. These can offer you a superb blend of magnificent wildlife, stunning scenery, fascinating, colourful people and outdoor activities.
The Serengeti
Tanzania's oldest and most popular national park, famous for its annual migration, an unbelievable spectacle, when a million wildebeest are joined by thousands of zebra and gazelles in their three - week trek north in search of fresh grazing. But there is far more to the Serengeti than this. The park offers some of the most scintillating game viewing in Africa. See the great herds of buffalo, groups of elephants and giraffes, thousands of impala and gazelle, golden-maned lions, leopards amongst the acacia trees, jackal, cheetah, spotted hyena and a host of small predators.
Ngorogoro Crater
The Ngorogoro Crater is one of Africa’s most famous attractions and here you will find every type of animal that you would hope to see in Africa, totalling about 75,000 at present, including lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, hippos, cheetahs, buffaloes and a huge diversity of bird life. The crater is often described as the eighth wonder of the world.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara NP extends along the base of the Rift Valley escarpment, with stunning views of the lake with its famous pink flamingos and the Rift Valley escarpment. In this picturesque setting you can see an incredible diversity of wildlife. Manyara is well-known for its elephants, tree-climbing lions, hippos, baboons, impalas, wildebeests, giraffes, buffaloes, and a variety of over 300 species of birds including the famous pink flamingos. Best time to view large mammals is June-October (the dry season).
Tarangire
Tarangire covers an area of about 2600 square km and is located 118 km south-west of Arusha to the south of the large open plains of Southern Maasailand. Visitors can enjoy the beautiful vistas of savannah grasslands dotted with large baobab trees. Elephants can be seen in large herds, and it is home to migratory wildebeest, buffalo, zebra and eland. It is also known for its tree-climbing pythons, lions and leopards. Tarangire is second only to the Ngorogoro Crater for density of wildlife. Good time to visit is June-October.
Maasai Village
You can follow your tour of the above with a visit to or overnight stay at a Maasai village when you will get a flavour of their tribal customs and culture.
Travel and Accommodation
The most popular choice of accommodation in the northern parks is a tented safari, led by Peter and his staff. Peter is a Maasai, speaks English fluently and has worked for many years as a tour guide in all the parks. Travel is in safari vehicles and in addition to Peter you will be accompanied by your cook and driver. All meals are included in these tours.