 Tanzania is the largest country in Eastern Africa, and has an area of 937.062 Sq Km. It is famously known as the “Cradle of mankind” for it is in Olduvai Gorge where the remains of Homo Habilis was found. It’s a state with a great variety of tribes and languages (the main ones are English and Swahili).
Tanzania is home to the most incredible game reserve and fabulous National Parks.
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro crater is one of Nature’s wonders. It is the largest crater in the world that covers 265 sq km, from the top to the floor is 600 meters. Great amount of wild game inhabiting here includes elephants, rhinoceros, cheetahs, lions, leopards, bushbucks, elands, waterbucks, several cats, hyenas and wildebeest and of course a wide variety of birds. Ngorongoro is a paradise for photographers and it is a sin to miss its incredible scenic view.
Serengeti National Park
It is the largest National park in Tanzania and one of the most marvelous parks in the entire world, which name derives from the Maasai language meaning “Endless Plain”.
Every year the long caravans of more than one million wildebeest travel across the plains searching for better feeding areas and are followed by a large variety of other animals such as zebra, elands, antelopes, gazelles and many more including the predators such as lion and hyena. Here you may encounter the cheetah, leopard and several cats observing the traveling game with interest, when the elephant, rhino and buffalo eat without any fear of them.
Olduvai Gorge is called here “Oldipai”(a name given by the Maasai for the sisal growing in the gorge) and lies on the plains of the Serengeti. It is here where the archeological discoveries were made long time ago by Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey including the Skull of Homo Habilis, which is considered to be 1.75 million years old. Prehistoric animals lived here as their fossils also were found. Excavations still continue during every dry season. Here you can find a small museum showing some of the discoveries. You may enter the gorge with a special guide.
Lake Manyara National Park
This park is fairly smaller if compared to the Serengeti and covers some 330 sq. km, out of which 230sq km is occupied by the lake. Lake Manyara National Park is popular for the birdlife, almost 400 different species. And it is also famous for the elephant population, the tree-climbing lions and a number of hippos. There is also a large variety of tree species within the park.
Tarangire National Park
It covers some 2600 sq km and is well known for herds of elephant, lion, cheetah, rhino and many varieties of antelope as well as the very rare roan antelope.
Arusha National Park
This park covers 137 sq km. Arusha National Park is not large in area but the park boasts a variety of landscape from a small volcano crater to mountain rain forests on the Mount Meru. A number of beautiful cool clear mountain springs running through the tree savanna to reach the Ngurdoto crater, where there are herds of water buffalo, together with many other game, as well as with rare Columbus apes. The park is also famous for several international films that were made there in the 1950’s.
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