Northern Destinations

Mkomazi National Park lies south of the arid Sahel zone and shares a large stretch of border with Tsavo National Park in Kenya. Although its name derives from the Pare tribe’s word for ‘scoop of water’, the park serves as a grazing zone for mammals from dryer adjacent areas. All residential Flora and Fauna are remarkably well adapted to drought. Characteristic for this are the many mighty baobabs, while half of the plant species are endemic.

The number of mammals isn’t as high as in the more famous parks – particularly in the dry season the plains are too arid for big herds of grazers – yet the variety is remarkable. Elephants feel equally at home here as in the bordering Tsavo. Together with other migratory species, such as zebra, girrafe, hartebeest, kongoni, buffalo and eland, you can spot them all over the park. Mkomazi will undoubtedly treat you to a truly special sighting of rare wildlife species. It is the only area in Tanzania where spotting generuk, oryx and lesser kudu, is just a matter of little patience. What’s more, Mkomazi is a refuge for the endagered black rhino and wild dog. Two conservation projects are booking promising results: the Mkomazi Rhino Sanctuary – that resulted in successful breeding – and the Wild Dog Capture and Translocation Programme that successfully released a few dozen dogs into the wild in the last decade.

“Mkomazi will undoubtedly treat you to a truly special sighting of rare wildlife species”

Africa’s snow-capped giant bursts out of the savannah to an almost haughty 5,895 metres. Mount Kilimanjaro is a stratovolcano and therefore boasts three peaks: Kibo (5,895 metres), Mawenzi (5,149 metres) and the Shira plateau (3,962 metres). Today, the volcano is still partly active. Don’t expect any display from Shira and Mawenzi – both collapsed over a million years ago – but sleeping beauty Kibo is still capable of some action. During the past century its cone has been seen smoking and expelling ominous rumbling noises from deep down its core.

It is not only about reaching the top however. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is a journey from the tropics to the Artic and black. The higher you climb, the colder it gets; Mount Kili encompasses several major climatic zones. You start from the surrounding hot, tropical region. You then walk through the dense and lush montane forest inhabited with primates, antelopes and even elephants. After the forest you reach the bushy and grassy heath and moorland with huge heather and giant, alien-looking lobelias. The final vertical kilometre takes you through sparse, barren alpine desert to the chilly summit, consisting of lava desert and glacier patches. Mission accomplished: a vertical tour around the world in unrivalled beauty.

The Park declared a protected area in 1921 and gazetted as a National park in 1951, Serengeti is the oldest National Park in Tanzania and certainly one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in the world. The principal features of the Serengeti are the short and long grass plains in the south and east, the acacia Savannah in the central areas, the hilly and densely wooded areas in the north and the extensive woodland in the west.

There is a variety of scenery, which include the plains, lakes, hills and the rock outcrops called kopjes. The main game drive areas in the Serengeti are the Seronera Valley, the Western Corridor, and Lobo or northern Serengeti. The Seronera valley in central Serengeti endowed with permanent surface water attract a large concentration of wildlife throughout the year. 

Common animals that can be seen here are lions, buffaloes, impalas, hippos, water bucks, elephants, cheetahs and the leopard. From December, when the long rains start, to May, eastern Serengeti plains provide the best opportunities for game viewing as hundreds of thousands of the migratory animals are concentrated in this part attracted by the short palatable grass.

Ngorongoro Crater

The Ngorongoro Crater is the central unique attraction in the area considered to be the world’s largest intact walls caldera and one of the seventh natural wonders of Africa.

Olduvai Gorge

The Gorge is found in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area where human has been part of the Ngorongoro landscape for millions of years. The findings of Dr. Louis Leakey have scientifically proved that, the earliest man has lived here.

Ndutu

Ndutu is located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, in the south-eastern plains of the Serengeti ecosystem. The plains around Ndutu are the main holding ground for migratory animals where vast herds congregate and linger for more than four months, from December to April, before they start moving across the Serengeti in search of greener pastures and water.

Empakai Crater

Empakai Crater (sometimes spelled Empakaa Crater) is just what you’re looking for among unique natural wonders of Africa in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Locked in between the Rift Valley Escarpment, Lake Manyara, the village of Mto wa Mbu and several farms, the 30% land area of Lake Manyara National Park is an exceptional jewel. It is part of the expansive Maasai ecosystem and a corridor for the great migration of huge herds of mammals towards the north and the south. 

Lake Manyara is highly alkaline and shallow, without any outgoing rivers. Even in the rainiest month, April, depth doesn’t reach more than 2.5 metres, almost dropping to zero in the dry season. From the top of the Rift Wall the natural Marang forest towers above you. Here you might encounter big-tusked elephants on their quest for food and water.

The City is a major international diplomatic hub that hosts and is regarded as the de facto capital of the East African Community. Since 1994, the city has also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It is a multicultural city with a majority Tanzanian population of mixed backgrounds: indigenous Bantu, Arab-Tanzanian and Indian-Tanzanian population, plus small White European and white American minority population. The population comprises in the region are Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish.

Built by the Germans as a centre of colonial administration in the early 20th century, Arusha was a sleepy town with a garrison stationed at the old boma and a few shops around a grassy roundabout. From its backwater status amidst the farmlands and plantations of northern Tanzania, today Arusha is one of the country’s most prosperous towns.

The current site of Arusha was first settled in the 1830s by the agro-pastoral Arusha Maasai from the Arusha Chini community, south of Kilimanjaro Mountain. They traded grains, honey, beer, and tobacco with the pastoral Kisongo Maasai in exchange for livestock, milk, meat, and skins. Demand for Arusha’s foodstuffs increased substantially during the 1860s when the Pangani Valley trade route was extended through Old Moshi, Arusha, and ultimately to western Kenya. Although it was not yet a town, it was a regional centre and had a number of urban features.

An absence of lakes is the secrete to the abundance of wildlife; the Tarangire River is the only permanent source of water, besides Silale Swamp, an arm of the main river. It flows northwards thoroughtout the length of the park and forms a life-providing artery for visiting wild animals. When the blazing sun vaporizes the last drops of moisture from the plains in early june – this is where all animals return, one after another.

“Tarangire is one of the few places on Earth where you can enjoy a picture perfect African natural environment”

Arusha National Park gives you the opportunity to explore nature at its closet. There are good trekking facilities along the climbing route. The route passes through diverse habitats: swamps, open plains, montane forests and volcanoes, all packed within in a distance of 35 km.

The most striking landmarks are Mount Meru hasn’t put on a show in over a century, but 6,000 years ago a huge explosionblew away the eastern edge, causing a massive landslide. It is also how the mesmirizing north-eastern Momela Lakes were born. Due to different levels of alkanity, each of these seven lakes boasts its own spectacular greenish-blue tone. The water is dotted pink with lesser and greater flamingos, while every now and then you might meet the eyes of hippopotamus. The extinct Ngurdoto volcano in the east is home to a mini Ngorongoro. Looking down from the crater rim you see montane forests – keep an eye open for the majestic Fig Tree Arch – while an open, swampy bottom spreads out below it, at an altitude of around 1,470 metres.