Arusha Town

After your arrival at Kilimanjaro International Airport, there will be a Masis African Safaris guide waiting to take you to Arusha where you will be able to rest in the hotel or Lodge. Arusha, is the gateway to the world famous game sanctuaries of Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Tarangire and Lake Manyara, is one of the oldest towns in Tanzania.

At 1390 metres above sea level, Arusha enjoys a very agreeable climate throughout the year. Positioned at the centre of Africa between the Cape and Cairo on the Great North Road, Arusha is the administrative seat of the East African Community made up of Tanzania, Kenya Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi.

Arusha National Park

With an area of 137 sq. km, Arusha National Park is one of the smaller and most beautiful National Parks in Tanzania. Situated only 37 km from Arusha town, the park is very popular for day trips. The Ngurdoto Crater, Momela Lakes, the highland montane forest, and the rugged Mount Meru (4575 m above sea level) are the four distinctive features of the park. Mt. Kilimanjaro, towering at 5895 m to the east, can be visible on clear days from many locations in the park. One of the unique attractions of the park is the opportunity to combine game drives and a nature walk in the many places where visitors can leave their safari vehicles and walk in the fresh air.

The most common animals found in this park are the Abyssinian black and white colobus monkeys, the Vervet monkeys, the red forest duikers, hippos, elephants, giraffes, buffaloes, bushbucks and sometimes the leopard. More than 400 species of birds have been recorded in the park including Eurasian migrants, which can be seen between October and April. Mount Meru 4575 m can be scaled in three to four days, with overnight accommodation in alpine huts on your way up and down.

Amongst safari connoisseurs; those who really enjoy the African safari travel experience – the vast open spaces, the Acacia savannas, the dramatic wildlife, the sandy river beds, the sausage trees, the changing seasons, the cool fresh mornings, the heat of mid-day, the day-long birdsong, the sound of crickets at night, the whooping call of hyena, the far distant roar of lion . It has been estimated that at the height of the dry season in October the density of large animals -elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, ostrich, giraffe, eland etc. is second only to Ngorongoro Crater worldwide. This spectacle gathers around the scattered pools of permanent water along the Tarangire river bed, and also around Silale Swamp. Lion and leopard are frequently seen here as well.

Tarangire is one of the finest places in Tanzania to watch elephant and spending unhurried time in the presence of these intelligent giants, often from a vantage point at a waterhole or spring is one of the greatest pleasures of a wildlife safari. - Tarangire is a place to put on your itinerary.

The huge baobab tree is characteristic of these savannas and have been described by naturalists as a complete ecosystem unto themselves; their nooks and crannies provide places for bee hives or are occupied by small mammals such as genet and civet cats, and their enormous flowers are pollinated by fruit bats. Many baobabs are hollow and have provided shelter for wandering bands of hunter-gatherers in the past.

Tarangire National Park

The name “Tarangire” comes from the Tara River and "Ngiri," the Swahili word meaning "warthog". Tarangire is famous for huge herds of elephants, African pythons, and big baobab trees. The National Park is 2,850 square kilometres in area and was gazetted in 1970.

It is only a small part of a much larger ecosystem of some 30,000 sq. km that comprises most of what is called the Maasai Steppe or southern Maasailand. Tarangire National Park lies 120 km south of Arusha, along The Great North Road highway, and is very popular for day trips from the town.

Amongst safari connoisseurs; those who really enjoy the African safari travel experience – the vast open spaces, the Acacia savannas, the dramatic wildlife, the sandy river beds, the sausage trees, the changing seasons, the cool fresh mornings, the heat of mid-day, the day-long birdsong, the sound of crickets at night, the whooping call of hyena, the far distant roar of lion . It has been estimated that at the height of the dry season in October the density of large animals -elephant, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, ostrich, giraffe, eland etc. is second only to Ngorongoro Crater worldwide. This spectacle gathers around the scattered pools of permanent water along the Tarangire river bed, and also around Silale Swamp. Lion and leopard are frequently seen here as well.

Tarangire is one of the finest places in Tanzania to watch elephant and spending unhurried time in the presence of these intelligent giants, often from a vantage point at a waterhole or spring is one of the greatest pleasures of a wildlife safari. - Tarangire is a place to put on your itinerary.

The huge baobab tree is characteristic of these savannas and have been described by naturalists as a complete ecosystem unto themselves; their nooks and crannies provide places for bee hives or are occupied by small mammals such as genet and civet cats, and their enormous flowers are pollinated by fruit bats. Many baobabs are hollow and have provided shelter for wandering bands of hunter-gatherers in the past.

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park lies in a very dramatic setting up against the steep western wall of the Rift Valley. Being directly end route to Ngorongoro from Arusha or Tarangire, it is a poplar place either for a day visit or for longer. There are at least 5 very different habitats existing side by side in an area of 325 sq. km. Also they located 125 km west of Arusha town.

In the south of the Park are found extensive hot water springs as testament to the active tectonic nature of the Rift Valley, and there is a long walkway out across the steaming rivulets and reed beds of the lake edge giving a magnificent view up and down the full length of this part of the Rift Valley. Here you can watch old bull buffaloes wallowing in the warm alkaline mud, and on occasion’s vast flocks of flamingos in Enormous Baobabs are scattered throughout the drier parts.

Most of the characteristic East African mammals are found in Manyara including elephant, buffalo, hippo, lion, leopard, cheetah, giraffe and lots of plains game, and reputedly the largest baboon troupes in Africa. Some lions have opted to rest up during the heat of midday in trees, giving rise to the mistaken belief that the Manyara lions are somehow different.

Tarangire is one of the finest places in Tanzania to watch elephant and spending unhurried time in the presence of these intelligent giants, often from a vantage point at a waterhole or spring is one of the greatest pleasures of a wildlife safari. - Tarangire is a place to put on your itinerary.

The most famous spectacle in the park is the tree-climbing lions, which are occasionally seen along branches of acacia trees probably to escape flies.

Serengeti National Park

It is part of a coherent ecosystem some 35,000 sq. km in size. The Serengeti is now both a World Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site. All the classic big game animals of Africa are found in the Serengeti.

The Serengeti is world famous and with good reason. Not only is the migration of over 1 million wildebeest and other plains game through its plains and woodlands the most spectacular wildlife event on earth, but it abounds with other wildlife superlatives. The Serengeti is home to the world’s largest populations of wildebeest, zebra, Cape eland, lion, cheetah, hyena, gazelle (both Thompson’s and Grant’s), and no doubt much more. And on top of this it is scenically beautiful and has a wonderful sunny climate of cool nights and warm days.

According to the Tanzania National Parks website, Serengeti is home to the world’s largest populations of Wildebeest, Zebra, Cape Eland, Lion, Cheetah, Hyena and Gazelles. Serengeti National Park is also home to the world’s last remaining large mammal migration, the Great Serengeti Migration, which is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

The Serengeti Migration

The endless movement of wildebeest and other migratory animals in the Serengeti ecosystem is dictated by rainfall and availability of water and fresh pastures. The migration follows the same clockwise pattern every year with slight variations depending on the weather.

According to the official Serengeti National Park guide book, the main wildebeest migratory population ranges a region of 25,000sqkm, in the Serengeti ecosystem, of which about two thirds is protected in the Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Kenya Maasai Mara National Reserve, the rest lying in the adjacent areas bordering the Serengeti including Loliondo Game Controlled Area to the northeast, Maswa Game Reserve to the southwest, and Grumeti Game Reserve and Ikorongo Game Reserve to the northwest, all located in Tanzania. The migration normally stays in Tanzania for at least 9 months, from November to August. Serengeti National Park encompasses the main part of the Serengeti ecosystem.

From December through to April every year, depending on the onset of the short and long rains, the south eastern Serengeti plains and the open woodlands around Lakes Ndutu and Masek are transformed into a busy holding ground for vast herds of migratory animals, in the main the wildebeest, breeding and re-grouping in their hundreds of thousands. Ndutu, which is geographically within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, forms an important part of the Serengeti ecosystem, especially the open short grass plains which provide calving grounds for the wildebeest in February and March every year.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

This is one of the most evocative landscapes in the world where we can admire the dormant volcano and the nature that surrounds it. In the park, it will be possible to see the "Big Five:" elephants, buffalos, lions, leopards, and rhinos. However, you should pay attention to the 30,000 animals and a great variety of birds in that area.

In the south of the Park are found extensive hot water springs as testament to the active tectonic nature of the Rift Valley, and there is a long walkway out across the steaming rivulets and reed beds of the lake edge giving a magnificent view up and down the full length of this part of the Rift Valley. Here you can watch old bull buffaloes wallowing in the warm alkaline mud, and on occasion’s vast flocks of flamingos in Enormous Baobabs are scattered throughout the drier parts.

A UNESCO protected World Heritage Site and an International Biosphere Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation ASrea is situated some 190 km. west of Arusha, between Lake Manyara and Serengeti National Parks. Covering approximately 8,292 square km, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area consists of the Ngorongoro Crater itself, the Olduvai Gorge and Ndutu, the Empakai crater and the Oldonyo Lengai Mountain.

The Ngorongoro Crater, which is the central attraction in the area, is the largest Caldera in the world that has its walls intact. The Ngorongoro Crater floor, a sheer drop of 610 metres below the crater rim, has an area of 304 sq. km, with a diameter of 19 km. The sight of the Ngorongoro Crater is simply stunning. “It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and beauty of the Crater, for there is nothing with which one can compare it.

The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a pioneering experiment in multi-purpose land use where people (the Maasai), their livestock and wildlife coexist and share the same protected habitat. Wild animals are protected as in the National Parks. The craters of Ngorongoro and Empakai are reserved exclusively for wildlife, while the rest of the Conservation Area is shared by wildlife, people and livestock. The Maasai, the main residents of Ngorongoro, are pastoralists who move widely with their herds of cattle, sheep, goat and donkeys in search of pasture and water. In recent years the Maasai have been encouraged to work on the land and supplement their traditional diet of milk and meat.

Ndutu Migration

The endless movement of wildebeest and other migratory animals in the Serengeti ecosystem is dictated by rainfall and availability of water and fresh pastures. The migration follows the same clockwise pattern every year with slight variations depending on the weather.

Mikumi National Park

Mikumi was made a National Park in 1964 and is 3,230 sq. km (1,250 sq. miles) in size. This enormous area links the Julius Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous) with the forested abundance of the eastern arc mountains, and so is an important part of a huge ecosystem of rivers, flood plains, forests and woodlands.

Mikumi is rich in wildlife including buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, lion, elephant, impala, hippos, baboon, giraffe, warthog, waterbuck and eland which can be viewed throughout the year. Reptiles including crocodile, monitor lizard and python are also resident in the park. Other animals that can be sighted although rare are the Sable Antelope resident in the southern part of the park bordering the Selous, the Greater Kudu, leopard, and the wild dog also known as the African Hunting Dog. More than 400 bird species have been recorded, including European migrants during the rainy season.

Nyerere National Park

The Nyerere National Park, formerly part of The Selous Game Reserve is enormous, wild and remote. And it has great wildlife - big game, cape hunting dogs, sable, roan, greater and lesser kudu, raptors, ostrich, crocs, hippos etc. But the main point is that this wildlife can be enjoyed in such a variety of interesting habitats within this fabulous place. Most places that are currently accessible have a lot of small informal tracks. This makes it much easier to get reasonably close to the animals you want to enjoy, and there is no sign that this is having a negative impact.

In 1922 the area was given its name of The Selous Game Reserve in memory of Englishman Frederick Selous who hunted and wrote extensively about the area. In 1940 it was enlarged to 54,600 sq km and in 1982 became a World Heritage Site. In 2019 about 30,000 km was separated from the reserve and made into a National Park and renamed the Nyerere National Park in honour of Tanzania’s first President who was himself a devoted conservationist.

Nyerere National Park is located in south eastern Tanzania, bordered by Mikumi National Park to the northwest and Udzungwa Mountains National Park to the west. The best time to visit is from June to October. During the long rains, between March and May, some parts of the park are temporarily closed for game drives due to poor accessibility.

The park offers a wide variety of game viewing opportunities including the thrilling experience of a walking safari in the company of an armed ranger. The many waterways in the park provide an excellent natural setting for boat safaris, both for big game viewing and bird watching

Mkomanzi National Park

Mkomazi used to be prime habitat for Black Rhino, and there is a re-introduction scheme there where you can and watch these exciting mammals in their natural surroundings. The rare Cape Hunting Dog is also being re-introduced and you can get permission to watch these fascinating animals as well, some of which have been re-introduced to the wild.

Besides the commoner big game species such as elephant, buffalo, giraffe and plains game, and of course the big cats, you will also find unusual antelope such as oryx, gerenuk and lesser kudu. Gerenuk, known as giraffe antelope in Swahili, are elegant medium sized gazelles with a long neck that enable them to reach high into thorn bush to browse. They even stand up on their hind legs to reach yet higher. Such details of nature are why you visit Mkomazi. During the short green season (November / December and March / April) the flickering light of fire flies dot the wooded valleys at night.