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Tanzania national parks and game reserves are home to an amazing diversity of wildlife, making for incomparable Africa game watching safaris. Among these game reserves, the five parks below stand out as the best of the best.

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha national park occupies 12,950 sq km, making it the second largest national park in Tanzania. Located 128 km from Iringa, this park is named after the great Ruaha river, which attracts many thirsty animals to its banks, among them lions, leopards, hyenas, water bucks, and reed bucks. The river also hosts several hippos and crocodiles. Other animals found in Ruaha include zebras, wild dogs, giraffes, lesser and greater kudu, impala, and several antelope species. Ruaha national park is unique in that it combines Southern Africa and Eastern Africa flora and fauna.

Ruaha’s topography is ideal for hiking and walking safaris. In the rainy season between March to April and October to November, the bird population peaks to a high of over 350 bird species – including some Eurasian migrants. Ruaha’s climate is hot and dry, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius in October. The Ruaha is was until recently totally inaccessible, but there is now a year round road access to the park. From Dar es Salaam, road travel takes 10 hours while a charter flight takes 1 and and half hours. The best time for a safari is over the dry season- May to December.

Lake Manyara National Park

The Lake Manyara National Park is without doubt the best destination for birdwatching in Tanzania due to its unrivaled birdlife. The waterfowl and several migratory birds are some of the bird species found here. Lake Manyara national park is also one of the greatest places for viewing leopards atop the lush green vegetation. Tree-climbing lions are also common in parts of the park. The National Park is located between Lake Manyara and the walls of the great Rift Valley, which rise up to 610 meters above.

The periods between December and February and between August and September constitute the best times for going on safari in Lake Manyara national park. However, it is still possible to see animals throughout the year. Most parts of the park are easily accessible, making it possible for you to see all its major attractions in two hours. Lake Manyara National park has three habitats: groundwater green forests, acacia woodlands, and open floodplains.

Tarangire National Park

Named after the Tarangire River, Tarangire National Park is also part of the northern tourism circuit. The park area is approximately 2,600 sq km and has a high concentration of wildlife during the dry seasons as well as a high number of elephants. With over 570 bird species, the place is surely a birdwatchers’ paradise.

The best time to go on safari in Tarangire national park is in the dry months from June to September. The dry weather at that time force many animals to congregate at the river to drink water. There is also less vegetation cover at this time, giving you great animal spotting chances. You also stand a better chance of seeing pythons at Tarangire than in any other places, particularly because Tarangire pythons have love climbing trees.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Located towards the north of Tanzania on an area of over 7,000 square miles the Ngorongoro conservation area was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in’79. The park joins up with the Serengeti to the north-west and it is through here that wildebeest horde through during their world famous migration from the Masai Mara to Serengeti, then to Ngorongoro.

At the center of this conservation area lies the 264 sq km Ngorongoro crater, whose floor is inhabited by a great array of wildlife. Since the crater provides one of the greatest and very satisfying game watching experience, it is not a big surprise that it remains one of the most popular Tanzania destination for wildlife safaris.

Great herds of gazelle, antelope and zebra can be seen grazing along the river beds as well as large herds of elephants moving from one corner of the park to the other. It is also possible to see prides of lions sleeping lazily under the shady trees or at least hear a lion’s roar echoing off the walls of the crater. This is an exciting, though at times, shocking experience. Birdwatchers will also enjoy visiting Ngorongoro. Lake Ndutu in the area is home to a thriving population of birds. Some of the bird species you will see here include stocks, ducks and flamingos among may more.

Serengeti National Park

In the local Masai language, the word “Siringit” means unending plains. Serengeti’s name is derived from this word, describing the national parks open grassy plains. Occupying 12,950 sq km, this national park is part of the same ecosystem with Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya. This vast plain is the home of over 30 large mammal species and about 500 bird species.

The Serengeti hosts the largest and longest overland migration in the world, dubbed the Great Wildebeest Migration. The semi-annual occurrence that is said to be the world’s most spectacular wildlife show is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. Others include the Ngorongoro Crater and Victoria Falls.

The great wildebeest migration from Serengeti to the Mara generally takes place between July and August. It is however impossible to correctly predict its timing as it is largely dependent on the rain and pasture availability patterns. The reverse journey of the migration happens around October. About 2 million herbivores participate in the migration, with some of the most interesting moments being when they cross the Mara river in pursuit of greener pastures.

Serengeti is reached by both road and air. The road trip from Arusha, situated some 320km from the park, takes approximately 8 hours. International visitors to Serengeti are served by the Kilimanjaro International Airport in Arusha. From there, the visitors can travel by road to the park or take either scheduled or charter flights to Serengeti airstrips like Kirawira or Seronera.

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The Kenyan Coast is indisputably one of the top tourism and travel destinations in Kenya, providing a great variety of tourist attractions. Among the popular coastal destinations are the Gedi ruins, the mysterious remains of an ancient Kenya coastal town, which lie about 100km North of Mombasa and 15km South of Malindi. Found deep in the Arabuko Sokoke forest, these 15th century ruins are among Kenya’s great unexploited treasures.

Apart from the common belief that the town was abandoned in the early 17th century, little else is known about this ancient coastal town that still puzzles both archaeologists and historians. The reason why the town was abandoned is not documented but one school of thought believes that unknown invaders destroyed the town in the 17th century. Many researchers dispute this theory because there is no evidence of any disturbance or battle in this ancient Swahili settlement whose population was estimated at 2500 people.

Another school of thought argues that the inhabitants of the town abandoned it after receding ocean waters depleted the available water from their wells. It is also alleged that the Portuguese brought the deadly Black Plague, with no known cure, wiping out the population.

A recent theory has it that the town was threatened by the approach of the Galla, an inland tribe known to be outwardly hostile at that time, and that the townspeople fled ahead of their arrival. Yet once again, local recorded history fails to mention any such large scale evacuation at this time.

In 1927, Gedi ruins were declared a historic monument. Since then, there have been many excavation and preservation works in the ruins. Many large areas of this ancient town have been revealed, including the palace, a great mosque, and the pillar tombs. Despite all this research work however, nobody knows with certainty what happened to Gedi and its inhabitants.

Excavations of the Gedi Ruins that were carried out between 1948 and 1958 uncovered porcelain from China, an Indian lamp, Venetian beads, Spanish scissors, and other interesting vestiges that show that some of Gedi?s past citizens were engaged some form of international trade.

The Gedi Ruins were declared a national park in 1948 and the area has since become one of the top tourist attractions along the Kenyan coastal region. Gedi remains a mysterious place to visit, especially with pillars and stone walls, ruined mosques and tombs lying among stands of trees.

Today, modern day villages surround Gedi, which, overgrown with plants and flowers, still remains an oasis tranquility. You can get to Gedi from Malindi, Mombasa, and Watamu. There is a small museum that exhibits ancient items retrieved through excavation work, including Arab wares, Chinese porcelain, and Phoenician artifacts. More artifacts from Gede ruins are also available at the Fort Jesus museum in Mombasa.

The Kenya Coast remains one the top travel destinations in Kenya, offering many diverse tourist attractions. Among such popular destination in the Coast are the Gedi ruins, which lie about 100 km north of Mombasa and 15 km south of Malindi. These ruins of the 15th century town of Gedi hold with them Kenya’s great unknown treasures; a wonderful ancient town lying lost in the depths of the Arabuko Sokoke forest.

Apart from the common belief that the town was abandoned in the early 17th century, little else is known about this ancient coastal town that still puzzles both archaeologists and historians. The reason why the town was abandoned is not documented but one school of thought believes that unknown invaders destroyed the town in the 17th century. Many researchers dispute this theory because there is no evidence of any disturbance or battle in this ancient Swahili settlement whose population was estimated at 2500 people.

Another school of thought thinks that the town residents abandoned it as a result of receding ocean waters which caused a reduction in water availability in the water wells. Other people also allege that the entire population was wiped away by the deadly and incurable Black Plague introduced by the Portuguese.

A recent theory has it that the town was threatened by the approach of the Galla, an inland tribe known to be outwardly hostile at that time, and that the townspeople fled ahead of their arrival. Yet once again, local recorded history fails to mention any such large scale evacuation at this time.

In 1927, Gedi ruins were declared a historic monument. Since then, there have been many excavation and preservation works in the ruins. Many large areas of this ancient town have been revealed, including the palace, a great mosque, and the pillar tombs. Despite all this research work however, nobody knows with certainty what happened to Gedi and its inhabitants.

Excavations of the Gedi Ruins that were carried out between 1948 and 1958 uncovered porcelain from China, an Indian lamp, Venetian beads, Spanish scissors, and other interesting vestiges that show that some of Gedi?s past citizens were engaged some form of international trade.

In 1948, the Kenya government declared Gedi ruins a national park. The area has since become one of the top tourist attractions in the Kenya coast. With its pillars and stone walls, and ruined mosques and tombs in the midst of trees, Gedi ruins still remain a mysterious place to visit.

Surrounded by modern-day villages, Gedi is an oasis of tranquility; overgrown with plants and flowers. The area can be accessed easily from Malindi, Watamu and Mombasa. A small museum has been set up to exhibit ancient Arab, Chinese and Phoenician porcelain excavated from the ruins. The Fort Jesus museum in Mombasa has artifacts from the Gedi Ruins as well.