Northern Circuit Safaris In Tanzania : The Tanzania Northern Safaris Circuit is the most famous safaris circuit in Tanzania, also in the whole world. The Tanzania Northern Safari Circuit lies in the northern part of the country comprising of the most famous National parks in Tanzania including Serengeti national park, Ngorongoro Crater “Ngorongoro Conservation Area”, Kilimanjaro National Park, Lake Manyara, Tarangire National Park, Arusha National Park, Olduvai Gorge, and Mkomazi National Park.
The Northern Safaris circuit of Tanzania hosts the largest population of wildlife in Tanzania, abundant birdlife and other forms of attractions such as volcanoes and calderas including Ngorongoro Crater the largest intact caldera in the world among others.
Below are details to Tanzania safari destinations found in the Northern Safari circuit.
Serengeti National Park
Serengeti national park “Seringiti” is one of the most iconic wildlife conservations in the world and the most visited national park in Tanzania for wildlife safaris, the part lies in one of the oldest ecosystems in the world “the Mara – Serengeti ecosystem” and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Serengeti national park covers an area of about 14,763 square kilometers dominated by endless plains, the park derives its name from a local Maasai word “Seringit” meaning the endless plains.
Serengeti national park is a must see and visit Tanzania safari destination, the park is popular for hosting the Great Wildebeest Migration which is the largest migration of wildlife witnessed on earth which is a sight to admire. In the migration over 2 million wildebeests together with ten thousands of zebras and gazelles move across the Mara- Serengeti ecosystem in search for green pasture and water.
Serengeti national park is a home to a large population of wildlife including all the Africa Big Five (lions, elephants, cape buffaloes, rhinos and leopards) and other animals such as cheetahs, giraffes, oribi, gazelles, wildebeests, antelopes, African wild dogs among others and a huge bird population.
Serengeti national park is a true birder’s haven hosting more than 500 bird species including eagles and vultures, ostrich, secretary birds, kori bustards, hornbills, guinea fowl as well as several bird species.
Serengeti’s vast terrain and the varying weather patterns and other migratory factors have led to a constant movement of animals in the park which has made it the best place for wildlife sighting with a true wilderness experience. The terrain of the park varies from long and short grasslands, open plains in the south, acacia savanna in the central area, hill, more densely wooded landscapes in the northern section and extensive woodland and black clay plains dominated by the central ranges of mountains in the western corridor.
Serengeti’s vast plains are dotted with rocky outcrops known as the kopjes, there are also several river running through the park including the Seronera river in the central area, the Grumeti river in the western Corridor and the Mara river in the north. These rivers offer water to the animals and the ecosystem most especially in the dry seasons, the varying landscape will keep you in awe during your safari
Tarangire National Park
Tarangire national park is one of the famous safari destination in Tanzania popular for the large population of elephants and the scenic savannah landscape dotted with the giant Baobab trees. Tarangire national park is part of the larger Tarangire – Manyara Ecosystem covering a total area of 35,000 square kilometers hosting the most remarkable vegetation types including riverine woodlands, Acacia tortilis parkland, wetlands and seasonal flood plains, acacia-Commiphora woodlands, riverine grasslands, combretum-Dalbergia woodlands, acacia drepanolobium woodlands, rocky hilltop (kopjes) vegetation, deep gully vegetation and grasslands with scattered Baobab trees.
Tarangire national park gets its name from Tarangire river that runs through
Tarangire national park is a habitat for various bird and wildlife species, in the dry season the park serves as a refugee for a majority of diverse migratory wildlife in Tarangire – Maasai Steppe ecosystem.
Wildlife in Tarangire national park include large herds of elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, cheetah, lions, spotted hyenas, zebras, antelopes such as gerenuk among others. The park is a habitat to a diverse birdlife with more than 550 bird species including the crested francolins, hoopoes, yellow necked spurfow, hornbills, guinea fowl, steppe eagles, brown parrots, the gigantic lappet-faced vulture, white-bellied go away bird, bateleur eagles, mouse birds, Kori bustards, yellow-collared lovebirds, bee-eaters, lilac breasted rollers, swifts, hammer kops, striped swallows and starlings among others.
Ngorongoro Crater “Ngorongoro Conservation Area”
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of the famous destinations in the world popular for hosting great numbers of wildlife safari in Tanzania and the largest intact caldera in the world – Ngorongoro Crater which is one of the 8th wonders of the world in Africa.
Ngorongoro crater is a rare protected area where both people and wildlife co-exist in harmony, large numbers live in the huge crater floor. Ngorongoro crater is a caldera (the largest sunken ancient caldera in the world), the caldera is said to have been formed 3 million years ago and is now considered one of the Africa’s 8 wonders and one of the world’s greatest treasures.
The crater floor is a home to thousands of animals such as wildebeests, over 2 hundred lion pride, zebras, elephants, hippos, hyenas, Thomson gazelles, the endangered rhinos, African buffalo, crocodiles, ostriches, flamingoes among others.
Lake Manyara National Park
Lake Manyara national park is another famous safari destination in Tanzania offering the true wilderness experience, the park is one of the two areas in Africa where you can see the tree climbing lions.
Lake Manyara national park is a relatively small park covering an area of 325 square kilometers, the park hosts some of the remarkable numbers of wildlife which is why you should add it on your bucket list of a Tanzania safari.
Lake Manyara national park is popular for its dramatic terrain, quickly changing from a shallow soda lake covered in flamingoes to acacia woodland hosting large concentrations of baboon troops, giraffes and herds of elephants. The park is a birding paradise hosting more than 400 bird species including greater flamingo, grey-headed heron, african darter, little bittern, dwarf bittern, black-crowned heron, cattle egret, common squacco heron, little egret, black heron, great egret, black-headed heron, goliath heron, purple heron, African spoonbill, sacred ibis, glossy ibis, Egyptian goose, spur-winged goose
Lake Manyara national park boasts an underground water forest and Great Rift Valley Escarpments.
Arusha National Park
Arusha national park is a relatively small national park covering an area of only 137 square kilometers, the park is situated close to Arusha Town and it just a 30 minute drive.
Arusha national park has several completely different micro – habitats ranging from a soda lake hosting a large number of flamingoes to dense forest habitat for black and white colobus monkeys, a plain, a crater and Mount Meru.
Olduvai Gorge
The Olduvai Gorge is referred to as the birthplace of humankind, in the early 20th century, Dr. Louis Leakey a famous archaeologist occupied the area and discovered the earlies remains of human fossils.
Olduvai Gorge is a very steep-sided ravine roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) long and 295ft (90 meters) deep, according to paleoanthropologists, the deposits show rich fossil fauna covering a time span from about 2,100,000 to 15,000 years ago.
