Top Best Tanzania National Parks to Visit in 2024
Traveling to Tanzania or any destination well-knowing the park to spend your holiday is the most amazing thing ever. Tanzania covers a vast area of about 155000sq.mi and comprised of over 19 National Parks and several Nature Reserves occupying over 37 percent of the country. The spectacular Tanzania National Parks shelter abundant animal species.
National Parks in Tanzania are distributed across the country from the North, South and West. Each of Tanzania safari parks features unique wildlife species and diversity of avifaunal species. The interesting side of it is that most of the Tanzania National Parks contain a complete list of big 5 game members and other most sought for wildlife species in Africa.
Tanzania National Parks to Explore
Serengeti National Park
Serengeti National Park is accessible 320km Northwest of Arusha, and the park is most popular for its endless plains. Serengeti National Park boasts of its unique attraction –the Great Migration, an annual event where over 1.5 million wildebeest together with 1000s of gazelles, zebras cross to Maasai Mara Reserve following the rain patterns.
Serengeti is officially a declared World Heritage Site, a destination where millions of wildebeest teem with other diverse wildlife offering remarkably unmatched wilderness experience. This park is set in Eastern Mara area and Northeastern Simiyu region spanning over 14,763sq.km.
Serengeti NP was gazetted in 1940 and boasts of its abundant wildlife. The park’s diverse animal species include the Thomson’s gazelles, elands, blue wildebeest, lions, African bush elephants, buffaloes, leopards, spotted hyenas, golden wolf, black backed jackals, African wild dog, aardvark, African civet, hippos, bat-eared fox; primates such as mantled guereza, vervet monkeys, yellow & olive baboons, etc.
The reptile species to look out for include the leopard tortoise, rainbow agama, Nile crocodiles, black-necked spitting cobra, Jackson’s chameleon, and more.
Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area
Referred to as Garden of Eden, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is set between Arusha and the Serengeti. It is a remarkable destination with a huge concentration of wildlife accounting for over 25,000 animals.
It features an extinct volcano, also recognized as the world’s biggest intact caldera. The crater offers incredible views of its scenic forested rim –sheer walls dropping 600m to enclose a 260sq.km extension of fertile savanna.
Created in 1959, the NCA extends up to 8292sq.km and holds myriad of animal species.
This designated UNESCO Heritage Site shelters animal species such as the Grant’s zebras, cheetahs, East African wild dogs, waterbucks, cape buffaloes, black rhinos, African leopards, giraffes, impalas, Thomson gazelles, crocodiles, oribis, jackals, waterbucks, hyenas, hartebeest, elands, wildebeest, elephants, lions, and more.
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Tarangire National Park
Tarangire National Park is Tanzania’s 6th biggest park, extending over 2600sq.km and reachable within 3 hours’ drive. The park is most famous for its amazing birding expeditions and also boasts of huge concentrations of wildlife.
The park has the Tarangire River as its only source of water with incredibly unique landscape featuring beautiful baobab trees.
Tarangire NP was founded in 1970 and spans over 2850sq.km. It holds diversity of animals including elands, dik-dik, cape buffaloes, wildebeest, zebras, giraffes, banded mongoose, olive baboons, honey badger, leopards, lions, cheetahs, gazelles, waterbucks, African wild dogs, caracals and more.
Located within the Northern tourist circuit, Tarangire NP protects 550 species of birds including yellow-billed storks, rufous-tailed weavers, Ashy starling, superb starling, red and yellow barbet, yellow-necked spur fowl.
Lake Manyara National Park
This park is set in the Northern safari circuit of Tanzania, 126km west of Arusha town. It covers a total of 330sq.km and lies between Lake Manyara and the Great Rift Valley. Lake Manyara National Park (LMNP) Tanzania was founded in 1960sq.km and protects diversity of floral and faunal species.
The different mammal species to find at Lake Manyara NP include impalas, tree climbing lions, gazelles, zebras, waterbucks, hippos, dik-dik, warthogs, buffaloes, elephants, giraffes, and numerous birds including pelicans, pink flamingoes, silvery cheeked hornbills and more.
Kilimanjaro National Park
Kilimanjaro NP is set in the Southern side of Tanzania close to Kenya border and is on the north-eastern side of Arusha town.
This designated UNESCO World Heritage Site was established in 1973 and occupies over 1688sq.km.
It boasts of its diverse faunal species including the red duikers, bushbucks, tree hyrax, grey duikers, elephants, blue monkeys, leopards, bush babies, and birds such as white-cheeked barbets, red-capped robin chat, grey hornbills, black shouldered kite, African fish eagles, African pygmy kingfishers, Gabar goshawk, white necked raven and more.
Ruaha National Park
Set in Central Tanzania, Ruaha National Park East Africa’s biggest park, home to over 10% of the lion population in the world and also contains the biggest concentration of elephant population.
If you are interested in wild dogs or striped hyenas, it is also the best place to consider spending a holiday. Ruaha extends over 20,220sq.km and was created in 1964. Other wildlife to find in this park include the sable antelopes, hippos, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, buffaloes, giraffes and birds.
Arusha National Park
Accessible within 1.5 hours, Arusha National Park lies at the foothills of Mt. Meru, one of the remarkable volcanoes rising over 4566m.
This park is set in the northeastern side of Tanzania and holds diversity of wildlife including the cape buffaloes, hippos, elephants, giraffes, leopards, zebras, etc. Unlike other parks, Arusha covers the land area of only 137sq.km and it isn’t the big five protected area.
Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe National Park is Tanzania’s primate haven, a lush rainforest park accessible by boat from Kigoma.
It is a popular site of Jane Goodall’s research with chimpanzees being the prime attractions.
It was designated as a park in 1968 and covers a compact area of 35sq.km. In addition to chimpanzees, Gombe National Park also contains different species of animals including vervet monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, blue monkeys, bush pigs, leopards, snakes and more.
Mahale Mountains NP
Mahale Mountains National Park is situated in the far western Tanzania and contains the biggest population of Eastern chimpanzees in the country.
A total of 800 chimps live in this park which features bamboo forest, tropical rainforest and grassland. The park covers over 1600sq.km and spans on the Eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika in Uvinza District, Kigoma Region of Tanzania. It takes its name from the scenic Mahale Mountain range.
Other Tanzania National Parks include Mkomazi National Park, Nyerere National Park, Kitulo National Park, Udzungwa Mountains National Park, Katavi National Park, Rubondo Islands National Park, Burigi-Chato National Park, Saadani National Park, and Mikumi National Park.