Visit Northern Tanzania, Tanzania

Northern Tanzania is home to some of East Africa’s most famous parks.

The main parks in the north are the Serengeti Game Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park and Tarangire National Park.

Serengeti Game Reserve

The Serengeti is notable for its million strong migratory herds of zebra and wildebeest. Ngorongoro has Africa’s densest lion and spotted hyena population as well as the rare, big tusked black rhino.

Lake Manyara has flocks of flamingos in the shallows and tree climbing lion in the surrounding vegetation whilst Tarangire is known for having dense elephant populations in the dry season.

These parks are very easy to combine and can be accessed either by light aircraft, or more commonly by driving on a guided safari.

Flamingos of Lake Natron

Trips tend to start in Arusha where international flights land and then head west taking in Tarangire, Lake Manyara and the Ngorongoro Crater before ending in the Serengeti. However, the north is not just home to the most famous parks, it also has a number of lesser known areas that are no less spectacular. Lake Natron, far from the beaten track is a breeding ground for lesser flamingos and has spectacular scenery with the wall of the Great Rift Valley running alongside it.

Maasai culture

West Kilimanjaro is an area of unparalleled beauty with vast plains home to both antelope and cattle. It is a Maasai stronghold and visiting here gives you an insight into traditional Maasai culture. Finally, it is possible to walk around the rim of the crater, stay on a coffee farm in the Ngorongoro highlands, take in the scenery at the foothills of Kilimanjaro or even climb to the top.

We recommend combining some of these lesser known areas with some of the famous parks for a unique safari.