SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
The Serengeti National Park is the only place where you can witness millions of wildebeest migrating over the acacia plains. The cradle of human life and probably the closest to an untouched African wilderness you will ever find. Here, time seems to stand still, even though thousands of animals are constantly on the move.
The Serengeti's magic is not easy to describe in words as it is a feast for the senses. Of course, the views are incredible, but so are the sounds as millions of wildebeest on the move make noise. The numbers of wildebeest and zebra are so high that the air vibrates through your entire body.
The Serengeti is also home to the Maasai people: friendly native people who are happy to meet visitors and tell you about their way of life. Visiting the Serengeti National Park is magical year-round. Still, it's extraordinary between July and October when the famous river crossings of the Great Migration occur in the Northern Serengeti.
THE NEVER-ENDING CYCLE OF THE GREAT MIGRATION
In 1972, the Serengeti National Park was one of the first locations listed as a World Heritage Site. The area had been recognized as a unique ecosystem in the 1950s, showing us how dynamic ecosystems are and providing us with many insights into how the natural world functions.
Today, most visitors come to witness The Great Migration - millions of wildebeest, gazelles, elands, and zebras on a mass journey to quench their thirst for water and fresh grass. The fact that Serengeti National Park is home to the Great Migration means that, for many, Tanzania is Africa's top safari destination. These ungulates move around the ecosystem in a seasonal pattern during this great cyclical movement, defined by rainfall and grass nutrients. The Serengeti is protected but unfenced, allowing animals the room to make the same return journey they've been making for millions of years.
BEYOND THE GREAT MIGRATION
A river crossing can sometimes only last a few minutes, and it can be easy to miss but don't let this discourage you because there are many other reasons to visit the Serengeti. It's to see a vast stretch of land where you can drive forever and never get enough. It's to see incredible skies of dazzling colors. It's to experience the primal feeling of excitement when a deep dark-grey thunderstorm appears on the horizon. Or you might come to the Serengeti to see one of the largest concentrations of predators in the world: the herds support about 7,500 hyenas, 3,000 lions, and 250 cheetahs. And what about the silent gray giants? Elephants in the Serengeti amble over the plains into the woodlands, dining on leaves and tree branches. Read more about wildlife in the Serengeti.
TRIBES IN THE CRADLE OF HUMAN LIFE
While animals still rule the Serengeti plains, the area also has a long history of human occupation as humans, and their ancestors have lived here for almost four million years. Today, the Serengeti is still home to several indigenous tribes; one of the most famous is the Maasai, who are unique because of their long-preserved culture. Despite western cultural influences, the Maasai people have clung to their traditional way of life, making them a famous symbol of Tanzanian culture. Read more about Tanzania's people and perhaps consider one of our Tanzania Experiences as they offer guests the opportunity to meet the Maasai and other Tanzania, people.
VIBRANCY, VARIETY AND VASTNESS IN THE SERENGETI
You will soon realize that amazement doesn't have boundaries in this world-renowned national park of Tanzania on your Serengeti holiday. The Serengeti is a transition area, with distinct changeovers going from rich flat soils to poor hilly soils in the north, attracting a wide variety of vegetation and animals. Whether you're looking for big cats, birds, or even smaller creatures: Serengeti National Park delivers. Understanding and experiencing just a tiny part of this ecosystem will change your vision of our world and the environment.
Please get in touch if you have any questions about the Serengeti or any of our Tailor-Made Tanzania Safari Holidays. After being overwhelmed by the vibrancy, variety, and vastness of this land, this place of transition will leave you changed forever!
NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
Join Urth Expedition on a safari through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area! Explore its three spectacular volcanic craters, the Olduvai Gorge, and its huge expanses of savannah, forest and bush land. This unique place is the flagship of Tanzania's tourism industry and it’s perhaps the second most popular safari destination in Tanzania, alongside Serengeti National Park.
Measuring 8,300 square kilometers, Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is also the only place on earth where man and wild animals harmoniously co-exist. The NCA was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979. Originally part of Serengeti National Park in 1951 when established by the British, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) was formed in 1959, separating it from the Serengeti. The land inside the area is multi-use, providing protection status for wildlife while also permitting humans to live there. The NCA is where man, livestock and wild animals live in peace, which makes it unique. Zebras can sometimes be seen grazing alongside Maasai cattle on the grassland—what more could you ask from a Tanzania safari?
THE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA IS A WORLD HERITAGE SITE
The NCA's wildlife and land has been a UNESCO site since 1979, and now its cultural heritage is to be included. It’s the only site in the world with human communities and a high concentration of wildlife living in harmony. The multiple land use systems are among the earliest to be established around the world as a way to reconcile conserving natural resources and human development. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area also contains many archaeological, paleontological and anthropological sites of exceptional quality. If you’re interested in the cultural offering of traveling in Tanzania, and the Ngorongoro Crater in particular. You have the opportunities to meet the people of Tanzania, either having experiences that positively impact their lives or simply learning about their culture first hand in a sensitive and responsible way.
YOUR HOLIDAY IN THE NGORONGORO CRATER
Had it not become the world's largest inactive, unbroken and unfilled volcanic caldera, then what is now known as the Ngorongoro Crater could have been a towering volcanic mountain as high as Kilimanjaro, and a Ngorongoro Safari might look a little different...The crater in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is its flagship tourism feature. It’s a large, unbroken, un-flooded caldera, that was formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed approximately three million years ago. It sinks to a depth of 610 meters, with a base area covering 260 square kilometers. The height of the original volcano is thought to have ranged between 4,500 to 5,800 meters high. Ngorongoro also has two other volcanic craters in addition to the main caldera: Olmoti and Empakai. The former is famous for its stunning waterfalls and the latter for its deep lake and lush, green walls. On the leeward side (protected from the wind) of the Ngorongoro Highlands is the iconic Ol Doinyo Lengai, Tanzania's third highest peak after Kilimanjaro and Meru, and an active volcano. Known to the locals as the Mountain of God, it had its last major eruption in 2007. At the foot of the mountain is Lake Natron, East Africa's major breeding ground for flamingos. Check our guide to Lake Natron to learn more.
WILDLIFE ON A NGORONGORO SAFARI
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area contains over 25,000 large animals including approximately 26 black rhinoceros (the exact number is unknown in order to protect them). Higher up in the rainforests of the crater rim you’ll find large elephants, leopards, mountain reedbuck, buffalos, rare wild dogs, spotted hyenas, jackals, cheetahs, and other felines. The crater also has the densest-known lion population.
Also making its way through Ngorongoro is the annual zebra and wildebeest migration, when approximately 2 million ungulates move south into the area in December then move back out in June to head north. The migrants passing through the plains of the NCA include 1.8 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra, and 350,000 gazelles. To the west, the Lake Ndutu area has a large population of cheetah and lion. Over 500 species of bird have also been noted within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, including white pelican, ostrich, and greater and lesser flamingo on Lake Magadi within the crater and Lake Ndutu.
VEGETATION IN THE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
Ngorongoro is home to desert plants as well as lush green, rain-watered vegetation . The area has abundant short grass used for grazing, arid and semi-arid plant communities, uncultivated lowland vegetation and highland forests.
On Oldeani Mountain and Pencil Cedar on Makarut Mountain to the west there are extensive stretches of pure bamboo. Dove-weeds are prominent on the lower slopes, while the upland woodlands are home to Red Thorn Acacia and Gum Acacia -critical for protecting the watershed. Scrub heath, high open moorland, grasslands and what’s left of the dense evergreen forests cover the slopes of the crater, while highland trees including Yellow-Wood, Kousso (Hagenia abyssinica), Peacock Flower and Sweet Olive are also found.
The basin of the crater is covered by open short grass plains with fresh water lakes, swamps, marshes, and two patches of Acacia woodland. Laiyanai Forest has Pillar Wood and Acacia Lahai while the Lerai Forest is home to the Yellow Fever tree and Acacia. The plains to the west are grass-covered with occasional Umbrella Acacia and Commiphora Africana trees. In the drier conditions besides Lake Eyasi, Blackthorn Acacia and Zebrawood dominate. These vast grasslands and bush are rich, relatively untouched by cultivation, and support large populations of animals.
THE NGORONGORO CRATER IS WHERE HUMAN LIFE BEGAN
At the far end of the NCA stands the archaeological site Olduvai Gorge, widely regarded as the cradle of mankind and the most important prehistoric site in the world.
The earliest remains of homo sapiens were discovered here by Dr. Louis and Mary Leakey over 50 years ago and anyone with an interest in mankind’s ancestors will be fascinated by this extraordinary place. Look in wonder at the rugged landscape and explore their quaint little museum. This paleo-anthropological site is a steep-sided ravine in the Great Rift Valley composed of two branches that have a combined length of about 48 km and are 90 meters deep. A treasure trove of fossil remains have been yielded by the deposits exposed in the sides of the gorge cover. Based on the evidence discovered at Olduvai Gorge, it’s believed that a number of hominid species have continuously lived in the crater for the last three million years. The gorge is named after the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant: oldupaai.
FAMOUS VISITORS TO THE NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA
About 450,000 tourists visit Ngorongoro every year, accounting for 60 per cent of the tourists visiting Tanzania annually. Famous visitors include former United States President Bill Clinton, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, the Queen of Denmark Magrethe II, Chris Tucker, John Wayne, Prince William, and the entire delegation attending the 2008 Leon Sullivan Summit taking place in Arusha National Park. Some of the scenes from the Oscar winning film Out of Africa and John Wayne's Hatari were filmed in Ngorongoro. In addition to the above-mentioned attractions, visitors can also experience cultural tourism or eco-tourism in various Maasai bomas and settlements. Gibbs Farm, located near Karatu along the NCA perimeters, specializes in this. Conducted from within the Northern Highland Forest Reserve, there are also nature trail expeditions by the Endoro River, where visitors can see elephant caves, enjoy bird watching, marvel at waterfalls that are 150 meters high and learn about the local flora.
Tarangire National Park
Often described as Tanzania's most underrated national park, Tarangire National Park is one of Africa's little-known gems and a must for any northern circuit itinerary. Receiving just a fraction of the Serengeti's visitors means more space and exclusivity for those who do make it there. Boasting a variety of wildlife as diverse as its landscape, Tarangire is also the park that boasts the largest population of elephants in Tanzania—making it arguably the best place in the world to see African elephants.
Tarangire National Park is located between Maasai Steppe's meadows to the southeast and the Great Rift Valley lakes to the north and west, about 120 kilometers outside Arusha. Being one of the most seasonal parks in northern Tanzania, Tarangire has many migratory movements within the greater Tarangire ecosystem. All of this makes Tarangire one of the best parks revisit on a second or third safari as it always has something new to show you.
WILDLIFE IN TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
The wild animals you'll see in this park will differ based on the season. Some animals leave the park between November to May. The game returns to the Tarangire swamps during the dry season, especially to the river system, around June to October. At that point, herds of as many as 300 elephants search the dry riverbed for underground streams, during migratory buffalo, impala, wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, hartebeest, and eland crowd around the shrinking lagoons. The park boasts the greatest concentration of wildlife outside the Serengeti. Therefore, it is a literal smorgasbord for predators and the only place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope like the fringe-eared Oryx and long-necked gerenuk are regularly seen. The swamps focus on 550 bird species, and it has the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world, which makes Tarangire a famous safari destination for bird lovers.
Among other common animals in Tarangire are leopards, lions, hyenas, and cheetah that seem popular within the southern open areas. Still, the thick vegetation usually hides the primary predators and makes them harder to spot than other parks in northern Tanzania. The large numbers of elephants and its colossal baobab trees make Tarangire a popular Tanzania photography safari destination. If you have enough time, we recommend staying for a few days in the south of the park as it's less crowded and allows you to get a natural feel of the backcountry.
PLANT LIFE IN TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
The name of the park comes from the Tarangire River that crosses through. This is the only source of water for wild animals during the dry seasons. The river is usually very dry; in fact, it is drier than the Serengeti. However, Tarangire's vegetation is much greener, especially with many elephant grasses, vast areas with mixed acacia woodlands and baobab trees. Next to the acacia, no plant is quite as associated with Africa as the noble baobab. Known otherwise as the Tree of Life, the baobab gets its shape from the fact it can store anywhere between 300 and 1000 liters of water within its trunk. Able to live up to 600 years, this tree is particularly common in Tarangire National Park.
ACTIVITIES IN TARANGIRE
Tarangire is an ideal destination for those who want to explore beyond game drives. There are many options to explore the region on walking safaris, which allow you to study the smallest creatures and learn about tracking animals. However, from a completely different perspective, you can soar through the sky in a hot-air balloon at dawn or head out on a night drive to find nocturnal wildlife. There are so many incredible ways to explore this place, and Sababu Safaris has the local knowledge and resources to make this happen!
THE BEST TIME FOR A TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK TOUR
During the dry season, Tarangire has the highest concentration of mammals in the country. From late June to October, thousands of animals migrate to Tarangire from Lake Manyara National Park, and animals tend to congregate around the Tarangire River. This makes for one of the greatest safari experiences in Africa!
Please keep in mind that July to October marks the high season, with many tourists filling the park. While the low season is less busy, it also comes with more rain, and due to the tall grass, animals are a bit harder to spot.
Nyerere National Park – A short account of a long history
By John Baumann | 14 December 2022
In the south of Tanzania, far removed from the bustle of the busy northern circuit, lies Nyerere National Park, formerly known as the Selous Game Reserve.
In 1888, the first formal environmental legislations were passed in German East Africa, calling for the establishment of recognised wildlife reserves, the introduction of hunting quotas and stricter regulations around the hunting of specific species. In 1896, the first protected areas were created – one to the west of Mount Kilimanjaro, and the other along the Rufiji River in southern Tanzania.
At it’s largest, the Selous Game Reserve occupied more than 5% of Tanzania’s land area.
Frederick Courteney Selous
Frederick Courteney Selous was a British explorer, hunter, conservationist and officer. He spent many years on the African continent, hunting medium and large mammal species from South Africa to South Sudan. Specimens were collected for both his private collection and public museums – primarily The Natural History Museum in London – where there are over 500 mammals, all shot by him. In total, he donated more than 5,000 plant and animal specimens to the museum. It was through his love of big game hunting that he recognised the significant reduction of game in Africa as a result of European hunters. This realisation led him to become an advocate for the creation of established game reserves, the preservation of wildlife stocks, and conservation of natural environments. It was his influence, along with other big game hunters that joined his cause, that led to the implementation of formal legislation seen across much of Africa in the 1880’s.
The vast and diverse landscape Nyerere National Park was some of the first land to be protected in Tanzania.
In 1917, during World War One fighting in German East Africa, Selous was shot by a German sniper and died on the banks of the Rufiji River. In 1919, Tanzania was awarded to Britain and, in 1922, the reserve in which he died was renamed in his honour as the Selous Game Reserve for his influence and contribution to the creation of game reserves in Africa.
Over the years, the size and shape of the Selous Game Reserve shifted and expanded, reaching its largest in the 1940’s with an area of over 50’000km2 – larger than The Netherlands. Until recently, only a small area in the north of the reserve was set aside for photographic tourism, while most of the reserve was divided up into hunting blocks.
Nyerere National Park offers spectacular and diverse game viewing, without the crowds of the northern circuit.
A change of name
In 2019, the Government of Tanzania decided to create a new national park, carving out land from the existing Selous Game Reserve, creating new park boundaries and setting aside an area of nearly 31’000km2 to be dedicated to photographic tourism under the management and protection of Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA). The new park was named Nyerere National Park, in honour of the first President of Tanzania – Julius Nyerere. Nyerere was widely respected as an anti-colonialist and was instrumental in gaining Tanzania’s independence from Britain in 1961. Today, the memory of Nyerere is still treated with honoured respect in Tanzania, where he is regularly referred to as “The Father of the Nation”. The change of management to TANAPA will ensure an improved presence on the ground to combat poaching, develop a wider tourism offering across the park and assist in the professional management of the overall tourism experience.
The waterways of Nyerere National Park provide the opportunity for boating safaris and catch-and-release fishing.
Today, Nyerere National Park offers an incredible diversity of wildlife featuring healthy herds of elephant and hundred-strong herds of buffalo. The population of apex predators includes multiple lion prides, significant leopard numbers and competitive clans of hyena. Packs of African wild dog roam the open grasslands, preying on the abundance of antelope and gazelle. Waterways and lake networks teem with tigerfish, crocodile and hippo, while the varying biomes host an array of bird species numbering over 400.
Roho ya Selous, meaning “heart” or “soul” of the Selous, is strategically positioned within one of the prime game viewing locations. The waterways around the lakes of Nzerakera and Manze thrive with wildlife throughout the year due to the regular water source, while the lakes themselves offer an exciting alternative to the land-based activities of walking and game drives in the form of boating safaris and catch-and-release fishing.
The diversity of the Nyerere National Park ecosystem allows for an incredible variety of birdlife.
The creation of the new national park allows for exciting tourism opportunities, as there are vast tracts of land waiting to be explored. A safari destination that is already renowned for its diversity of landscapes and activities is now capable of offering unmatched levels of exclusivity within one of East Africa’s prime wildlife environments.
ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
Located just a short drive from Arusha and Moshi, Arusha National Park is Tanzania's most accessible national park and the perfect place for a day trip or as the first stop on a longer Tanzania safari. It's a small park with a lot to see - it includes the slopes, summit, and ash cone of Mt. Meru, Ngurdoto Crater, the Momella Lakes, and the lush highland forests that cover its lower slopes. The closest national park to northern Tanzania’s safari capital, the town of Arusha, Arusha National Park is a multi-faceted diamond that is often bypassed by safari goers, despite offering the opportunity to explore an engaging diversity of habitats within a few hours. After your Arusha NP safari, you may like to check out some of Tanzania’s other breathtaking national parks; take a look at our guides to Tarangire National Park and Serengeti National Park to better understand what else is on offer.
ARUSHA NP WILDLIFE
Game viewing around the Momella Lakes in Arusha is at a laid-back and quiet pace, and while passing through the forest, many visitors search for troupes of rare colobus monkeys playing in the canopy. Although elephants are rare in Arusha National Park and lions are absent, leopards and spotted hyenas may be seen in the early morning and late afternoon. Giraffes glide across the grassy hills between grazing zebra herds while pairs of wide-eyed dik-dik dart into the bush. The park provides an excellent birding year, particularly between November and April when migratory birds from Europe and North Africa are present, and the local birds display their breeding plumage.
Beyond the entrance gate is a shadowy montane forest inhabited by curious blue monkeys and colorful turacos and trogons – the only place on the northern safari circuit where you can easily see the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey. You’ll find the spectacular Ngurdoto Crater in the forest, whose steep rocky cliffs enclose a wide marshy floor with herds of warthog and buffalo.
Further north, rolling grassy hills enclose the tranquil beauty of the Momella Lakes, each with a different green or blue hue. Sometimes there are shallows where you’ll see thousands of flamingos. The lakes support a large variety of migrant and native waterfowl, and also waterbucks that show their large lyre-shaped horns.
ACTIVITIES IN ARUSHA NATIONAL PARK
CLIMBING ARUSHA’S MOUNT MERU
Popular activities for visitors to Arusha National Park are climbing Mt. Meru or enjoying the smaller trails among its lower slopes. The three-day trip to reach the crater’s summit is a quieter and possibly more challenging alternative to the peak of nearby Mount Kilimanjaro. Along the lower slopes, the paths to rivers and waterfalls provide a relaxing day hike for visitors who don’t want to attempt a difficult climb. Among the other pleasures of Arusha National Park are the ancient fig tree forests, crystal clear waters falling from mountain streams, and a chance to spot colobus monkeys are the attractions.
At dusk and dawn, the clouds on the eastern horizon are most likely to clear, revealing the majestic snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, which is only 30 miles (50km) away. But it’s Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro’s cousin – the fifth-highest mountain in Africa at 14,990 feet (4,566 meters) – that dominates the park's horizon. With its peaks and eastern foot slopes protected inside the national park, Meru offers amazing views of its more famous neighbor while also providing an excellent and rewarding hiking destination by itself.
First, passing through the wooded savannah where giraffes and buffaloes are often seen, the ascent of Meru leads into forests with red-hot pokers and dripping with Spanish moss before reaching a highly open heath spiked with giant lobelias. Klipspringers mark the hike’s progress as everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert. Next to the summit of Mount Meru, Kilimanjaro stands unveiled in the sunrise.
CANOEING THE MOMELLA LAKES
The Momella Lakes inside Arusha National Park are made up of seven shallow lakes: Big Momella, Small Momella, Lekandiro, Kusare, Tulusia, Rishateni, and El Kekhotoito. Alkaline lakes have a large amount of algae growth; each is a different shade of green or blue. While the water is not suitable for drinking, you can see a variety of birds (including flamingoes) and animals such as water bucks, giraffes, zebras, and dik-diks in the surrounding area. On Small Momella Lake, it’s possible to go on a canoeing safari.
YOUR ARUSHA WALKING SAFARI
Arusha National Park is also a perfect place to get out and stretch your legs on a walking safari. Due to the low number of predators in the park, walking safaris are permitted. This is a must for anyone wanting to get a closer look at the moss-covered trees and the occasional red-hot pokers as well as for those wanting to get close to wildlife. Most common sightings while on a walking safari include buffaloes, warthogs, giraffes, and various birds such as the silvery-cheeked hornbill, little bee-eater, and the occasional long-crested eagle. The walk will take you to the Tululusia waterfalls and back to the Momella gate.
Don't hesitate to contact us for more information or to start planning your dream Tanzania safari holiday with us. If you’ve read right to this point, we reckon there’s a good chance you’d like to include an Arusha safari.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park
Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the biggest draws for people considering booking a Tanzania safari holiday over another African country famous for its safari tours.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park is home to the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain in the world. At a height of 5.985 meters (19,341 ft), Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the world's most accessible summits. With its snow-capped peak, Kilimanjaro is an amazing natural phenomenon that stands alone above the plains overlooking the savannah. Mount Kilimanjaro is made up of three volcanoes, Mawenzi in the east (5.280 m), Shira in the west (4.269 m), and Kibo, the youngest volcano (5.895m). Shira and Mawenzi are extinct, and the last major eruption of Kibo was between 150,000 and 200,000 years ago. Today, Kibo lies dormant, but it could awaken at any time.
Mount Kilimanjaro National Park provides an amazingly diverse series of habitats as it rises from the pastures and bushlands of the native Maasai people to the boundary of the national park. The mountain has five primary vegetation zones from the lowest point to the highest: lower slopes, montane forest, heath and moorland, alpine desert, and summit. The lower regions of the park are dominated by lush green montane forests that have almost 140 different tree species. A little higher up, giant lobelias grace the moorland zone. Over 4.000 m, you’ll find a moonlike desert where not too many things grow, and the land is full of dust and rocks. Closer to the summit, hikers will be rewarded with beautiful sights of glaciers and a deep crater.
The entire mountain is very rich in species — mammals, in particular — many of which are endangered. Because of this combination of features but mainly its physical form, height, snow cap, and isolation above the surrounding plains, Mount Kilimanjaro is arguably the most unique mountain in the world, and it wholly deserves its place on avid hikers and animal enthusiasts’ bucket lists.
MOUNT KILIMANJARO HIKING
The majority of visitors to the park are hikers. As is to be expected, all have the same goal in mind – to make it to Africa’s highest peak.
There are 7 trekking routes up the mountain; some are designed for faster ascents, and others offer more time to acclimatize. Marangu Route is one of the easiest routes for inexperienced hikers and those looking for the most comfortable ascent possible (overnights occur in huts). The Rongai route is the quietest and the best option if you’re climbing during the rainy season because this part of the mountain gets the least rain. Camping routes include Shira, Lemosho, and Machame, and while these are a bit more challenging, they’re also much more scenic. The most demanding, and the least used route, is Umbwe.
You’ll begin in the richly vegetated lowland forest, whichever route you take. Although a visit to Kilimanjaro is not really about the wildlife, it is in this lowland forest where you’ll have the greatest chance of seeing buffalo, elephants, monkeys, and eland.
HOW CHALLENGING IS IT TO CLIMB MOUNT KILIMANJARO?
Climbing Kilimanjaro is a great challenge but feasible for the active traveler or fit walker looking for something new. You don't need any alpine climbing experience, and you do not need crampons, ice axes, ropes, or any sort of technical equipment that is often required on alpine climbs. There are very few places on each route that require you to use your hands as well as your feet. It’s primarily an uphill walk, and any reasonably fit person has an even chance of reaching the summit. Just be realistic about the mountain and its harsh conditions. Of course, you should be in reasonably good shape and not try and push the climb, giving yourself at least six days for the ascent. Still, the extreme cold and altitude can hit even the most experienced climber, and symptoms of extreme altitude sickness – headache, nausea, diarrhea, and loss of appetite – should be taken very seriously.
You’ll need waterproof cold-weather clothing and gear, a good quality sleeping bag, and plenty of water bottles. The grandeur of Mt. Kilimanjaro is awe-inspiring, but this mountain must be respected… not everyone makes it to the summit.
THE BEST TIME TO VISIT MOUNT KILIMANJARO NATIONAL PARK
Kilimanjaro is accessible at any time during the year, but the weather patterns on the mountain are erratic and hard to predict. Traditionally, the main seasons are from December through March and June through October, with temperatures in Moshi averaging 22 degrees Celsius and summit temperatures of around 7 degrees C. However, the best time for climbing is during the dry season, from late June to October. The rains are in April, May, and November, but because of climate change, sometimes the rains come earlier or later. We recommend the Rongai route during the rains, as the mountain's northern side is more sheltered.
Visiting Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park can be one of the greatest experiences of your Tanzania Holiday, and it’s great to pair it with the similarly iconic Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Serengeti National Park, where the ‘The Great Migration’ of wildebeests and zebra takes place and which has the largest population of lions in Africa.
Few places are as famous or have the power to so prominently display the magnificence of our planet as Mount Kilimanjaro and Sababu Safaris offers safaris departing from Arusha and Moshi going to Mt. Kilimanjaro, West Kilimanjaro, and other exciting Tanzania parks.
If you would like to challenge yourself to summit the highest peak in Africa, don't hesitate to contact us and tell us everything you’d like to see and do in Tanzania.