Africa is rapidly becoming an extremely popular vacation destination. For those interested in a truly one of a kind game viewing and photographic adventure, I strongly recommend considering one of the tanzania safari tours. The following locations in particular seem to offer the greatest variety of wildlife and incomparable photo opportunities.
Lake Manyara National Park – Relatively small (just 130-miles), Lake Manyara park offers vast and varied game viewing and is a favorite for bird-watching enthusiasts. The park is home to blue monkeys, baboons, bushbuck, buffalo, leopards, lions, hippos, gazelle, wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, elephants, mongoose, klipspringer and dik-diks. Many hundreds (at least 400) bird species have been recorded, including pelicans, flamingos, cormorants and storks, all inhabiting the lake and surrounding areas.
Pemba and Zanzibar – The islands are home to a number of mammals, such as the Red Colobus, bush tailed mongoose, giant rat, civet, dwarf antelope, two dozen species of bat and the hawk billed turtle (just to name a few). Zanzibar and Pemba claim well over one hundred species of birds, some of which are considered globally threatened. Of equal appeal is the vast offering of marine wildlife, viewable at any one of several parks and sanctuaries.
Tarangire National Park – Perhaps best known for its baobab tree, tree climbing lions and giant termite mounds, this park is also home to a great number of elephants, baboons, giraffes, the dwarf mongoose, waterbuck, zebra and wildebeest. Additionally Tarangire’s swamp areas boast the largest selection of breeding birds in the world.
Ngorongoro Crater – The Ngorongoro Conservation area encompasses a portion of the Serengeti plains, the rim of the Great Rift Valley and volcanic highlands featuring the famous Ngorongoro crater. The crater itself is home to twenty-five thousand large mammals including: hippopotamus, black rhinoceros, elephants, buffalo, wildebeest, reedbuck, waterbuck, servals, gazelle, flamingos, jackals, spotted hyenas, lions, leopards and occasionally cheetahs. The Crater is part of the summer migration route for more than 2-million hoofed beasts.
Serengeti National Park – The great summer ungulate migration also crosses the Serengeti and is one of the park’s primary attractions. In addition the Serengeti is home to: lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard, black rhinos, gazelle, eland, topi, waterbuck, impala, giraffe, African wild dogs, baboons and more than 500 different species of birds.
These are really just a few examples of what Tanzania has to offer.