11 Days Paradise in the Wilderness – Tanzania Explore: Kilimanjoro, Arusha, Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro. 11 Days Paradise in the Wilderness
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Are you a wildlife enthusiast or just yearning for a new adventure, then both Ngorongoro conservation area and Serengeti national park are the place to go to on your African safari. Both listed as the UNESCO World heritage because of the popularity and uniqueness that they have to offer. A variety of wildlife epitomized by the wildebeest who dictates the animal distribution throughout the year as they keep migrating from one area to another.
You will have a lot to view depending on the season of your travel. Beside wildebeest, Serengeti and Ngorongoro are home to all the big five of Africa including lions, elephants, cape buffalo, leopards and rhinos. These conservancies are also home to various big cats including cheetahs, wild dogs, hyenas among other meat eaters that you will be able to encounter.
You will also be able to encounter various bird species that call park home. You will be able to encounter the resident bird species that lives within the park throughout the year. You can also encounter other migratory birds that visit the park during the winter season in Europe or Asia. Some of the popular birds that you will encounter during your stay in Serengeti and Ngorongoro include Black eagle, Jackson’s golden-backed weaver, Lilac-breasted roller, Marabou stork, Secretary bird, African fish eagle, Fischer’s lovebird, Southern ground hornbill, Kori bustard, Lesser and greater flamingos, Black kite, White-eyed slaty flycatcher, Schalow’s turaco.
Safari in Serengeti national park
Serengeti means endless plain from the Masai native language. The plain stretches across the vast Tanzania northern circuit. The park is a dream to any wildlife enthusiast who is planning an African safari. You will surely be taken away by the sheer beauty of the landscape formation of this park and its surroundings. One for the famous activity that take place through Serengeti national park is the great migration of the wildebeest and zebra. This is known to be the greatest wildlife show all over the world. The wildebeest and other herbivores are usually closely followed by the big cats who will be aiming to feast on them, offering a chance to witness the predator-prey interaction while in this great park.
Depending on the timing of your safari, you will have a chance to also witness the river crossing of wildebeest either at mara river or at Grumeti river. The river crossing is the highlight of Serengeti as wildebeest will be attempting to cross the crocodile feasted water in search for a greener pasture. Some will be washed away by running waters, others will be feasted on by the crocodiles while many will successfully cross the rivers. You will be the witness as all that happens. This experience always takes place between June and October and coincide with the peak season of Serengeti due to its uniqueness. Therefore, be prepared for huge crowds during this time of the year.
How to reach Serengeti national park
Reaching Serengeti national park is an adventure in itself. You will have arrived at one of the most famous conservation areas with a lot to its visitors. The park can be reached on the road trip starting from either arusha city or Kilimanjaro international airport. The drive through the scenic landscape will take about 7 hours from arusha or 9 hours from Kilimanjaro internation. Alternatively, you can take a chartered plane from either arusha airport, kilimanjro international airport, or from Der-es-salaam. All in all, the experience will be the one to remember and you will not be disappointed.
Ngorongoro crater safaris Tanzania
Situated at the eastern arm of the great rift valley of east Africa, Ngorongoro crater is the dream destination for whoever planning his or her wildlife safari to Tanzania northern circuit. This UNESCO World heritage is one of 7 wonders of the world, offering you an opportunity to encounter all the big five of Africa once you visit this wonderful conservancy. With several animals confined within this biggest unbroken caldera all over the world, offering you an opportunity to encounter several animals within the smallest possible space of Ngorongoro.
The beautiful landscape made of the unbroken caldera that was formed as a result of volcanic reaction that occurs thousands of years ago will offer a great encounter that is combines nature with the wildlife viewing within Ngorongoro crater and other nearby areas around this conservation area.
How to reach Ngorongoro crater
Ngorongoro is located approximately 200 kilometers away from Arusha city which is approximately 3-hour drive away to the crater if you are to go for a road trip. You can also opt to go with a flight either from Arusha airport, Kilimanjaro international airport or any other airport across Tanzania or nearby countries like Kenya or Uganda.
Wildlife encounter in Serengeti and Ngorongoro
For a great wildlife encounter in Tanzania, you will have to consider visiting both Ngorongoro conservation area and Serengeti national park which are the highlights of any wildlife of any safari in Tanzania. As already mentioned, these two UNESCO world heritage sites will have a lot to offer for this great adventure.
You will be able to witness the greatest migration of animal in the world that moves through Serengeti national park. You will witness the migratory herbivores as they move while searching for the greener pasture while being closely followed by the big cats. Big cats will usually be resting in the shades of acacia trees as they are waiting for their chance to strike on the herbivores.
For the Ngorongoro crater, you will encounter the non migratory herbivores that lives within this confined conservancy, offering you a chance to meet all the big five within a day of your adventure. The caldera that was formed as a result of the volcanic reaction is the home to various wildlife on top of the beautiful landscape scenery that will create the photogenic moments for the visitors.
Best time to visit Serengeti national park and Ngorongoro conservation area
The best time to visit Ngorongoro and Serengeti will entirely depend on the time of the year you are planning your safari. Even though animals in Ngorongoro crater are non migratory, making the conservancy suitable all year round. The roads in the park during the rainy season (between march and may or October and December) are impassable and you are likely to get stuck in some places of the park. On top of that, the park is usually froggy, making visibility also very challenging. However, for the bird enthusiasts, this the best time to visit the parkas migratory birds also come to the park during this time of the year which will add on your experience. For the budget travellers and those who do not fancy high concentration of people, this should be your time to come to Ngorongoro as visitors will be few and discounts are usually offered to the visitors during this time.
Otherwise, plan your adventure during the dry season between June and September or December to February which is considered to be peak season of tourism activities and the climax of the activities around Ngorongoro crater.
For those planning to visit Serengeti national park, you will need to be more conscious of the season of the park as animals in this park are mostly migratory and the time of your travel will dictate which area you will be visiting. You can opt to visit the southern part between December to march which is the calving season, central Serengeti is the year round as it always has animal throughout the year. The kogatende area near Masai Mara reserve area of Kenya can be visited during the peak season of June to September and that is the time when the mara river crossing of wildebeest takes place.
With all that said, you can visit both Ngorongoro and Serengeti throughout the year. However, the place to visit will depend on the stage of the migration of the wildebeest.
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