Top 10 Natural Wonders of Tanzania
Top 10 Natural Wonders of Tanzania : You may be surprised to hear that, Tanzania has her own natural wonders. Of course, the world itself has Seven Natural Wonders but this fabulous country in the Sub-Saharan region has Ten Natural Wonders. Tanzania is a state-of-art destination for wildlife exploration, mountain trekking and other safari adventures. For spending your precious holiday while observing the off-the-beaten-track attractions and world-class sandy beaches, Tanzania is a superb pick for you. Before you plan your trip, let me walk you through these 10 Natural Wonders of Tanzania.
Serengeti National Park
This is a spectacular Tanzania safari destination for wildlife adventurers looking for untouched ‘endless’ plains which host the world’s largest mammal migration, yes The Great Migration. The Great Migration is the migration of about 1.5 million wildebeests, 500,000 zebras and 250,000 gazelles from the southern Serengeti to the northern Serengeti and into the Kenyan Masai Mara National Reserve and finally back to Serengeti. This circular migration of these animals happens annually and it is mainly influenced by the search of water and enough pastures.
What time of year is best for Great Migration Tanzania?
The migration commences in between April and May when the rains stop leading to insufficient pastures. Prior to migration in May, the herd gives birth to about 500,000 calves in between January and February in the southern Serengeti (Seronera and Ndutu areas) hence doubling the number in the herd and the competition for pastures and water intensifies.
Therefore, the herd moves to the east of Serengeti, where some of it enter the Ngorongoro Crater and then to the central part in between July and August. In September, the herd reaches the Western Serengeti and crosses the majestic Grumeti River. A reasonable number of wildebeests, gazelles and zebras is lost here. Some are taken by fast flowing water while others are hunted down by hungry Nile crocodiles. After crossing the first obstacle, the herd heads north where it crosses the second and very tempting obstacle, the Mara River. This place offers spectacular scenes of the river crossing for the trekkers of this migration. This is where spectacular movies were shot. You will experience first-class observation of this mighty event in this planet. The herd comes back to Serengeti in between November and December and it heads directly to the south where some pastures have been produced after raining started.
Serengeti National Park is also home to the Big Five animals; African elephant, lion, leopard, Cape buffalo and the black rhino. A game reserve can make you discover and observe in a close distance the beauty of these famous animals. In recent times, the black rhino has been an endangered species and forecasts tell that it may extinct in the few coming years. This park has a special site for viewing this historical mammal.
Birding is gorgeous in the plains of Serengeti, because this splendid park hosts over 550 bird species. A pair of binoculars is important if you want enjoy viewing the beauty of superb birdlife.
Ngorongoro Crater.
Situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ngorongoro Crater is the largest unbroken volcanic caldera in the world, which has been, formed about two to three million years ago from large active volcanic eruption. It believed that Ngorongoro Mountain were even taller than Kilimanjaro before they collapsed and erupted leaving behind a superb crater. This glorious caldera is about 20 kilometers across, 600 meters deep and 300 square kilometers in area, a breathtaking crater having a high density of wildlife in Africa.
What is special about Ngorongoro Crater?
Inside this gorgeous caldera, you view beautiful landscapes, spotting all the Big Five and observing other features inside the Ngorongoro Crater including the Shifting Sands, Olduvai Gorge, Gol Mountain, Olmoti and Empakai Craters.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Yes, a dream of every mountain climber. Situated in the northern Tanzania, Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest peak in Africa with 5885 meters above the sea level. It is also the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. The peak of this magnificent mountain is snow-caped and this makes it appear a beautiful one. You can spot at a distance in Arusha, and some other regions but the best and once-in-lifetime experience is climbing this glorious mount to the summit, yes the Uhuru peak. Mount Kilimanjaro has three famous volcanic cones; Kibo, Mawenzi and Shira. The Uhuru peak is on Kibo and can be reached through various routes including Machame route, Marangu route, Rongai route, Northern Circuit route, Lemosho route, Shira route and Umbwe route. The cost of following one route differ from the other and Tanzania safari tour operators have special trekking packages which take from 5 to 9 days to reach the summit. The summit is always reached in the morning before sunrise. Mountain climbers want to be pictured at the top of this majestic mountain during sunrise. So, you will witness the sunrise on the top of the highest peak in Africa.
Mount Meru
It is usually referred to as a wild little brother of the mighty Mount Kilimanjaro. It is the Africa’s fifth highest peak and Tanzania’s second highest peak. It is about 4566 meters above the sea level and it is found at about 40 kilometers away in the southwest of Kilimanjaro Mountain. It takes 3 to 5 days to reach the highest peak on Mount Meru, the Socialist Peak. This short route climb has been used by numerous newbies for acclimatizing before climbing Mount Kilimanjaro.
Mount Meru is located in the Arusha National Park; therefore, you will combine the wildlife sightseeing experience with mountain trekking. On your trek, you will witness colobus monkeys in the baobab trees and giraffes in the Ngurdoto crater. Other animals which can be encountered include buffalos, wildebeests, zebras, antelopes, birds and warthogs.
Lake Victoria
This magnificent lake is one of the African Great Lakes with a surface area of about 59,947 square kilometers. Lake Victoria is an undoubted Africa’s largest lake, world’s largest tropical lake and the world’s second largest fresh water by surface area after Lake Superior in North America.
On this majestic lake, you enjoy various activities including swimming, canoeing, boat safari, sport-fishing and paying a trip to the islands found in the Ukerewe district two of which are national parks.
Lake Manyara National Park
Here are some top things to do in Lake Manyara;
Viewing wild animals; the most interesting part of this activity is the sightings of tree-climbing lions resting on branches of baobab or acacia trees. You will also encounter other animals like antelopes, buffalos, warthogs, zebras, wildebeests, elephants, lions, leopards, hyenas, cheetahs, elands, topi, gazelles, giraffes and many others.
Canoeing; In Lake Manyara, visitors can enjoy interacting with the aquatic animals and plants by booking a canoe safari. This one is unforgettable as you will encounter the dense population of pink flamingos. These water birds prefer soda lakes especially in the shallow water, because they feed on spirulina algae that are readily available in alkaline lakes. Other water birds can also be seen in the shallow shores of this lake.
Nyerere National Park
This has been known as the Selous Game Reserve and it was ranked as the largest game reserve in Africa covering a total area of about 54,600 square kilometers. Located in Southern Tanzania, this gigantic game reserve was established in 1922 and is named after Fredrick Courteney Selous who was a great conservationist, explorer and hunter. By considering its vast unspoiled nature and wildlife, UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site in 1982. However, in 2019 TANAPA (Tanzania National Parks Authority) upgraded it from Selous Game Reserve to Nyerere National Park.
Nyerere National Park is located in the southern part of Tanzania at about 240 kilometers in the southwest of Dar es Salaam. Visiting this park is sensational and once-in-a-lifetime experience because you encounter many animals including African elephant, Cape buffalos, Masai giraffes, and black rhino and East African wild dogs.
Mahale Mountains National Park
On the shore of the second deepest lake in the world Lake Tanganyika, lies the magnificent park called Mahale, the home of chimpanzees. Mahale is accessible by boat and it is located in the Kigoma region. The Mahale Mountains are of various peaks but the highest peak is at 2462 meters (8077 feet) at Mount Nkungwe. At this park, you can combine various activities including hiking, walking safaris, fishing, and boat safaris.
Kitulo National Park
Located in Southern Circuit of Tanzanian tourism, Kitulo is a splendid destination for plant flower lovers, hikers, swimmers and animal viewers. Here, you will enjoy the views of various plants and flowers. Visitors prefer to call it as “Serengeti of Flowers” as it is home to over 350 species of flowers. It also hosts wild animals like antelopes and Kipunji monkeys.
Zanzibar
You may have heard of this superb destination for holiday spenders especially those who want to chill on coolest sandy beaches. Zanzibar indeed, is a Unguja island but it also includes some other gorgeous islands such as Pemba and Mafia. Zanzibar hosts the World Heritage Site called the Stone Town, an ancient town built under the mixtures of architectural designs of Portuguese, ancient Persians, Arabs and the Swahili.
Putting all the natural wonders of Tanzania, you will be tired of reading all of them, and I cannot make it short enough to fit in just one article. If you to experience the realities of Tanzanian natural wonders, consider planning a safari to this spectacular country.
