Top 8 Tanzania Safari Parks

Top 8 Tanzania safari parks are the most visited game reserves and national parks of Tanzania. A Tanzania safari is one of the greatest wildlife adventures you could ever go on, to experience the amazing wildlife experiences in the vast savannah parks and game reserves of Tanzania. These top 8 Tanzania safari parks have you going on stunning game drives, walking safaris in the wild, balloon safari rides among so many other activities.

Tanzania is an iconic Africa safari destination hosting the African Big Five which can be seen in a number of Tanzania safari parks, inhabits rare and endangered animal species like the wild dogs, as well as the Great migration which is the largest animal migration on land in the entire world. Tanzania is one of the best places to go for amazing Africa wildlife safaris. With about 38% of Tanzania’s land reserved as protected wildlife areas, Tanzania has so many protected game reserves and national parks that travelers can visit for amazing Tanzania safari experiences. Before you head out for your luxury Tanzania safari, or budget Tanzania safaris, get to know the top 8 Tanzania safari parks that you should not miss to experience and explore.

Tanzania safari parks are spread across the country. Given the vast size of Tanzania, the Tanzania safari parks are categorised into circuits, say the western safari circuit, northern circuit and southern circuit. It is the northern safari circuit that is most visited, with Arusha town as the hub and starting point of many Tanzania safaris in the northern circuit of Tanzania. You cannot possibly visit all the 13 and more Tanzania safari parks and reserves. Below are the top 8 Tanzania safari parks that you shouldn’t miss while on a Tanzania safari tour;

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park is famous for the huge herds of elephants, huge baobab trees and acacia which dot the savannah plains of the park, and amazing scenic wilderness. Tarangire National Park is unique that it is the only place in Tanzania to see the gerenuk, and is also a great Tanzania safari park to see the various animals and birds in Tarangire National Park.

Top 8 Tanzania Safari Parks — Taragire National Park Wildlife

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Located in the northern circuit of Tanzania, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area hosts the world’s largest inactive caldera, renowned and famous for the incredible abundance of wildlife and the highest density of mammals in Africa in the crater floor.

Serengeti National Park

Serengeti National Park is the most sought after Africa safari destination, and has become synonymous with African safaris, often having travelers opting to visit this vast savannah Tanzania safari park for amazing wild game views and stunning sunsets over the savannah landscape, and endless plains of the Serengeti National Park. Serengeti National Park offers unparalleled safari experiences, including the world’s greatest spectacle and natural wonder, the Great Wildebeest Migration which is the largest land animal migration in the world. Witnessing the iconic river crossing of the Great Migration, through the Grumeti River and Mara River as over 1 million wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of herbivores do cross to the Masai Mara National Reserve Kenya.

Selous Game Reserve

Selous Game Reserve is only about 200km west of Dar es Salaam, a UNESCO world heritage site recognised national park of Tanzania which spans about 54600 square kilometers. Selous Game Reserve has unique and amazing topography of rocky outcrops, savannah woodlands, and open grassland perfect for wild game, the Rufiji River which is a great habitat for animals and water birds. Animals in Selous Game Reserve are abundant, including about 1300 of the 4000 wild dogs still left in the world being found here, crocodiles, hippos, hartebeests, zebras, kudu, wildebeests, eland, bushbuck, giraffe, primates like the samango monkeys and colobus monkeys. Activities in Selous Game Reserve that travelers can do include game drives, walking safaris, boat trips, birding safaris among others.

Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park is the second largest Tanzania safari park, covering about 10300 square kilometers inhabiting over 10,000 elephants in the wild and thus one of the best places to see large herds of elephants in Tanzania and Africa as a whole. Buffaloes, wild dogs, hyenas, Grant’s gazelle, zebras, giraffe, impala and so much more are some of the animals in Ruaha National Park that you shall encounter. With over 500 bird species in Ruaha National Park with an abundance of vultures, hornbills, raptors and water birds, birding safaris here are quite rewarding. Walking safaris, game drives, birding safaris are some of the activities in Ruaha National Park that you can do. Ruaha National Park is one of the best and most exciting Tanzania safari parks perfect with thrilling and unrestricted wilderness for immense game viewing and more.

Lake Manyara National Park

Lake Manyara National Park is a scenic Tanzania safari park found in the northern safari circuit of Tanzania, just a few kilometers away from Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Lake Manyara National Park is set between the Great Rift Valley and the Sodiforous Lake, making it one of the most scenic parks of Tanzania to visit while on a Tanzania safari tour. Lake Manyara National Park has a huge population of pink flamingos usually seen filling the Lake Manyara. Lake Manyara National Park is also known for the tree climbing lions, large elephant populations, baboons and quite a number of other animals and birds in Lake Manyara National Park, with over 400 bird species recorded to inhabit the park, thus a great birding safari destination in Tanzania.

Katavi National Park

Katavi National Park, located in the western safari circuit of Tanzania, covers about 4471 square kilometers, making it the third largest Tanzania safari park. Katavi National Park offers quite the experience, of remote and typical Africa wildlife safari experiences thanks to the remoteness of the park. The vegetation of Katavi National Park varies from miombo woodland which is a great habitat for antelope species, to riverine and a variety of other woodland and shrub land. Katavi National Park is relatively inaccessible and remote, thereby having fewer safari visitors evry single year. The rugged hills of Katavi National Park contrast with flat plains and marshes, and escarpments which give way to waterfalls and hot springs, making Katavi National Park one of the scenic and wild areas you would visit for exclusivity as well given that there are less visitors every single year. Katavi River, Katuma River and Chada River are great animal sighting area, with huge herds of elephants, schools of buffaloes and zebras, waterbucks, duikers, and others gathering here for a drink especially during the dry season, with predators like hyenas, wild dogs, lions and leopards lying in wait to pounce on their prey. While visiting Katavi National Park, you would stay at a number of accommodation including Mbali Mbali Katavi Lodge, Nomads Chada Katavi, among others.

Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park is a 52 square kilometers of fragile strip land characterised by steep rich valleys and streams all year round. Found in the western safari circuit of Tanzania, Gombe Stream National Park is the smallest of all the Tanzania safari parks, brought to fame for the great work of the English primatologist Jane Goodall whose research of chimpanzees has contributed greatly to the conservation and protection of the chimpanzees, and also allowing travelers to encounter them with chimpanzee tracking activities in the park. Gombe Stream National Park was first gazetted as a reserve in 1943 but it was until Jane Goodall’s work on chimpanzees that it was elevated to national park status in 1968, and has about 90 chimpanzees which travellers can encounter while chimpanzee tracking in Gombe National Park. While in Gombe Stream National Park, you could stay in a number of lodges including but not limited to Mbali Mbali Gombe Lodge.

The above are the top 8 Tanzania safari parks which you can visit while on a Tanzania safari tour, any time of the year to enjoy some of the most amazing safari experiences in Tanzania. Take time to get in touch with a reputable tour operator to help you pitch together an amazing Tanzania safari tour to visit one of more of the above top 8 Tanzania safari parks. You could actually visit all the top 8 Tanzania safari parks at once, with long Tanzania safari packages. Just get in touch with a reputable tour operator like Focus East Africa Tours to help you put together one of the most amazing Tanzania safari tours.