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Tanzania:
24 x Nederland,
ligt op het zuidelijk halfrond aan de oostkust van Afrika.
Begrenst door Kenia in het
noorden, de Indische Oceaan in het oosten, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia in het
zuiden, Congo, Burundi, Rwanda en Uganda in het westen.
Tanzaniaanse Nationale parken:
Arusha
NP, noord Tanzania, aan de voet van Mount Meru
Mount Kilimanjaro
NP, noord
Tanzania, met als centrum het dak van Afrika:de Kilimanjaro met een hoogte van 5.895 m
Lake Manyara NP, noord Tanzania, soda meer gelegen in de
Great Rift valey, het 6.000 km lange Afrikaanse breukvlak tot aan Syrië.
Serengeti
NP, noord Tanzania, bekendste
wildpark van Afrika met de Serengeti migration, de trek van 1.500.000 gnoe's en
300.000 zebra's.
Tarangire
NP, noord Tanzania,
een Jurasic park achtige omgeving met grote kuddes olifanten.
Ngorongoro CA, noord Tanzania, met
daarin de krater, één van de 8 wereldwonderen, Unesco World Heritage Site. |
Klik op de kaart voor een beschrijving van de
parken. |
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Arusha National Park.
The closest national
park to Arusha town – northern Tanzania’s safari capital – Arusha
National Park is a multi-faceted jewel, often overlooked by safarigoers,
despite offering the opportunity to explore a beguiling diversity of
habitats within a few hours.
The entrance gate
leads into shadowy montane forest inhabited by inquisitive blue monkeys
and colourful turacos and trogons – the only place on the northern
safari circuit where the acrobatic black-and-white colobus monkey is
easily seen. In the midst of the forest stands the spectacular Ngurdoto
Crater, whose steep, rocky cliffs enclose a wide marshy floor dotted
with herds of buffalo and warthog.
Further north,
rolling grassy hills enclose the tranquil beauty of the Momela Lakes,
each one a different hue of green or blue. Their shallows sometimes
tinged pink with thousands of flamingos, the lakes support a rich
selection of resident and migrant waterfowl, and shaggy waterbucks
display their large lyre-shaped horns on the watery fringes. Giraffes
glide across the grassy hills, between grazing zebra herds, while pairs
of wide-eyed dik-dik dart into scrubby bush like overgrown hares on
spindly legs.
Although elephants
are uncommon in Arusha National Park, and lions absent altogether,
leopards and spotted hyenas may be seen slinking around in the early
morning and late afternoon. It is also at dusk and dawn that the veil of
cloud on the eastern horizon is most likely to clear, revealing the
majestic snow-capped peaks of Kilimanjaro, only 50km (30 miles) distant.
But it is Kilimanjaro’s unassuming cousin, Mount Meru - the fifth
highest in Africa at 4,566 metres (14,990 feet) – that dominates the
park’s horizon. Its peaks and eastern footslopes protected within the
national park, Meru offers unparalleled views of its famous neighbour,
while also forming a rewarding hiking destination in its own right.
Passing first through
wooded savannah where buffalos and giraffes are frequently encountered,
the ascent of Meru leads into forests aflame with red-hot pokers and
dripping with Spanish moss, before reaching high open heath spiked with
giant lobelias. Everlasting flowers cling to the alpine desert, as
delicately-hoofed klipspringers mark the hike’s progress. Astride the
craggy summit, Kilimanjaro stands unveiled, blushing in the sunrise.
About
Arusha National Park
Size: 137 sq km (53 sq miles).
Location: Northern Tanzania, northeast of Arusha town.
Getting
there
An easy 40-minute drive from Arusha. Approximately 60 km (35 miles) from
Kilimanjaro International Airport.
When to
go
To climb Mt Meru, June-February although
it may rain in November.
Best views of Kilimanjaro December-February.
Met dank aan de Tanzanian
National Parks Organisation
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Mount Kilimanjaro National
Park
Kilimanjaro. The
name itself
is a mystery wreathed in clouds. It might mean Mountain of Light,
Mountain of Greatness or Mountain of Caravans. Or it might not. The
local people, the Wachagga, don't even have a name for the whole massif,
only Kipoo (now known as Kibo) for the familiar snowy peak that stands
imperious, overseer of the continent, the summit of Africa.
Kilimanjaro, by any
name, is a metaphor for the compelling beauty of East Africa. When you
see it, you understand why. Not only is this the highest peak on the
African continent; it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the
world, rising in breathtaking isolation from the surrounding coastal
scrubland – elevation around 900 metres – to an imperious 5,895 metres
(19,336 feet).
Kilimanjaro is one of
the world's most accessible high summits, a beacon for visitors from
around the world. Most climbers reach the crater rim with little more
than a walking stick, proper clothing and determination. And those who
reach Uhuru Point, the actual summit, or Gillman's Point on the lip of
the crater, will have earned their climbing certificates.
And their memories.
But there is so much
more to Kili than her summit. The ascent of the slopes is a virtual
climatic world tour, from the tropics to the Arctic.
Even before you cross the national park boundary (at the 2,700m
contour), the cultivated footslopes give way to lush montane forest,
inhabited by elusive elephant, leopard, buffalo, the endangered Abbot’s
duiker, and other small antelope and primates. Higher still lies the
moorland zone, where a cover of giant heather is studded with
otherworldly giant lobelias.
Above 4,000m, a
surreal alpine desert supports little life other than a few hardy mosses
and lichen. Then, finally, the last vestigial vegetation gives way to a
winter wonderland of ice and snow – and the magnificent beauty of the
roof of the continent.
About
Kilimanjaro National Park
Size: 755 sq km (292 sq miles).
Location: Northern Tanzania, near the town of Moshi.
Getting
there
128 km (80 miles) from Arusha.
About one hour’s drive from Kilimanjaro airport.
When to
go
Clearest and warmest conditions from December to February, but also dry
(and colder) from July-September.
NOTE:
Climb slowly to increase your acclimatisation time and maximise your
chances of reaching the summit.
To avoid altitude sickness, allow a minimum of five nights, preferably
even more for the climb. Take your time and enjoy the beauty of the
mountain.
Met dank aan de Tanzanian National
Parks Organisation
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Lake Manyara National Park
Stretching for 50km
along the base of the rusty-gold 600-metre high Rift Valley escarpment,
Lake Manyara is a scenic gem, with a setting extolled by Ernest
Hemingway as “the loveliest I had seen in Africa”.
The compact
game-viewing circuit through Manyara offers a virtual microcosm of the
Tanzanian safari experience.
From the entrance
gate, the road winds through an expanse of lush jungle-like groundwater
forest where hundred-strong baboon troops lounge nonchalantly along the
roadside, blue monkeys scamper nimbly between the ancient mahogany
trees, dainty bushbuck tread warily through the shadows, and outsized
forest hornbills honk cacophonously in the high canopy.
Contrasting with the
intimacy of the forest is the grassy floodplain and its expansive views
eastward, across the alkaline lake, to the jagged blue volcanic peaks
that rise from the endless Maasai Steppes. Large buffalo, wildebeest and
zebra herds congregate on these grassy plains, as do giraffes – some so
dark in coloration that they appear to be black from a distance.
Inland of the
floodplain, a narrow belt of acacia woodland is the favoured haunt of
Manyara’s legendary tree-climbing lions and impressively tusked
elephants. Squadrons of banded mongoose dart between the acacias, while
the diminutive Kirk’s dik-dik forages in their shade. Pairs of
klipspringer are often seen silhouetted on the rocks above a field of
searing hot springs that steams and bubbles adjacent to the lakeshore in
the far south of the park.
Manyara provides the
perfect introduction to Tanzania’s birdlife. More than 400 species have
been recorded, and even a first-time visitor to Africa might reasonably
expect to observe 100 of these in one day. Highlights include thousands
of pink-hued flamingos on their perpetual migration, as well as other
large waterbirds such as pelicans, cormorants and storks.
About
Lake Manyara National Park
Size: 330 sq km (127 sq miles), of which up to 200 sq km (77 sq miles)
is lake when water levels are high.
Location: In northern Tanzania. The entrance gate lies 1.5 hours
(126km/80 miles) west of Arusha along a newly surfaced road, close to
the ethnically diverse market town of Mto wa Mbu.
When to
go
Dry season (July-October) for large mammals;
wet season (November-June) for bird watching, the waterfalls and
canoeing.
Met dank aan de Tanzanian National
Parks Organisation |
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Serengeti National Park
www.tanapa.com
A million
wildebeest... each one driven by the same ancient rhythm, fulfilling its
instinctive role in the inescapable cycle of life: a frenzied three-week
bout of territorial conquests and mating; survival of the fittest as
40km (25 mile) long columns plunge through crocodile-infested waters on
the annual exodus north; replenishing the species in a brief population
explosion that produces more than 8,000 calves daily before the 1,000 km
(600 mile) pilgrimage begins again.
Tanzania's oldest and
most popular national park, the Serengeti is famed for its annual
migration, when some six million hooves pound the open plains, as more
than 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle join the wildebeest’s
trek for fresh grazing. Yet even when the migration is quiet, the
Serengeti offers arguably the most scintillating game-viewing in Africa:
great herds of buffalo, smaller groups of elephant and giraffe, and
thousands upon thousands of eland, topi, kongoni, impala and Grant’s
gazelle.
The spectacle of
predator versus prey dominates Tanzania’s greatest park. Golden-maned
lion prides feast on the abundance of plain grazers. Solitary leopards
haunt the acacia trees lining the Seronera River, while a high density
of cheetahs prowls the southeastern plains. Almost uniquely, all three
African jackal species occur here, alongside the spotted hyena and a
host of more elusive small predators, ranging from the insectivorous
aardwolf to the beautiful serval cat.
But there is more to
Serengeti than large mammals. Gaudy agama lizards and rock hyraxes
scuffle around the surfaces of the park’s isolated granite koppies. A
full 100 varieties of dung beetle have been recorded, as have 500-plus
bird species, ranging from the outsized ostrich and bizarre secretary
bird of the open grassland, to the black eagles that soar effortlessly
above the Lobo Hills.
As enduring as the
game-viewing is the liberating sense of space that characterises the
Serengeti Plains, stretching across sunburnt savannah to a shimmering
golden horizon at the end of the earth. Yet, after the rains, this
golden expanse of grass is transformed into an endless green carpet
flecked with wildflowers. And there are also wooded hills and towering
termite mounds, rivers lined with fig trees and acacia woodland stained
orange by dust.
Popular the Serengeti
might be, but it remains so vast that you may be the only human audience
when a pride of lions masterminds a siege, focussed unswervingly on its
next meal.
About
Serengeti
Size: 14,763 sq km (5,700 sq miles).
Location: 335km (208 miles) from Arusha, stretching north to Kenya and
bordering Lake Victoria to the west.
Getting
there
Drive from Arusha, Lake Manyara, Tarangire or Ngorongoro Crater.
When to go
To follow the wildebeest migration, December-July. To see predators,
June-October
NOTE
The route and timing of the wildebeest migration is unpredictable. Allow
at least three days to be assured of seeing them on your visit - longer
if you want to see the main predators as well.
Met dank aan de Tanzanian National
Parks Organisation |
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Tarangire National Park
Day after day of
cloudless skies.
The fierce sun sucks
the moisture from the landscape, baking the earth a dusty red, the
withered grass as brittle as straw. The Tarangire River has shrivelled
to a shadow of its wet season self. But it is choked with wildlife.
Thirsty nomads have wandered hundreds of parched kilometres knowing that
here, always, there is water.
Herds of up to 300
elephants scratch the dry river bed for underground streams, while
migratory wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, impala, gazelle, hartebeest and
eland crowd the shrinking lagoons. It's the greatest concentration of
wildlife outside the Serengeti ecosystem - a smorgasbord for predators –
and the one place in Tanzania where dry-country antelope such as the
stately fringe-eared oryx and peculiar long-necked gerenuk are regularly
observed.
During the rainy
season, the seasonal visitors scatter over a 20,000 sq km (12,500 sq
miles) range until they exhaust the green plains and the river calls
once more. But Tarangire's mobs of elephant are easily encountered, wet
or dry.
The swamps, tinged
green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties, the most
breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.
On drier ground you
find the Kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird; the stocking-thighed
ostrich, the world's largest bird; and small parties of ground hornbills
blustering like turkeys.
More ardent
bird-lovers might keep an eye open for screeching flocks of the
dazzlingly colourful yellow-collared lovebird, and the somewhat drabber
rufous-tailed weaver and ashy starling – all endemic to the dry savannah
of north-central Tanzania.
Disused termite
mounds are often frequented by colonies of the endearing dwarf mongoose,
and pairs of red-and-yellow barbet, which draw attention to themselves
by their loud, clockwork-like duetting.
Tarangire's pythons
climb trees, as do its lions and leopards, lounging in the branches
where the fruit of the sausage tree disguises the twitch of a tail.
About
Tarangire National Park
Size: 2,600 sq km (1,005 sq miles).
Location: 118 km (75 miles) southwest of Arusha.
Getting there
Easy drive from Arusha or Lake Manyara
following a surfaced road to within 7km (four miles) of the main
entrance gate; can continue on to Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti.
When to go
Year round but dry season (June - September) for sheer numbers
of animals.
Met dank aan de Tanzanian National
Parks Organisation
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Ngorongoro Conservation Area
www.Ngorongoro-crater-africa.org
Called the eighth wonder of the world and
stretching across some 8,300 sq km, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area in
northern Tanzania boasts a blend of landscapes, wildlife, people and
archaeology that is unsurpassed in Africa. The volcanoes, grasslands,
waterfalls and mountain forests are home to an abundance of animals and
to the Maasai.
Ngorongoro Crater is one of the world's
greatest natural spectacles, its magical setting and abundant wildlife
never fail to enthral visitors. It borders the Serengeti National Park
to the north and west. A few hours drive to the east takes you to the
town of Arusha which nestles at the foot of Mount Meru, within view of
Mount Kilimanjaro. Arusha is known as the gateway to the Ngorongoro
Conservation Area and the Northern Parks.
Maasai pastoralists
arrived in the Conservation Area a few hundred years ago. Their strong
insistence on their traditional customs and way of life allow them to
live in harmony with the wildlife and the enviornment.
As of today there are approximately 52,000 Maasai living in the NCA with
their livestock.
Being herders of cattle, goats and sheep, their semi-nomadic life
depends on accessible water supplies.
Their seasonal homes, known as bomas, are scattered throughout the
landscape and are rebuilt upon return from the dry or wet season
quarters
Visitors now see Olduvai Gorge (also
known as Oldupai, the Maasai spelling of the name) as a dry, shallow
canyon draining wet season run-off from Lakes Ndutu and Masek to the
Olbalbal depression.
However, several million years ago the entire area was a vast alkaline
lake. The wildly fluctuating waters of this ancient lake formed the
definitive sediment layers that have yielded a valuable
paleoanthropological and archaeological record.In the seventy years
since Louis and Mary Leakey first began searching the area for clues to
our distant past, more than sixty hominid remains have been found,
belonging to four different hominids, showing the gradual increase in
brain size and in the complexity of their stone tools. One of the most
famous of these discoveries was made by Mary Leakey and is the well
known 'Zinjanthropus'. At Laetoli, hominid footprints are preserved in
volcanic rock some 3.6 million years old and represent some of the
earliest signs of the small brained, upright-walking Australopithecus
afarensis, ever to be found. Imprints are among the facinating exhibits
in the museum at Oldupai. Excavations are on-going and continue to
produce splendid specimens of extinct hominids, animals and plants. The
museum at Oldupai Gorge provides excellent exhibits, lectures and its
location offers great views over the gorge. Walking tours of the area,
which is also a birders' paradise, can be arranged.
Met dank aan de Ngorongoro
Conservation Area Authority |
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