Lake Manyara National Park
Day Trip (8 hrs)
Pick up from Arusha town and drive to Lake Manyara. This is one of the most diverse of Tanzania’s national parks, a tiny (325km²) combination of Rift valley lake, dense woodlands and steep mountainside. Manyara is a birding paradise (more than 380 species), especially for waterfowl and migrants and the forests are one of the best places around to see leopards.
Lions hunt on the grassy shores of the lake and were once known for their habit of climbing trees, although this behavior seems to have been dropped in recent years. The park can easily be seen in a day. Most visitors will tailor a visit to Manyara to fit in with a trip to one of the Big Three parks (Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorongoro). Lunch is included during this tour. The tour ends in Arusha town at around 1700hrs.
Tarangire National Park
Day Trip (8 hrs)
Depart from Arusha town to Tarangire National Park. At 2,600km², Tarangire is far from being the biggest of the Tanzanian parks, but its unrivalled landscape of open plains, dotted with thousands of baobabs, is unforgettable. About 120kms south of Arusha. Tarangire is known for its tree-climbing lions and for its very big herds of buffalo.
This is one of Africa’s little-known gems and should be on the itinerary of all lovers of wilderness and solitude. The game numbers are staggering: 30,000 zebra, 25,000 wildebeest, 5,000 buffalo, 3,000 elephant, 2,500 Maasai giraffe and over 1,000 fringe-eared oryx (gemsbok). Predators include lion, cheetah and leopard and birders will want to look out for the endemic ashy starling, rufous-tailed weaver and black-collared lovebird. Lunch is included during this tour. The tour ends in Arusha town at around 1700hrs.