From whichever direction you approach Manyara, the first view is spectacular. Approach from the East and the Rift Valley wall looms on the horizon forming an impressive backdrop to the Lake. From the West, with a pause at the top of the escarpment, the park lies below in a green strip, the glistening in the sunlight.

The park covers an area of 330 sq. km of which 230 is the Lake itself. The rest being water forest, acacia woodland and open grassland around the shore. Hippos are easily found by the river Simba, elephants in the forest and a large resident herd of cape buffalo on the open plains of Mahali Pa Nyati, which means place of buffalo’s. There are also over 350 species of bird life and for the fortunate, a sighting of the ubiquitous tree-climbing lions.

NGORONGORO CONSERVATION AREA

It is impossible to give a fair description of the size and beauty of the crater,

for there is nothing with which one can compare. It is one of the wonders of the world! The conservation area is 8300 sq. km of which the crater is 260 sq. km consisting of grasslands, swamps, lakes, rivers, woodlands, forest and the arid areas of shifting dunes. The crater supports a year round resident population of varied wildlife. Is has its own magical attraction of sheer physical beauty and an abundance of unusually '‘docile’ animals, notably the rare black rhinos. There is also home to the colorful Masai tribes.

SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK

This is the most popular and spectacular of all parks in E. Africa. It covers a huge area of 14,764 sq. km. Is was proclaimed a reserve as far back as 1929, but it was mainly due to the efforts of Prof. B. Grzimek and his son Michael that the importance of the whole area was appreciated and declared a National Park.

Life in the park centers around the wildebeest herds. Each year, after the short rains in November, the migration starts when the wildebeest – Gnu & zebras gather in there thousands on the plains below the Ngorongoro highlands. During February they move North and West following the rains and the fresh grasslands. The herds overlap into the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya. This yearly phenomena involves some 15 millions animals. However, the whole process affects the lives of hundred of thousands of other species who rely on the passage of the migratory herds for their survival, predators, gazelles & bird life.

TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK

South from Lake Manyara is this delightful park covering an area of 2600 sq. km. It is the numerous wide-bold Baobab trees that first attract your eye. The gently rolling countryside is dotted with these majestic trees.

The park is at its best during the dry season of June – October and December - March when many of the migratory species come to the permanent water of the Tarangire River. Wildebeest, Oryx, Zebra, elephants and elands gather until the onset of rains.

OLDUVAI GORGE

The Gorge acquired its name from the Sansevieria bush that grows profusely in the area, named Olduvai by the Maasai. The Gorge is about 50 km long and in some places 0m deep. Prof. Kattwinkel who distributed many fossils and inspired an expedition just before the first world was with Prof. Hans Reck first discovered it. Dr. Leakey and his wife later continued when in 1959 they found humanoid remains of zinjanthropus. There is a small museum on the site overlooking the Gorge.