NORTHERN CIRCUIT

The Endless plains….. The Vastness…. the scent and the wild voices of nature whispering at you. Giving an impression of travelling back in time, the national park of Serengeti is perhaps the most famous wildlife refuge in the world. Its ecosystem is among the oldest on earth. Inherent characteristics like vegetation, climate, and fauna have barely changed at all ove rhte past million years. The Olduvai Gorge whihc is an archaeological site inside the park contains evidence of existence of early men about two million years ago. The pattersn of life, adaptation, migration, and eventually death are as old as the hills and plains themselves. The eco-system extends over a much larger area and includes the Maasai Mara in Kenya and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, linking over 25,000 km2 of land in which animals can move freely. Much of this is nutritious grassland which acts as a magnet for wildebeest, zebra, impala and Thomson’s gazelle.

Serengeti is the oldest and most popular national park, also a world heritage site and recently proclaimed a 7th world wide wonder, 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. Even in the absence of the migration, Serengeti is capable of facilitating an admirable game viewing experience in Africa. Herds of buffalo, small and large groups of elephant, giraffe, eland, topi, kongoni, impala, and gazelles help the park in doing so. The Serengeti National Park has four separate sections, each with its own unique features and landscapes: the Southern Plains, Seronera (Central), Western Corridor, and Northern Serengeti.

The southern plain of Serengeti is best described as the “classic Serengeti” and is characterized by short grass plains and flat, open expanses. Seronera which is the famous central territory of Serengeti is located just north of the shrot grass plains. It is famous for open plains, kopjes, and resident and migrating gamees including large number of leopard, cheetah, and lion. To the west of Lake Victoria stretches Western Corridor whihc is home to the Grumeti and Mbalageti rivers which support dense vegetation and evergreen riparian forest. The area falling in between Seronera and border with Kenya is called Northern Serengeti, an area of gently rolling country dotted with occasional hills and kopjes, broken by small rivers. This is where visitors might be at the right place at the right time to view the migration river crossings of the Mara River, made famous by National Geographic documentaries.

The territory of Ngorongoro Conservation Area includes the area from Crater Highlands to teh Serengeti and the northern shore of Lake Eyasi. The volcanic movement which resulted in the formation of the Great Rift Valley are also responsible for formation of Ngorongoro Crater. It is theorized to have been as high as Mount Kilimanjaro at one point in time. The eruption occurred approximately 3 million years ago and covered whole of Serengeti in ash, leaving a large crater in the ceneter. This is what we today know as Ngorongoro Crater which is the largest intact caldera in the world with a diameter of around 18 km and surface area of about 260 sq km. The steep crater ridge is more than 600m at its highest point.

The crater floor is an earthly paradise and, with about 30,000 animals, one of the most populous wildlife areas in the world. Because the area is enclosed and the flat crater floor is mainly open grassland, it is easy to manage, with the result that it is a stronghold of endangered species, including the black rhino and the cheetah. There are no giraffes, topi or impala in the crater. These animals find the rocky areas too difficult to use and there is insufficient grass for large herds of antelope. The main prey animals are wildebeest, zebra and buffalo and the main predators are the lions and spotted hyenas. In the open savannah a hunt can be followed quite easily, and is especially interesting as it seems that in Ngorongoro, contrary to what one might expect, the hyenas are the aggressive hunters and the lions are the carrion eaters. In the southwest of the conservation area lies Lake Magadi which is a large shallow soda lake inhabited by countless pink flamingos along with water fowl and hippopotamus.

The magnificent Ngorongoro Crater is only a small fragment of the bigger Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Other attractions inside the park are two lesser-known craters known as Olmoti and Empakaai. An added advantage of visiting these craters is that you’ll be able to descend all the way to the foot of Olmoti or the rim of Empakaai either by walking or driving. At its western rim, Olmoti rises about 3073 m and is reachable by walking through bush and grassy tussocks layered with flowers. An additional highlight of the area is the Munge Falls, which flow through a cleft on the Crater’s southern side. The stream cascades down steep cliffs, hundreds of metres into a ravine.

From the edge of the crater the road twists downwards towards the Serengeti through rolling grass plains and acacia forests. About 30 kilometres from the crater, there is a narrow road to the Olduvai Gorge. At the site of the gorge, which is approximately 90 metres deep, there was once a lake. Over the years, the lake was covered with thick layers of volcanic ash, which preserved the remains of early humanity. To be so close to where mankind may have begun is an inspiring experience, especially when you see the famous Laetoli footprints, made by early humans some 3.6 million years ago.

Tarangire National Park stretches over an area of approximately 2,600 sq miles or 6,700 sq kms. It lies to the south of a large open grass plain, about 70 miles from Arusha. Highly praised for its concentration of birdlife, visitors are also always entertained by the migrating elephants, buffalos, giraffes, zebras, elands, warthogs, greater kudus, impalas etc. The baobab trees, Tarangire River, and the volcanic mountain ranges add on to the beauty of this unique national park of Tanzania.

Lake Manyara National Park is among the finest and most intresting Tanzanian protected areas with a rich proportion of wild animals even when the park covers roughly 330 sq km, two-third of which si covered with water. Following suit with other lakes of the Rift Valley, Lake Manyara is a shallow soda lake fed primarily by the groundwater. Depending upon the season and rainfall, the size varies. The thin strip of land between the lake and the surrounding hills is the only place where game drives in the park are conducted. The park and the lake trace the origin of their name to the Manyara-scrub which is used by the Maasai to protect their fields. The first section of the park comprises of dense forest with high trees which includes the type of mahagony, crotonic, palm, and fig. The undergrowth is composed of wild flowers which accommodate countless butterflies. But this park is not recommended for witness the game animals, because it is very difficult to look through the dense forest.

When you drive further into teh park, you’ll be able to see groups of Anubis baboons and Skyes monkeys cheerfully playing along teh road side. Bushbucks will appear out of the bushes and it is very possible you may bump into an elephant on the road. Elephants often use the road so that they do not have to go through the thick bush. Also remember to look up once in a while. Just like in Tarangire, the lions are sometimes in the trees and also a lot of leopards live in this area (though you have to be lucky to spot them). If the big cats cannot be found in the trees, there are a lot of birds to spot in the trees.

The further you go in the park, the drier it gets. Gradually the forest opens up and the vegetation changes, with a lot of baobab trees. The change in vegetation also results in other types of game. In this part of the park buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and giraffe have their home. In the air, eagles are looking for a prey. On the south side of the park there are a number of steamy hot springs whose chemicals have given the surrounding land the colours of the.

Thinking about Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro?

And Wondering how to do it and where to begin……?

Let’s say you know someone or heard a friend who made it to to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro and your also desperate and want to be next. First thing is to Relax, be calm! Below we have composed a simplified climbing Kilimanjaro guide which has all the information and instructions to prepare you from beginning to end. You don’t want to be those people who rush into things then end up failing and disappointed because of one thing…..they did not do any research or prepare. It costs allot and it takes time. You also want to enjoy the trek, so planning ahead of time is the key.

Let’s begin…