Dar es Salaam is Tanzania’s biggest city and its capital. Many tourists are expected to arrive. Many tourists starting a safari in Tanzania usually begin in the coastal city and then travel to the nearby island of Zanzibar. They often visit popular places in the Northern safari route, such as Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, and Serengeti National Park. The southern game areas near Dar es Salaam are often less crowded and cheaper, but they also offer stunning views and great chances to see animals. If you like exploring unique places, these southern parks are great choices. You can reach all these parks and areas by car from Dar es Salaam in one day, even though Tanzania is quite large.
The most famous game park near Dar es Salaam is Nyerere National Park, formerly known as Selous Game Reserve. It’s one of the biggest national parks in Africa. This large park has different environments, including Miombo forests, grasslands, and wetlands, and is known as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is home to many animals, including lions, leopards, black rhinos, hippos, and a big number of wild dogs. They get their water from the Rufiji River. Tanzania is one of the best places for birdwatching, with over 400 different bird types. The migrating animals arrive between November and April.
Nyerere National Park, formerly known as Selous Game Reserve, is great for seeing animals. You can find lots of wildlife here, including buffalo, waterbuck, impala, and plains zebra. It’s also common to see large groups of giraffes near the lakes along the main route. On your safari tour, you might see hungry lions hiding in a bush, waiting for their next meal. You could even be lucky enough to see them catch something during the day.
Wild dogs are popular and the main draw for safaris in Nyerere National Park. The best time to see these rare dogs is when they are in their large habitats and during their patrols. The park has many different kinds of deer. Look for eland, greater kudu, and common waterbuck. One of the listed animals is the graceful sable antelope, but they are not often seen because they like to stay hidden in the plants.
The best time to see animals in the park is from June to October, during the dry season. During this time, the plants are low, and animals gather near the lakes and the Rufiji River, making it the best time for spotting wildlife. After heavy rain, roads become hard to travel, and most spots close in April at the end of the rainy season. They usually open again in early June. The best time to watch wild dogs is from June to August when they are denning.
A tarmac road goes through Mikumi National Park, which is the nearest park to Dar es Salaam. To the south is Nyerere National Park, and it is linked to this area. Since it’s not well-known, the wildlife area is usually not crowded. You might see groups of elephants, buffalo, zebras, wildebeests, elands, kudus, and impalas on grassy fields with baobab trees. You might also spot giraffes and groups of golden baboons or vervet monkeys. There are lions in the park, but not as many or as easy to see as in Tanzania’s famous parks like the Serengeti. You might get lucky and see a leopard or a wild dog.
Mikumi Park is a popular place for people to visit on weekends because it’s near Dar es Salaam. Visitors often use Mikumi National Park as a quick stop when traveling between other parks in the south. Because of the dry weather, animals are attracted to permanent waterholes, especially on the Mkata Floodplain. This makes late June to October the best time to come.
The best game park near Dar es Salaam is likely Ruaha. It is the second largest national park in Tanzania and one of the biggest in Africa, but it attracts only a small number of people compared to the parks in the north. Ruaha is named after the Great Ruaha River that runs through it. The area has old baobab trees and rocky hills. The park has a huge number of different species, and it is the same size as New Jersey. Along with cheetahs, lions, leopards, hyenas, giraffes, hippos, buffalos, and wild dogs, there are more than 450 types of birds. The best time to see these birds is during migration season, which lasts from November to April.
The best time to come is from June to October when the weather is dry. The park is not very crowded, even though it’s a busy time of year. Many people visiting Ruaha National Park in Tanzania go through Mikumi or Udzungwa Mountains National Parks.
The most famous part of Udzungwa Mountains National Park is the trekking routes through the tropical jungle, not the wildlife. Hiking to Sanje Waterfall, a popular swimming spot, is a half-day activity on a Tanzania safari tour. Camp in the park for a few nights while hiking the challenging 5-day Lumemo trip. Stay away from the Sanje crested mangabey and the Iringa red colobus while trekking. These monkeys are both from this park. Udzungwa Mountains has great variety with There are ten types of monkeys and about 400 kinds of birds found here. Even though tourists rarely see them, the park has buffalo, elephants, leopards, crocodiles, and hippos. Mikumi National Park is about a 90-minute drive from Udzungwa Mountains National Park, making it a great place for a day trip.
The biggest marine protected area in the Indian Ocean is Mafia Island Marine Park, which provides a unique experience for seeing Tanzanian wildlife. Mafia Island is a great place for dives and snorkelers, with over 400 types of fish, turtles, and dugongs living in its reefs and mangrove forests. It’s a great place to relax after a tiring trek in southern Tanzania. August, September, and October have hot, dry weather, making them great months for travel. July can be windy, and June is often cooler. The hottest months are from November to March, during which there are rain and higher temperatures.
Dar es Salaam is north of Saadani National Park. The park is next to the Indian Ocean and is the only place on the mainland of Tanzania where you can see sea animals. Mangrove marshes along Saadani’s nice coastline lead to woods that are found further back. Green turtles nest on beaches. Four of the Big Five animals—the lion, elephant, buffalo, and leopard—are in the park, but there are no rhinos. The sable antelope, hippo, yellow baboon, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, Masai giraffe, and sable antelope can all be found there. It’s important to note that spotting animals is harder here than in the more popular parks in Tanzania. If you can, plan your visit to Saadani between January and February or from June to August. This way, you can avoid the heavy rains that happen in April and May.
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