Northern Tanzania: Birding & Wildlife in the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater & Beyond

Gray Crowned-Crane © Kevin Zimmer

The greatest wildlife spectacle on earth. World-class exotic birding amidst up to a million calving Wildebeest; daily extravaganza of birding plus abundant big game: Elephant, Giraffe, Zebra, Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah in the famous national parks of Arusha, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Manyara, and Tarangire to Lake Victoria.

The Serengeti is a vast, unspoiled rolling savanna of grasslands and open acacia woodlands that host the most spectacular concentration of animals on our planet. This world-famous area is a remarkable experience at any time of the year, but in February and March it witnesses a phenomenal gathering of over one million Wildebeest (along with a half-million Thomson’s Gazelle and a quarter-million Common Zebra) in tight, nervous herds often numbering in the tens of thousands, concentrated together to calve on the short-grass plains prior to the rains. To foil the numerous predators and to ensure the best survival of their young, most of the female Wildebeests calve within a few short weeks, producing a glut of potential prey that overwhelms the dense gathering of predators. Lions are often in large prides—it is not unheard of to see over 20 in a single day! Spotted Hyaenas may appear as solitary predators, or in marauding packs; Leopards, Cheetahs, and smaller predators and scavengers such as jackals and vultures are also much more easily seen at this time of plenty. If the rains have preceded our arrival, we may also find widowbirds, whydahs, and bishops present and breeding in a concentrated burst of opportunism, the males resplendent in their most ornate breeding plumages.

Equally world-renowned are the Ngorongoro Crater and nearby Oldupai (previously Olduvai) Gorge, where the Leakeys discovered remains of primitive hominids dating back over two million years. Ngorongoro is the largest unbroken volcanic caldera in the world—10 miles across and 2,000 feet deep. Lush forests clad the crater rim where our lodge is situated, overlooking the grasslands and lakes of the Crater below. Apart from the breathtaking scenery, superb birding, and great wildlife, it is particularly good for excellent photographic opportunities, and one of the few safe havens in Africa for the endangered Black Rhinoceros.

Arusha National Park is a highland area of extinct volcanoes covered in thick forest, holding birds and mammals we are unlikely to encounter elsewhere. Tarangire National Park is justly famed for its abundant bizarre Baobab trees, and the best elephant-watching opportunities of the tour. Tarangire also offers excellent birding, with several Tanzanian endemics likely. Lake Manyara National Park encompasses a soda lake and extensive freshwater marshes, which hold a large variety of waterbirds from pelicans, cormorants, and flamingos to herons, ibis, storks, shorebirds, and ducks.

This tour will visit these great parks and reserves, and we can expect field lists from 400 to 450 species of birds and 40 to 50 species of mammals, all in spectacular settings.

Good to excellent accommodations and food; easy wildlife viewing from safari vehicles with window seats for all, and with tops that pop-up, allowing those who wish to stand for observation or photography; one or two optional easy hikes; midday breaks on most non-travel days; climate mostly warm and dry, with cooler and possibly damper conditions at higher elevations.

Leopard © Kevin Zimmer