F O R R E S E R V A T I O N S C A L L U S O N 0845 130 6982 Tanzania 42 In the heart of East Africa, just south of the equator is Tanzania. It is a safari destination without equal, containing many world-class national parks and game reserves offering some of the very best game-viewing you can experience in Africa. Tanzania is a vibrant and beautiful country. The heart stopping scenery and the friendliness of the Tanzanians will be locked in your memory forever. There is more to Tanzania than just safari though. The country is not only blessed with true wilderness areas, but also tropical beaches and amazing marine life. Tanzania boasts the snow-capped peak of Africa's highest mountain – Kilimanjaro and, the second largest freshwater lake in the world – Lake Victoria. The world’s deepest lake – Lake Tanganyika is also in Tanzania. On the coast, Zanzibar and the islands of Mafia and Pemba offer a coastline studded with long white sandy beaches, stunning diving and mysterious ruins. There are several clearly defined regions: the coastal plains, the Maasai Steppe in the north (from which several dormant volcanoes rise, including Kilimanjaro) and a high plateau in the south of the country. Savannah and bush cover more than half the country and semi-desert covers the remaining area, except for the coastal plains. The continuation of the Rift Valley runs through Tanzania. Its vastness encompasses a great diversity of habitats and each region is famous for particular species from the chimps in Mahale Mountains, to Roan Antelope and Beisa Oryx of Ruaha, the flamingos and famous tree-climbing lions of Lake Manyara to the mighty Rufiji River in Selous teeming with crocodiles and Hippo. Tanzania is a winning combination. You can fly straight from a safari camp in the morning and reach the shores of the Indian Ocean in time for an afternoon dip. A perfect destination for a romantic honeymoon, an adventure holiday just for one, or a great family holiday! The Serengeti The Serengeti is one of the world's last great wildlife refuges. It is a vast area of land supporting the greatest remaining concentration of plains game in Africa, on a scale unparalleled anywhere else in the world. Equal in size to Northern Ireland, the Park contains an estimated three million large animals, most of which take part in a seasonal migration that is one of nature's greatest wonders. Many of them become prey for the Lions, Cheetahs, Leopards and other predators which constantly attend to the moving mass. Vegetation in the Serengeti ranges from the short and long grass plains in the south, to acacia savannah in the centre and wooded grassland concentrated around tributaries of the Grumeti and Mara Rivers in the north. The western corridor is a region of wooded highland and extensive plains reaching to the edge of Lake Victoria. The Seronera Valley in the central Serengeti is famous for the abundance of Lion and Leopard that are generally easy to find. The Serengeti is famous for its annual migration but space in the lodges and tented camps is at a premium during these times, often being booked up over a year in advance. However, it should be remembered that the Serengeti makes a superb wildlife and safari destination at any time of year with many animals not choosing to follow the migration and outside the peak times you will have vast areas of wilderness to yourself! Serengeti Sopa Lodge, Serengeti Lake Magadi

S E E U S O N T H E W E B AT wildlifeworldwide.com Serengeti Sopa Lodge is a large mid-price lodge, it is conveniently located to for the areas around the Seronera River. The hotel has large spacious rooms with balconies from which to view the plains below. Meals are served buffet style and it has a swimming pool. Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is a comfortable well run lodge with 66 rooms. It is perched on top of the Kyabatero Hill with great views through the trees. The rooms are on two levels with thatched roofs. The overall appearance is that of several beehives. Ndutu Safari Lodge located on the edge of the lake just outside the Park boundary is in a fantastic location to view the migration on the short grass plains. It consists of 32 large stone built cottages. Ndutu has an open bar and restaurant overlooking the lake. Ndutu is a very special place any time of the year and is a great stopping point en-route to or from the highlands if you have been up in the northern reaches of the Serengeti. Mbalageti Safari Lodge has both tented chalets and lodge rooms. Mbalageti has an exceptional outlook over the plains, it is in a truely amazing location. The public areas include large bar and loft space for reading. The swimming pool has a 360-degree view of the Serengeti. Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp is surrounded by kopjes (granite outcrops) and offers fantastic views out over the Serengeti plains. The camp consists of 16 comfortable tents, a central lounge and a dining tent. Grumeti River Camp is a small tented camp with 10 attractively designed tents located on the banks of the Grumeti River. The food and service here are excellent. Migration Camp is a comfortable tented camp in the northern part of Serengeti some 25 kilometres or so from Lobo airstrip. It is a great place to base yourself when the migration is working its way northwards. The tents are spacious with large en-suite facilities. Our suggestion would be to spend an extra day here just to appreciate the location and facilities rather than arriving late and heading off for a game-drive early next morning. Olduvai Gorge This is the site of some of the most important fossil hominid finds of all time by Mary and Louis Leakey such as ‘Nutcracker Man’ or Australopithecus boisei who lived 1.75 million years ago. There is a small informative museum located at the visitor centre where you can view ancient fossils. The gorge is a treasure trove of archaeological sites filled with fossils; settlement remains and stone artefacts – all evidence that this was once 'The Cradle of Mankind'. Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area Often referred to as the 'eighth wonder of the world', the Ngorongoro Crater provides one of the finest wildlife opportunities that Africa can offer. Covering 260 square kilometres the balance of predator and prey within the Crater is so precise that animals seldom leave, and it possibly contains the largest permanent concentration of wildlife in Africa, with an estimate of 30,000 large animals. The game-viewing is good all year-round. The expansive floor is predominantly grassland, which provides for excellent game-viewing. There are two swamps fed by streams (a favourite for Hippo, Elephant and reedbuck, among other species) two forests, and a huge soda lake that attracts thousands of flamingos and other water birds. The Crater walls are also lightly forested. There is no accommodation on the Ngorongoro Crater floor itself so every day a restricted number of visitors are given permits to descend the 650 metre walls of this caldera (a collapsed cone of a volcano) for half a day. Despite the restrictions on numbers, the popularity of the Crater and its location on the classic ‘northern circuit’ mean that you will not have a solitary experience here. However, the size of the Crater is such that it is possible to escape the crowds whilst on the Crater floor, and the guaranteed sightings and benefits of wildlife-viewing here far outweigh the negatives. Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge accommodates up to 190 guests, it is not a luxury lodge but is a good ‘wellpriced’ property. It is the only lodge on the eastern rim of the crater and it effectively has its own access road to the crater floor. Meals are served buffet style but don't expect a culinary extravaganza - the view however is stunning! Ngorongoro Serena Lodge is located on the Crater’s southern rim. The stone building is covered by plant and ivy, which gives a slightly austere appearance but from the Crater floor it is hardly noticeable. There are seventyfive spacious rooms. Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is one Africa’s most famous lodges and it isn’t cheap. The lodge is divided into three separate camps, North, South, and Tree Camp (which only has six suites). All the rooms are lavishly decorated with Victorian baths and oak panels. If you can afford it, Crater Lodge should be on your wish list of places to stay. Ngorongoro Farm House is precisely that, a farm house. Once a large coffee plantation it has undergone major refurbishment by its Tanzanian owner. It is a special place to stay offering superb accommodation in hand-made red brick bungalows. Their organic working farm supplies the lodge with fresh free-range eggs and vegetables, and of course the meals are delicious. Gibbs Farm is still a working coffee farm and one of the oldest in this region and has spacious manicured gardens. Great pride is taken in the food here which is plentiful and excellent. Walks and hikes can be arranged either through the gardens or further a field to the many trails. 43 Africa / Tanzania Migration Camp Ngorongoro Farm House