Serengeti & Ngorongoro
The Serengeti ecosystem is a geographical region in Africa. It is located in north Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya. It spans some 30,000 km2 (12,000 sq mi). The Serengeti hosts the largest mammal migration in the world, which is one of the ten natural travel wonders of the world. Each year around the same time the great wildebeest migration begins in the Ngorongoro area of the southern Serengeti of Tanzania. A natural phenomenon determined by the availability of grazing. Some 250,000 wildebeest die during the journey from Tanzania to Maasai Mara Reserve in lower Kenya, a total of 800 kilometres (500 mi). Death is usually from thirst, hunger, exhaustion, or predation. Altitudes in the Serengeti range from 920 to 1,850 metres (3,020 to 6,070 ft) with mean temperatures varying from 15 to 25 degrees Celsius. Although the climate is usually warm and dry, rainfall occurs in two rainy seasons: March to May, and a shorter season in October and November. The Serengeti plain is punctuated by granite outcroppings known as kopjes. These outcroppings are the result of volcanic activity. Kopjies provide a microhabitat for non-plains wildlife. The area is also home to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which contains the Olduvai Gorge, where some of the oldest hominid fossils are found, as well as the Ngorongoro Crater.
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) is a conservation area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera, lies within the area. Based on fossil evidence found at the Olduvai Gorge, it is known that various hominid species have occupied the area for 3 million years. Hunter-gatherers were replaced by pastoralists a few thousand years ago. A population of approximately 25,000 large animals, largely ungulates along with reputedly the highest density of mammalian predators in Africa, lives in the crater. The crater, which formed when a giant volcano exploded and collapsed on itself some two to three million years ago, is 610 m (2,000 ft) deep and its floor covers 260 km2 (100 sq mi). Although thought of as "a natural enclosure" for a very wide variety of wildlife, up to 20% or more of the wildebeest and half the zebra populations vacate the Crater in the wet season. However, a side effect of this enclosure is that the population of Ngorongoro lions is significantly inbred, with many genetic problems passed from generation to generation. Aside from herds of zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest, the crater is home to the "big five" of rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. The Ngorongoro Crater plays host to almost every individual species of wildlife in East Africa, with an estimated 25000 animals within the crater.
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Arusha and Dar es Salaam
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region, which claims a population of 1.3 million. Situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a mild climate and is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru. The temperature ranges between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius with an average around 25 degrees. It has distinct wet and dry seasons. The primary industry of the region is agriculture, with large vegetable and flower producers sending high-quality produce to Europe. The region around Arusha is the sole source of a gem-quality mineral called Tanzanite. Tourism is also a major contributor to the economy in Arusha, being the second largest contributor of income in Tanzania. Arusha has become a popular staging point for tourists visiting Tanzania and East Africa for photo safaris and hiking treks to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Arusha is mostly served by Kilimanjaro International Airport for international travellers, some 60 kilometres (37 mi) east.
Dar es Salaam, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. It has a population of about 3 Million. The city is situated on a massive natural harbour on the Eastern Indian Ocean coast of Africa, with sandy beaches in some areas. Being situated so close to the equator and the warm Indian ocean, the city experiences generally tropical climatic conditions, typified by hot and humid weather throughout much of the year. Dar es Salaam features a tropical wet and dry climate, with two different rainy seasons. The Julius Nyerere International Airport is the principal airport serving the country, named after the country's first President. The city now offers a rich and internationalized diversity of cuisine. People who prefer either fast food nor traditional restaurants buy their food from street vendors, who usually sell good food for very affordable prices. Dar es Salaam is one of the safest large cities in East Africa. Although pick pocketers frequent the City Centre and Dala Dalas and prey especially on foreigners, there are rarely reports of violent crimes. A short flight across the Indian Ocean is the popular "Spice Island" of Zanzibar - famous for the wonderful beach resorts, and south of the city are other paradise and smaller islands, like the Mafia Island, ideal for a small beach resort holiday.
Selous & Ruaha
The Selous Game Reserve is one of the largest faunal reserves of the world, located in the south of Tanzania. The reserve covers a total area of 54,600 km2 (21,100 sq mi), has additional buffer zones. Within the Selous Reserve no permanent human habitation or permanent structures are permitted. Some of the typical animals of the savanna (for example elephants, hippopotami, African Wild Dog, Cape buffalo and crocodiles) can be found in this park in larger numbers than in any other African game reserve or national park. Most of the Selous reserve remains set aside for game hunting through a number of privately leased hunting concessions, but a section of the northern Selous Game Reserve park along the Rufiji River has been designated a photographic zone and is a popular tourist destination. There are several high end lodges and camps mainly situated along the river and lake systems in this area. Rather difficult road access means most visitors arrive by small aircraft from Dar es Salaam.
Ruaha National Park is the largest national park in Tanzania. It covers an area of about 22,000 km². It is located in the middle of Tanzania about 130 km from Iringa. Ruaha is famous for its large population of Elephants. Presently about 10 000 elephants are roaming the park. Ruaha National Park is also a true birdwatchers paradise: 436 species have been identified. The best times to visit for predators and large mammals is the dry season (May–December) and for birds and flowers, the wet season (January–April). There are Six lodges in Ruaha: Tandala Tented Camps, Mwagusi Safari Camp, Mdonya Old River Camp , Ruaha River Lodge, Kwihale and Jongomero Camp.
Lake Manyara and Tarangire
Lake Manyara is a shallow lake in the Natron-Manyara-Balangida branch of the Great Rift Valley in Tanzania. Of the 127 square miles (329 km2) of Lake Manyara National Park, the lake's alkaline waters (with a pH near 9.5) cover approximately 89 square miles (231 km2), though the area and pH fluctuate widely with the seasons, and dry spells expose large areas of mud flats. While most known for baboons, the Manyara Lake and its environs is also home to herbivores such as hippos, impalas, elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, warthogs and giraffes. Leopards, although in abundance, are hard to get a glimpse of, just like the other elusive carnivores - the lions - of this park. Both Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks are a short drive from the town of Arusha, where most tourists going on a safari will arrive in Tanzania.
Tarangire National Park is the sixth largest national park in Tanzania. During the dry season thousands of animals migrate to the Tarangire National Park from Manyara. The landscape and vegetation is incredibly diverse with a mix that is not found anywhere else in the northern safari circuit. The hilly landscape is dotted with vast numbers of Baobab trees, dense bush and high grasses. The park is famous for its huge number of elephants, baobab trees and tree climbing lions. Visitors to the Tarangire National Park can expect to see any number of resident zebra and wildebeest in addition to the less common animals. After your visit to the Tarangire and Lake Manyara National Parks, go on a safari to the Serengeti Plains and Ngorongoro Crater Conservation Area - and then end off your safari holiday with a few nights at a lazy beach resort near Dar es Salaam or on Zanzibar Island.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro, with its three volcanic cones, Kibo, Mawenzi,
and Shira, is a dormant volcano in Tanzania and the highest mountain in Africa
at 5,895 metres or 19,341 feet above sea level (the Uhuru Peak/Kibo Peak). There are six official trekking routes by which
to climb Mt Kilimanjaro, namely: Marangu, Rongai, Lemosho, Shira, Umbwe and Machame. Of all the routes, Machame is
by far the most scenic albeit steeper
route up the mountain, which can be done in six or seven days. Lemosho Route is
also claimed to be the most scenic and as it takes the longest time, it has the
best success rate as climbers have more days to aclimatise to the altitude. The
Rongai is the easiest and least scenic
of all camping routes with the most difficult summit night and the Marangu is
also relatively easy, but accommodation is in shared huts with all other
climbers. As a result, this route tends to be very busy, and ascent and descent
routes are the same. Umbwe route is the shortest and thus the lowest success
route, and we do not encourage clients to do ths route. Fly to Tanzania,
landing at Kilimanjaro International Airport - and then we overnight you at the
Kilimanjaro Lodge,and the following morning, your Mountain Guide will meet with
you and give you a briefing before you depart to the start point for your trek
up Mount Kilimanjaro.
People who wish to trek to the summit of Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, are advised to undertake appropriate research and ensure that they are both properly equipped and physically capable. Acclimatisation is essential, and even then most experienced trekkers suffer some degree of altitude sickness. Kilimanjaro summit is well above the altitude at which high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) can occur. All trekkers will suffer considerable discomfort, typically shortage of breath, hypothermia and headaches. Of the ice cover still present in 2000, 26% had disappeared by 2007. While the current shrinking and thinning of Kilimanjaro's ice fields appears to be unique within its almost twelve millennium history, it is contemporaneous with widespread glacier retreat in mid-to-low latitudes across the globe. Unless trends change, Kilimanjaro is expected to become ice-free sometime between 2022 and 2033…so be sure to book your Kilimanjaro Trek in Tanzania with African Bundu Safaris, before the ice melts. I personally led a group of teenagers up Kilimanjaro in 1995, with the vast majority of them reaching Gilman’s Point at 5685m and then myself and one lad, continued to the Uhuru Peak…an awesome experience. Combine your Mount Kilimanjaro Climb with a safari to the Serengeti Plains and Ngorongoro Crater and possibly end with a few days relaxing at the beaches of Zanzibar Island.
Chimpanzee Lodges
Chimpanzees are found in the western part of Tanzania, in two of the most remote National Parks of Tanzania, beautifully located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika – namely, Gombe Stream National Park at 52 km² and then Mahale Mountains National Park at 1600 km². Gombe Forest Lodge is about 26km directly north and Mahale lodges are about 140 kms directly south, of Kigoma town.
Mahale Mountains National Park has been described as “Quite simply one
of the most beautiful parks anywhere in Africa” – a lakeshore with fine
powder-white sand on the beach leading onto the tropical vegetated forest
rising into the imposing Mahale mountains rising up to 2460 metres
altitude. The forest and the flowing streams are home of over 1000
chimpanzees with the M-group having around 56 chimps in their troop.
Like Gombe Park, some chimps have become habituated to human visitors
and wearing surgical masks when you get close to them is required.
Getting to Mahale is best on the Monday or Thursday flight from Arusha
or from Dar via Selous Reserve. Once at the Mahale airstrip, we transfer you by motor-boat to either the Kungwe Beach Lodge or the more well known Greystoke Mahale Lodge- both located on the shores of Lake Tanganyika with the chimpanzee populated Mahale Mountain forest surrounding them on 3 sides.
Gombe has one lodge constructed on the lake shore in amongst the forest, and it takes about 2 hours by road & boat from the Kigoma Airport. Jane Goodall founded the Chimpanzee research program here in 1960. There are three groups of chimps found in the Gombe Park – and this lodge although the Park is less dramatic than Mahale, it is a more economic option to enjoy watching chimps and other primates. There are a few flights a week to Kigoma from Arusha and Dar es Salaam.
Tracking the chimpanzee through the rainforest covered slopes of Africa is an experience one must not miss! Trekking through the forests is sweaty and tiring, ranging from anything between 20 minutes and 4 hrs, but spending an hour (or two if you are lucky) watching these amazing primates awaiting the sudden upshot of a monkey-hunt or the pant hoots of their frenetic communication is worth it. Tracking chimpanzees is easier during the wet-season when they don't roam too far (but not good for electronic cameras!!) But the dry season during July to October is better for taking photographs, when the foliage is less dense. (The ground is not as slippery in the drier season, nor as hot & humid - and less tsetse flies.) December is also a good time to visit. (There is talk to limit chimpanzee visits to 6 people per day - so be sure to visit this exciting area before the very restictive regulations come into place. July 2011)