The Ngorongoro Crater is a true Garden of Eden, with highland forest covering the sheer sides of the caldera and is popularly known as the eighth wonder of the world. Measuring 16 kilometres in diameter and enclosed in walls over 600 metres high, it acts as a spectacular barrier encircling the wildlife that roams the largest intact crater in the world.
Within Ngorongoro Conservation Area you can visit one of the foremost craters in the world (Eighth World Wonders) which was formed 2.5 million years ago. May have been taller than Mt. Kilimanjaro. The crater is the result of the volcano vents being filled with sold rocks, the molten material was forced elsewhere by the falling pressures at the collapsed inward forming the caldera. It is the variety of different habitats within the NCA that makes it so uniquely rich in wildlife- complete ecosystem. It is within NCA where the world famous archaeological sites of Oldupai and Laetoli where the humans history back to 3.5 million years and this story is told in the Rocks and remains (Fossils) found at Oldupai and Laetoli.
Serengeti National Park is one of the unique area in the world covers an area of 14763km² and one of the last places in Africa in which large animal migrations still occur including (more than 3 million) blue wildebeests and (more than 1.8 million ) Burchell’s zebras (Plain Zebras) roam in Tanzania. During the wet season herds with numbers in the thousands populate the southeastern plains of the park. In the dry season the animals migrate westward into the woodland savanna of the Serengeti and northward to the grassland areas of neighboring Kenya.
Lake manyara national park is at the base of the Great Rift Valley escarpment, stretching for about several miles. The park covers about 130 sq miles (336 sq km), it has a spectacular view with easy back drop on Rift valley. The surrounding vicinity comprises forest and green grassland. Lake manyara offers perfect introduction to Tanzania wildlife species including birds.
Manyara offers varieties of wildlife animals including; lions, leopards, cheetah, elephants, jackals, african wild dogs, african cape buffalo, wildebeest, grants and thomson´s gazelles, hippos and many other large herd of mammals like, eland, baboon, dikdik and over 400 different species of birds.
Named after the river that flows through the park, Tarangire National Park is one of the lesser known Tanzanian National Parks, giving it a real air of undiscovered Africa.
Famous for its tree climbing pythons, massive baobabs and large herds of elephant, Tarangire National Park is small but still home to a significant wildlife population, with a density of wildlife matched only by Ngorongoro. Birding is particularly good here; the swamps, tinged green year round, are the focus for 550 bird varieties; the most breeding species in one habitat anywhere in the world.
The archaeological site of Olduvai Gorge is located in the eastern Serengeti in northern Tanzania within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The gorge is a steep sided 4 to 8- kilometre (30 mile) long ravine, which forms part of the Great Rift Valley. It is situated on a series of fault lines which, along with centuries of erosion, has revealed fossils and remnants of early humankind.
Ancient archaeological site
Cradle of humankind
Situated in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Forms part of the Great Rift Valley
Excavations in the early twentieth century by the famous archaeologist, Dr Louis Leakey, uncovered some of the earliest remains of fossil hominids at Olduvai.
Seventeen years after the first discovery of human forms, Leakey’s wife, Mary, discovered the unmistakable fossilised footprints of a human ancestor who had walked along a riverbank three million years ago. Since then, excavators working in Olduvai have found skeletal remains of a number of ancient hominids – Homo habilis, Homo erectus and Australopithecus Boisei. Old campsites and what is believed to be a butchery site, as well as a loosely built circle of lava blocks was also found suggesting that crude shelters were also built here. Other findings include hunting weapons, basic tools and remains of dead animals once killed by humans.
The name Olduvai originated from a European misspelling of Oldupai, the correct Maasai word for this region of great historical importance – named after the wild sisal plant fibre growing in abundance in the gorge.
There is also a museum where visitors can listen to lectures and see visual representation of the discoveries made in the region.
From the crater rim you have a fantastic view in the craters' green paradise. The caldera is about 6 km wide and nearly half of its floor is covered by a lake. The water in the lake is alkaline and the depth of the lake is about 85m, unusually deep for soda lakes in East Africa. The steep walls of the caldera, clothed in forest, rise in some places to almost 300m above the floor.
The views along the trail downwards are spectacular at every point. All along you can enjoy the changing views of Empakaai itself. In addition, from the northern and eastern side you can look out to the dramatic cone of the still active volcano, Oldoinyo Lengai. If the day is clear, you can look beyond Lengai to the Great Rift Valley and Lake Natron. Sometimes you can even see the distant snows of Kilimanjaro far on the eastern side of the Valley.
On your way downwards to the lake you might see buffaloes or bushbucks, blue monkeys, many birds (like sunbirds and turacos). At the shore of the lake are often waterbucks and elands. It is a joy to walk around the lake shore, experiencing the serenity and quiet beauty of this wild spot.
Kilimanjaro is the highest mountain in Africa, standing at 19,340 feet (5,896m). Located in Northern Tanzania, bordering Kenya, it also spans five different ecological zones, making it one of the most varied peaks on Earth to climb.
Mount Kilimanjaro features two peaks, Kibo (5,893m) and Mawenzi (5,149m). Its breathtaking beauty has to be seen and experienced by one personally to really appreciate the amazing environment and surrounding landscape. Ascent and descent takes about 5 days and can be climbed by any normal fit person with the assistance of experienced mountain guides and porters.
Mount Kilimanjaro can be climbed at any time of the year but the best time is considered to be from August to October and January to March. It is wet in the rainforest during the rains in April, May, June and November. December through to February are the warmest months but then weather is very unpredictable in this area and therefore you should check with us nearer your adventure trekking departure.
The Routes
There are a number of routes to choose from for the climb. The durations detailed are the minimum number of days to climb, however we strongly advise additional acclimatisation days where possible.
Machame Route - 7 Day Tour
Rongai Route - 5 Day Tour
Marangu route - 5 Day Tour
Mweka route
Mount Meru
Size: at 4,5685m, the fifth highest in Africa.
Location: Northern Tanzania, near Arusha Town.
Mount Meru is one of Africa's most beautiful volcanoes, and it is the second highest mountain in Tanzania. The mountain is located within Arusha National Park, Tanzania’s safari centre. This prime location gives climbers the opportunity to spot some of the birds and wildlife that inhabit the area. The ascend is quite steep, the route to the summit passes over streams, through parkland, forest, a giant heather zone and moorland. When climbing Mount Meru, the summit is reached by a narrow, barren ridge, which provides stunning views of the Ash Cone lying several thousand feet below in the crater. Weather permitting, Mount Kilimanjaro can be seen in the West. Mount Meru most recently had a minor eruption about a century ago. The several small cones and craters seen in the vicinity probably reflect numerous episodes of volcanic activity.
Mount Meru is the topographic centerpiece of Arusha National Park. Its fertile slopes rise above the surrounding savannah and support a forest that hosts diverse wildlife, including nearly 400 species of birds, and also monkeys and leopards.
Clearest and warmest conditions from December to February, but also dry (and colder) from July-September. The best time to climb Meru is between October and February. But also June to September, while it is colder then.